Radek Faksa, assistant coach Steve Spott reunite with Stars

Name: Radek Faksa
Number:12
Age:28
Birthplace: Vitkov, Czech Republic
Height/Weight: 6-3, 220
2021-22 stats: Five goals, 14 assists and 19 points in 77 games
Contract:Three years remaining at a cap hit of $3.25 million. Actual salary of $4 million next season.

Performance evaluation

Not unlike several players on the Stars, Faksa has seen his offensive production drop significantly over the past five seasons. During the 2017-18 campaign, the big center had 17 goals among 33 points for a points-per-game average of .42. Last season, he had five goals among 19 points for a .20 points-per-game average.
Faksa is mostly a defensive centerman, but his ability to help the third line create offense has slumped a great deal. He's still solid on faceoffs, winning 55.1 percent last season, but his possession numbers aren't good. He's been among the team's bottom five for the past four seasons and was 24th last season at 44 percent in what the NHL titles "puck possession" or shot differential. He also ranked 26th on the team in plus-minus at minus-20.

Expectations for 2022-23

Faksa was a first-round draft pick (13th overall) in 2012 and tallied almost a point a game in three seasons with the OHL's Kitchener Rangers. That's important because his head coach was Steve Spott, who'll be joining the Stars as an assistant coach this season. If anyone knows how to unlock the offensive potential of Faksa, it's probably Spott.

The other thing that could help Faksa is the fact the Stars (and the new coaching staff) likely want to get more production from the third line. The trio of Faksa with Luke Glendening and Michael Raffl had its place, but it didn't do much in terms of creating scoring chances or puck possession in a traditional sense. The three were among the worst on the team in shot generation and plus-minus, and that must change this season. The guess is that Jamie Benn could slide down to the third line, and that players like Denis Gurianov or Ty Dellandrea could also be in the mix. If Faksa stays in the third line center spot, that could help him be more of a two-way player.
While coaches don't look at salary in trying to figure things out, Faksa is another one of many in the group of forwards that seems to be performing below his cap hit and salary. If the Stars want to make sure things are functioning well in a cap world, maximizing overall production for players like Faksa is a pretty big deal.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.