In the mess that is the morning of July 1st, Renaud Lavoie reported that the Dallas Stars will be signing Roman Polak as soon as the free agency window opens.

It will be a one-year deal for the Czech defenseman – I suppose the Stars are trying that whole slow and tough thing next year.

Polak was traded to the Leafs in a deal that saw Carl Gunnarsson go the other way to the St. Louis Blues, all the way back in 2014. He has technically had two stints with the Leafs, after being traded to the San Jose Sharks at the 2016 trade deadline.

In his four years with the Leafs, Polak has played 240 games, scoring 12 goals and 45 points. Also 215 PIMs, and a total of 4,563 minutes on the ice as a Leaf – but hey, he was 66.6% in faceoffs!

We will always cherish our time together, Roman.

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