Ales Hemsky is only 33 years old, but he seems a lot older in the sense that his best hockey was played ages ago. Hemsky, a right winger, spent the last three seasons in the NHL with the Dallas Stars and not one of them was fruitful. This last season was particularly unproductive as he only played in 15 games thanks to injury. All totaled, he had 71 points in 164 games as a member of the Dallas Stars over the last three seasons. Entering the 2017 free-agent market, Hemsky's value doesn't look all that great.
Hemsky's best years were in Edmonton
Hemsky played his best hockey as a member of the Edmonton Oilers in the last decade.
He was a part of the team that made the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006, a season where he had 77 points in 81 games. That still represents his best season in terms of scoring more than a decade later. According to Spotrac, Hemsky earned $4,000,000 a season over the last three years. Coming off of a major injury and with his best hockey seemingly ancient history, it's hard to picture Hemsky getting anything close to that kind of deal this upcoming season.
The recent buzz with Hemsky is that he could re-sign with the Dallas Stars. Sean Shapiro, writing at NHL.com on June 24th, said "Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill plans to talk with unrestricted Free Agent forwards Patrick Sharp and Ales Hemsky next week and isn't ruling out bringing back one or both players next season." Of course, bringing a player back doesn't mean duplicating the offer that he previously had.
Hemsky might sign something short-term
That Hemsky appears to be in line with a pay cut is clear. That being the case, you have to wonder how long of a deal the Czech forward will want. After all, coming back from injury he will likely want to prove himself with a productive season for the Stars and then maybe enter the free agent waters again this time next year.
What seems to be likely with Hemsky, if he stays in Dallas, is a short-term and inexpensive deal. The Stars need a price where they can gamble on this injury-prone player that was most effective ages ago. Meanwhile Hemsky needs a deal where he doesn't get locked into low-pay long-term, given his potential and the fact that 33 years old in NHL hockey isn't that old.
Where Hemsky would fit in around the league has a lot to do with what kind of price he will charge. Despite significant talent, he isn't exactly a showstopper and wouldn't likely be a frontliner on a Cup contender right now. However, as a third or fourth liner at a budget price Hemsky would fit in with numerous teams that plan to contend next season. Despite underachieving in Dallas, he could still have some good seasons ahead of him.
