Dallas Stars <\/p>\n
Current Cap Hit: $95,094,916<\/a> (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)<\/p>\n Entry-Level Contracts<\/p>\n D Lian Bichsel<\/a> (two years, $918K)<\/p>\n Potential Bonuses Bichsel split time between Dallas and AHL Texas last season before being a regular for them in the playoffs, albeit with limited playing time.\u00a0 He should crack the roster on a full-time basis this year but still in a third-pairing role, which doesn\u2019t bode well for reaching his bonuses.\u00a0 Given their longer-term cap situation which we\u2019ll get into as we go along, it would be surprising if his next deal isn\u2019t a short-term bridge contract, likely around the $2MM range.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level<\/p>\n F Nathan Bastian<\/a> ($775K, UFA) Potential Bonuses Robertson\u2019s situation has garnered plenty of attention with his name coming up in trade speculation.\u00a0 He\u2019s averaging over a point per game for his career and has notched at least 79 points in four straight seasons.\u00a0 That\u2019s top-line numbers and he\u2019ll be looking for top-line money next summer which should push his cap charge well past the $10MM mark.\u00a0 Notably, his qualifying offer is $9.3MM with salary arbitration rights.\u00a0 Benn re-signed this bonus-laden deal to allow Dallas to keep cap-compliant this season, one that is team-friendly even with the bonuses.\u00a0 $2MM of that is games-played based while the other $1MM is based on team playoff success.\u00a0 If he wants to remain with the Stars beyond this season, it\u2019s probably going to be on a similarly structured agreement.<\/p>\n Bourque was a speculative offer sheet candidate this summer but agreed to this deal before the draft to take that off the table.\u00a0 Had he tested restricted free agency, he\u2019d have landed more than this but the one-year term sets him up for arbitration eligibility and a shot to triple this or more next summer if all goes well.\u00a0 Bastian was a recent signing from the Devils and has been a physical fourth liner throughout his career but his offensive production has largely been limited.\u00a0 That should keep him around the minimum salary barring a big jump in output.<\/p>\n Lundkvist looked to be heading toward a non-tender to duck arbitration rights for the second straight year before signing this contract for the same amount he made last season.\u00a0 Between some struggles and injuries, 2024-25 was largely a write-off so he\u2019s getting near the point of either needing to take that step forward or understanding that he might not be more than the depth player he currently is.\u00a0 Petrovic spent most of last season in the minors before playing in most of the playoffs in Dallas which should give him a leg up for a full-time spot to start this year.\u00a0 Even so, his track record has only been that of a depth defender thus far and at 33, that\u2019s unlikely to change.\u00a0 He should stay around the minimum salary moving forward although a full year in the NHL could flip his next deal to a one-way pact.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2026-27<\/p>\n F Oskar Back<\/a> ($825K, UFA) A hip issue sidelined Seguin for most of last season although he was a little over a point per game in his limited action.\u00a0 However, he has generally been more in the 50-point range in recent years and this price tag for that type of production isn\u2019t great.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 35 when his next deal starts and while a multi-year pact should still be doable then, it\u2019s going to come with a multi-million-dollar drop in AAV.\u00a0 Steel inked this deal back before the trade deadline in the midst of his fourth straight season with at least 20 points.\u00a0 Between that and his ability to kill penalties, he should be able to provide decent value on this contract but unless his point production starts to go up, he might not be able to go too much higher than this.<\/p>\n Back had a decent rookie year, getting into 73 games while holding his own in a bottom-six role to secure this deal at a rate that will be below the minimum salary next season.\u00a0 Assuming he remains a regular in this type of role for them, this should work out just fine while Back should be able to push more into the $1.25MM range on his next deal.\u00a0 Blackwell fit in nicely in a depth role last season, earning this new contract along the way.\u00a0 While he had a couple of years in the past with a seven-figure salary, he\u2019s someone who should be staying around the minimum salary on any future contracts.<\/p>\n Lyubushkin was brought in to bring some physicality to the back and stabilize the bottom pairing.\u00a0 He was able to do that for the most part although this contract is on the higher side for that type of role which led to some speculation about his future when they needed to open up cap space.\u00a0 It would be surprising to see him beat this by any significant amount two years from now but another contract in this price range might be doable.<\/p>\n DeSmith is certainly at the lower end of the salary scale for backup goalies as he opted for stability and a winning environment over trying to get the highest price tag.\u00a0 He certainly had a solid first year with numbers that should have him toward the higher end of the backup scale (more in the $3.5MM territory).\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 36 when this deal expires so it\u2019s unlikely that he\u2019ll find a contract in that range but value-wise, he should double this if he looks for top dollar next time out.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2027-28<\/p>\n F Radek Faksa<\/a> ($2MM, UFA)<\/p>\n Faksa returns after a one-year stint in St. Louis after Dallas needed to clear his contract last summer.\u00a0 While he showed some offensive upside early in his career, he has settled into more of a pure checking role in recent seasons.