Dallas Stars sign forward Sam Steel to four-year contract extension

The Dallas Stars made clear Monday that they want forward Sam Steel to remain in Dallas for a while.

The 28-year-old agreed to terms on a four-year extension worth $14.8 million ($3.7 million AAV), the team announced Monday. Steel is now under contract through the 2030-31 season, as the deal will not kick in until the start of the 2027-28 season.

Steel’s current two-year contract that pays him $2.1 million annually is set to expire at the end of the season. 

“We couldn’t be happier to extend Sam,” Stars GM Jim Nill said in a statement. “His consistency during his time with our team, especially on the penalty kill, plus his versatility has made him a valuable asset to our organization, and we’re happy to be locking him up for the next four seasons.”

The forward is entering his fourth season with the Stars after signing with the team as a free agent during the 2023 offseason. Steel has served as somewhat of a Swiss Army Knife for the Stars, playing up and down the lineup. He spent time on Dallas’ top line with Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston last season but has most often held a depth role on the third or fourth lines. He’s known for his two-way play and penalty killing.

Since making his Dallas debut, no Stars forward has played more time on the penalty kill than Steel’s 450:11, which is 170 more minutes of shorthanded ice time than the second-ranked forward Radek Faksa (279:25).

Steel has totaled 82 points (27 goals, 55 assists) in 229 regular season games with the Stars, ranking ninth in scoring among Stars forwards during that span. He set career highs in goals (12), assists (21), points (33), game-winning goals (5) and hits (79) with the Stars in 2025-26.

He was originally selected by Anaheim in the first round (30th overall) of the 2016 NHL draft.

The move helps Nill start to shape the roster for next season, which is set to see six forwards become unrestricted free agents, including Tyler Seguin and Jason Robertson. The GM will likely try to chip away at that workload throughout the season to make for a more manageable summer.