Signed as free agent by Dallas, July 3, 1998.
Led Blues in power- play goals for fifth consecutive season.
Led Blues in points.
Tied for Blues lead in game-winning goals.
Second on Blues in assists, points and shots.
Missed 13 games with fractured left hand.
Missed two games with gluteus maximus injury.
Missed one game with thigh injury.
Brett Hull, meet Mike Modano. . . . The two teammates from U.S. competitions will now be linemates in Dallas, and the West may never be the same. Even though Hull had one of his least productive seasons last year, his signing with the powerful Dallas Stars should re-start his offense. Hull's overall game has improved enough over the past few seasons that he will not be out of place on the disciplined Stars. He plays well in all three zones but remains a shooter first. His shot is seldom blocked--he gets it away so quickly that the defense doesn't have time to react. And his shots have tremendous velocity, especially his one-timers from the tops of the circles in. Hull is always working to get himself in position for a pass, but he doesn't look like he's working. He sort of drifts into open ice and before a defender can react, he is firing off any kind of shot accurately. He usually moves to his off-wing on the power play. He can play the point but is a better asset down low. Hull is an underrated playmaker who can thread a pass through traffic right onto the tape of a teammate. He will find the open man because he has soft hands and good vision. When the opponent overplays him, he makes smart decisions about whether to shoot or pass. He has become a servicable penalty killer as well and is a short handed threat.
Hull is compact and when he wants to hit, it's a solid check. He is not as physically involved as he was when he was scoring goals at an absurd rate, but he will bump people. His conditioning has improved, and he routinely plays up to 30 minutes a game.
Hull might not be the prototypical team leader, but once he's on the ice he's as competitive as any of the elite players. Because of the high quality of talent on the Stars, Hull will face less checking pressure than he did in St. Louis.
Could Hull score 100 points again? With Modano, it's possible.
