After 17 seasons and 1,145 games, Paul Stastny has announced his retirement. The 6’0 center tallied 822 points during the regular season and added 73 points in 118 playoff games.
Stastny comes from a hockey family, following in the footsteps of his father, Peter, his brother, Yan, and two of his uncles, Anton and Marian. He began his career with the River City Lancers before committing to the University of Denver in 2004. He played two seasons for the Pioneers, racking up an NCAA Championship, MacNaughton Cup, Broadmoor Trophy, and nomination for the Calder Memorial Trophy during his rookie season.
He declared for the 2005 draft and would be taken by Colorado 44th overall, where he would sign for the 2006-2007 season and be the All-Star Game selection a year later. He would invoke his dual citizenship and go on to represent the United States in the 2007 IIHF and two Winter Olympic games in 2010 and 2014.
Starting his career in Colorado, he was expected to play with their minor league affiliates before entering the league. With the shock of Steve Konowalchuk’s career-ending health issues, Stastny took the opportunity to impress head coach Joel Quenneville for the open roster spot. He would score his first goal against the Vancouver Canucks during his third NHL game. He would break the points record for a rookie in February of that season, his father holding the franchise record. He would end his rookie season with 78 points, just missing the playoffs by one point.
In 2008, Stastny signed a five-year extension with the Avalanche to begin in the 2009 season with an AAV of 6.6 million dollars a year. During the NHL lockout of the 2012 season, he opted to play in Germany with EHC Munchen for 13 games, posting 18 points before returning to Colorado.
The 2014 season, he would become a free agent due to inability to agree with Colorado. That summer, he would sign with his hometown club, the St. Louis Blues. His father had previously played for the Blues and retired as a Blue in 1995. During the 2016-2017 season, he would be named as an alternate captain for the club.
Before the trade deadline in 2018, he would be dealt to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Erik Foley and two conditional draft picks. He would be their essential guy in the playoffs, tallying 15 points in 17 playoff games but ultimately falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
Once again a free agent, he would sign a three-year deal with the Golden Knights. During his first season with the club, he would produce 42 points in 50 games. He added depth to their second line and led the charge during their playoff run in 2020, but Vegas would fall to the Dallas Stars in five games of the Western Conference Finals.
He then made a triumphant return to Winnipeg, where he would achieve his 500th assist against the Blues. The Jets missed the playoffs, and Stastny would return to free agency in 2022. He would sign with his first Eastern Conference team, the Carolina Hurricanes, in August 2022. He is most notably known in the club for his game-winning goal in overtime against the New York Islanders to clinch the first round.
Throughout his career, Paul Stastny has been plagued with injuries, but when he was healthy, the effect was almost immediate on the ice. The Quebec City native has a playmaker style on the ice, with the ability to see the ice and leadership off ice as well. This retirement was not a shock, as he is set to turn 38 in December, but when he was not signed to a team this season, speculation began to circulate. Paul and his family do plan on moving back to the St. Louis area, and it will be interesting to see if he lands within an organization’s management or coaching staff.
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