Projecting The Stars: Thomas Harley

adam proteau

Fri, Sep 6, 2024, 6:41 p.m.·2 min read

We’re close to the start of the NHL’’s 2024-25 regular season, and THN.com’s Dallas Stars team website is continuing our player-by-player series of projections for the Stars’ roster this coming season. We’ve moved through Dallas’ group of forwards and most Stars defensemen, and today, we’re looking at Stars D-man Thomas Harley.

The 23-year-old Lundkvist has come along as advertised after Dallas selected him with the 18th-overall pick in the 2019 draft, and while he still has yet to sign a contract with the Stars for the 2024-25 season, Harley is a key cog in Dallas’ blueprint for success, and he’s only getting better.

Career: 37 assists, 53 points in 119 games

2023-24 Statistics: 15 goals, 47 points in 79 games

Salary Cap Hit: To Be Determined (currently an RFA)

Summary of 2023-24 Season: Harley had a breakout season on offense last year, and he averaged 21:01 of ice time per game in the regular season. That average went up to 23:52 in 19 playoff games last year, the third-best total for a Stars D-man in that regard. To have that kind of success in your early twenties speaks volumes of Harley’s impact thus far, and brighter days are likely ahead.

Harley’s salary of $863,464 last season made him one of the better bargains in the league. And Stars coach Peter DeBoer clearly trusts Harley to make the right choices and be a difference-maker on the back end. Harley has shown what he’s capable of, and now it’s about consistency and seeing how high he can raise the bar for himself.

Projections For 2024-25 Season: As per THN Lineups, Harley is going to partner up with elite blueliner Miro Heiskanen as part of Dallas’ top defense pairing, and he should see significant time on the power play as part of the Stars’ second PP unit.

Harley will be looked to for big things in 2024-25, and he demonstrated this past season that he’s got the smarts and skills to move the needle on Dallas’ back end. Playing with Heiskanen will make his job easier, and the duo form one of the NHL’s best top-defense-pairings. If Harley improves on his offense totals from this past season, the Stars will be delighted, but they'll also be happy if Harley merely gets back to the same levels on offense.

Once Harley agrees to a new contract, expectations for him will rise significantly, but Stars GM Jim Nill knows full well he’s got a gem in Harley, and Dallas’ long-term future has a prominent spot for Harley. His best days are still to come, and that ought to thrill Dallas fans.

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