what in the hell are the dallas stars even thinking about signing this guy.

Lindros should have retired years ago with his concusion problems he has had.

DALLAS (AP) -- Eric Lindros is set to change teams again.

The oft-injured center planned to sign a one-year deal with the Dallas Stars, a team official told The Associated Press on Sunday on condition of anonymity because the contract wasn't finished yet.

"It's in the final stages of being finalized," the official said.

An announcement was expected to be made Monday.

Lindros had 11 goals and 11 assists last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, his hometown team, but was limited to 33 games after injuring his wrist against the Stars.


Injuries have been the story for Lindros, who has missed at least 10 games in 11 of his 12 NHL seasons. Concussions have been his biggest concern, and the 33-year-old Lindros was forced to sit out the entire 2000-01 campaign after he was leveled by New Jersey's Scott Stevens during a playoff game the season before.

He has sustained eight concussions and played an average of only 59 games per season. A long dispute with his first team, the Philadelphia Flyers, led to his trade to the New York Rangers in the summer of 2001.

Lindros clashed with general manager Bob Clarke and other Flyers officials, largely because he questioned the medical treatment he received while with Philadelphia.

After three years with the Rangers, Lindros moved on to Toronto -- the team he grew up rooting for. But he lasted only one season with the Maple Leafs. At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, he could provide the Stars with some much-needed size if he can stay healthy.

In 711 NHL games, Lindros tallied 367 goals and 472 assists. He was the NHL MVP in 1995 and followed up the next season with a career-best 115 points for the Flyers.

With the Stars, Lindros likely would fill the second-line center role vacated when Jason Arnott signed with Nashville. Mike Modano anchors the top line.

Lindros would be the highest-profile player among several offseason additions for Dallas. Already, the Stars have signed free-agent forwards Jeff Halpern and Matthew Barnaby, and traded for defenseman Darryl Sydor. In addition to Arnott, the club also has lost Bill Guerin, releasing him for salary-cap reasons.