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Contract Still in Question for Breakout Stars Defenseman

taylor newby
·3 min read

The Dallas Stars completed all of their off-season moves pretty early on in the off-season, adding quite a few new players to the roster during free agency.

However, there is one loose end the Stars have not tied up - Thomas Harley's new contract. He is a restricted free agent now that his three-year entry-level contract expired after the 2023-24 season.

The 22 year old from Syracuse, New York finally had his break-out season after playing sporadically in the NHL before being sent back to the AHL to develop his skills. But it appears Jim Nill and company knew what they were doing, because Harley got his chance to prove himself at the end of the 2022-23 season where he ended up emerging as a defensive pillar for the Stars in the playoffs. 

In his first 40 games that were split between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, he recorded six points total, one goal and five assists. In the 2023-24 season, he recorded 15 goals and 32 assists. Although the offensive aspect of his game had always been there, his stint in the AHL gave Harley the ability to be a two-way defenseman that the coaching staff could trust.

So the question begs, what kind of contract does Harley warrant? On one hand, it would appear that Harley has established that he can be a reliable defenseman at the NHL level, but without the lack of history to support this claim, it could be a gamble to sign him to a big contract based on his play. On the other hand, the Stars could find themselves paying even more long term if they give him a bridge deal until he can truly establish himself. In June, The Athletic predicted that Harley's market value was around $11.7 million.

Nill will have to consider those things, as well as other player contracts that could shape the next several years of where money is tied up for the team. The Stars currently have around $6.2 million in free cap space to work with. Evolving Hockey has Harley's projected contract at two years and $3.9 million per year. If Nill can land a deal similar to that, it will give the Stars more money left over to either use now or save for the trade deadline.

Concerns over the deal not being done have been quieted by Nill himself, stating that they are having healthy and consistent communication. Though training camp is a month away, Nill expects to get the deal done before then. Interestingly, the last player to miss training camp due to contract negotiations was Jason Robertson, and he went on to have a career-best 100 point season.

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