Dallas Stars: Will Anybody Fill Antoine Roussel’s Shoes?

With fan-favorite forward and agitator Antoine Roussel signing with the Vancouver Cancucks, can anyone on the Dallas Stars’ roster replace the void he left?

For the past six seasons, Antoine Roussel has been one of the Dallas Stars’ most admired players. He did anything that is asked of him — he’d hit if he needed to hit, he scored when he had the opportunity to score, and, most notably, he fought when he needed to fight.

In his six seasons with the Stars, ‘Rous’ racked up 64 goals (12 of which were game-winners) and 77 assists in 413 NHL games. His most interesting stat, however, lies in the physical aspect of play.

Roussel has totaled a whopping 806 penalty minutes. He finished 3rd last season with 126 PIM, only behind Florida’s Michael Haley (212) and Washington’s Tom Wilson (187).

The feisty Frenchman can also drop the gloves, with 31 career AHL fights and 59 NHL fights.

Yes. 59.

Oh, and he hits. 632 times, to be exact.

Roussel has taken a different path to the NHL when compared to the rest of his counterparts. For example, he was the only player on the Dallas Stars last season that was never drafted.

Because of that, he had to fight his way into the lineup — literally.

Although he was never drafted, he had stints with the Providence Bruins and Chicago Wolves in the AHL in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, respectively, but never made a huge impact. He hit his stride with the Texas Stars in the AHL in the 2012-13 season and was called up to Dallas in February of 2013.

His debut in the NHL? He scored. On his first shift.

Since then, the’s has never looked back.

And since then, Dallas Stars fans have fallen in love with him.

However, his time as a Star has come and gone, and his departure (to the disappointment of many Stars fans) might leave some fans wondering if there will be a “Roussel 2.0.”

There was a reason Roussel was a fan-favorite. There was a reason why every time he touched the puck, made a hit, or basically did anything on the ice, fans would bellow “ROUSSSSSS” in the American Airlines Center. There was a reason why, even though he never scored the most goals or dished out the most assists, Roussel jerseys could be spotted all over the AAC.

It was his passion, his grit. Roussel always laid it all out on the ice.

Every. Single. Night.

As I mentioned earlier, though, Roussel is gone. There’s no changing that. The question is, who can follow him? Most teams have that one player. You know, the guy who won’t be afraid to drop the gloves and get in a scrap, or stick up for a hurt player. For the Dallas Stars, Antoine Roussel was that guy.

All indications point that if there’s any player on the Stars’ roster that has a style of game that’s similar to that of Roussel’s, it’s Remi Elie. Though he doesn’t fight often, Elie has that aspect of blue-collar toughness when he’s on the ice.

It is true that Roussel struggled last season, and was only able to muster 17 points (5 G, 12 A) in 73 games. However, he was one of a kind, and who knows if Dallas will be able to find a player that played like Rous did.

• Published on 08/19/2018 at 17:28 PM
• Last updated at 08/20/2018 at 16:02 PM