\u00a0 Between his penalty killing utility and his faceoff skills, he should be able to provide a good return on this contract, even with the points remaining hard to come by.\u00a0 But unless his production improves, he likely won\u2019t command much more than this moving forward.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2028-29 <\/p>\n F Matt Duchene<\/a> ($4.5MM, UFA) With Duchene making it known that he didn\u2019t want to settle for another one-year contract this time around, it looked like his days could be numbered.\u00a0 And then he signed a below-market deal to stay.\u00a0 The trade-off is four years for a 34-year-old which isn\u2019t ideal but he\u2019s coming off an 82-point effort last season and could have plausibly surpassed $7MM on a multi-year contract (though not four years) on the open market.<\/p>\n Heiskanen is the potential internal cap on Harley\u2019s contract and understandably so given his overall track record.\u00a0 (Whether a different salary cap environment makes that feasible remains to be seen.)\u00a0 He\u2019s coming off an injury-riddled year but he\u2019s an all-situations number one defenseman and the market for those has easily pushed past the $10MM mark.\u00a0 He\u2019s heading for another big raise as things stand.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2029-30 Or Longer<\/p>\n F Roope Hintz<\/a> ($8.45MM through 2030-31) Hintz isn\u2019t necessarily viewed as a true number one center but with a forward group that\u2019s more driven from the wing, he fits the bill just fine while averaging 33 goals per season over the last four years.\u00a0 It would be surprising to see his output jump up to a true top level but a steady and reliable 70-point center like he is would probably have gotten more than this on the open market this summer.\u00a0 It feels like Hintz\u2019s deal was the internal cap for Johnston, who signed a contract that only bought Dallas one additional year of club control.\u00a0 That will give them a better shot at keeping the core intact, of course, while setting Johnston up to reach unrestricted free agency at 27.\u00a0 That contract could be a whopper if he continues to progress; in a more inflated cap environment, Rantanen\u2019s price tag could be within reach if he keeps improving.<\/p>\n Lindell has been a strong defensive defender throughout his NHL career while typically chipping in with a point total in the mid-20s.\u00a0 He\u2019s capable of playing top-pairing minutes although in the long run, he might be best off in a number three role.\u00a0 As things stand, this is a deal that already holds up well and should continue to do so for the foreseeable future.\u00a0 Already 31, he\u2019ll be 36 when his next contract starts so while a small raise might come his way, it shouldn\u2019t be too much higher, especially on a multi-year pact.<\/p>\n After some high-end performances to start his career, Oettinger hasn\u2019t been able to get quite back to that level over the last couple of years.\u00a0 That said, he\u2019s still a well-above-average starter locked up at a rate we\u2019ve seen a few starters of his caliber receive recently.\u00a0 As long as he performs at a top-10 level or so, this contract should hold up pretty well.<\/p>\n Still To Sign<\/p>\n None<\/p>\n Buyouts<\/p>\n
Bichsel: $500K<\/p>\n
F Jamie Benn<\/a> ($1MM, UFA)
F Mavrik Bourque<\/a> ($950K, RFA)
D Thomas Harley<\/a> ($4MM, RFA)
D Nils Lundkvist<\/a> ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Alexander Petrovic<\/a> ($775K, UFA)
F Jason Robertson<\/a> ($7.75MM, RFA)<\/p>\n
Benn: $3MM<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/thomas-harley-stars-227x300.jpg\")
<\/a>While Robertson\u2019s case has garnered the majority of the attention for next year\u2019s free agency, Harley\u2019s is arguably just as significant.\u00a0 He showed last season that his 2023-24 breakout effort was no fluke, taking on an even bigger role and being just as productive.\u00a0 He is now a legitimate top-pairing player.\u00a0 As a result, this could be a situation where his pay increase next summer is higher than what Robertson\u2019s is going to be.\u00a0 Noah Dobson<\/a>\u2019s eight-year, $9.5MM AAV contract signed this summer looms large as a viable comparable while ticking past $10MM per season is a real possibility as well.\u00a0 Notably, he\u2019s not UFA-eligible until 2029 so one option that could be considered is another two-year bridge deal more in the $7MM range which could allow their reported desire<\/a> to work within an internal cap to happen.\u00a0 That would buy them a bit of short-term flexibility at a time when cap space is going to be tight so GM while Jim Nill likely doesn\u2019t prefer to go that way, he might have to.<\/p>\n
F Colin Blackwell<\/a> ($775K, UFA)
G Casey DeSmith<\/a> ($1MM, UFA)
D Ilya Lyubushkin<\/a> ($3.25MM, UFA)
F Tyler Seguin<\/a> ($9.85MM, UFA)
F Sam Steel<\/a> ($2.1MM, UFA)<\/p>\n
D Miro Heiskanen<\/a> ($8.45MM, UFA)<\/p>\n
F Wyatt Johnston<\/a> ($8.4MM through 2029-30)
D Esa Lindell<\/a> ($5.25MM through 2029-30)
G Jake Oettinger<\/a> ($8.25MM through 2032-33)
F Mikko Rantanen<\/a> ($12MM through 2032-33)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/mikko-rantanen-stars-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>It was quite an interesting year for Rantanen who couldn\u2019t agree to terms with Colorado and didn\u2019t want to agree to terms with Carolina, only to go to Dallas and sign a contract that was believed to be in the neighborhood of what the Avs were offering.\u00a0 That deal was a record-setting pact for a winger (since matched by Mitch Marner<\/a> in Vegas).\u00a0 Rantanen has consistently been one of the top-scoring wingers in the NHL in recent years and while he didn\u2019t go great in the regular season after the first trade, he showed his ability to carry a line in the playoffs.\u00a0 As is often the case with these types of contracts, surplus value will be hard to come by but as long as he remains the type of player he has been for a lot of his career, this will hold up well.<\/p>\n