The Dallas Stars are retaining one of their own, as Thomas Harley has a new contract. Harley will remain in Dallas for the next two years and will have an AAV of $4 million. General Manager Jim Nill is building something special in Dallas and this is a great piece to keep in the fold.
Harley Lands New Contract With Stars
The foundational core group is officially laid in Texas. When you look at the roster, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger, Jason Robertson and now Thomas Harley are all locked in for the foreseeable future. Also, the next wave of Logan Stankoven and Wyatt Johnston complements the group. It’s truly amazing to see what this team is becoming and how strong it’ll be for years to come. As for Harley, he’s emerged as a top pair defenceman for the Stars.
Harley and Heiskanen spent over 600 minutes together. Together, the duo was stellar, finishing with a 61.5% expected goals percentage. They did a tremendous job defensively, averaging 1.99 expected goals against per 60 minutes. Now that both are locked in, the Stars have a legitimate young top pair.
Harley also had himself a career season, as he fully came onto the scene in 2023-24. it was his heaviest work load, as he played 79 games and he went on to score 15 goals and 47 points. He earned his new contract and it’s great overall for the Stars.
What this Means for the Stars
The Harley contract is huge for the Stars. This team reached the conference finals two years in a row and has no signs of slowing down. They are building a core together that can compete for the long haul.
The Stars are getting a massive presence in Harley, who can be responsible defensively and can give Heiskanen time and space to be creative offensively. Furthermore, Harley can bring the offence and can come in clutch, as he scored three overtime goals this season. This next wave of the Stars is going to be special to watch and this is a great contract for both sides.
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