The Dallas Stars and general manager are prepping for the upcoming season, with training camp so close we can taste it. Today, they announce they have re-signed defenceman Esa Lindell to a five-year contract extension. Lindell was going into his last year of a six-year deal, and set to become a free agent after 2024-25. Now Nill and Lindell won’t have to worry about that becoming reality.
The #TexasHockey signed 30 y/o LD Esa Lindell to 5 year $5.25M Cap Hit extension
Yr 1 4M Salary & 2.5M Signing Bonus
Yr 2 4M & 2.5M SB
Yr 3 4.25M & 1M SB
Yr 4 4M
Yr 5 4MYears 1-3 no trade clause. Years 4-5 20 team no trade list
Rep’d by Markus Lehto @wassermanhockey…
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 17, 2024
Esa Lindell Signs a Five Year Contract Extension to Remain a Dallas Star
The deal that Lindell signs, does have a few details to dive into more on. It carries a $5.25M cap hit. The base salary will be $4M every year, except the third when it is $4.25M. Also, there is a signing bonus component to the first three years of the deal. It will be $2.5M for the first two years, followed by just $1M in the third year. Furthermore, the first three years have a no-trade clause, with the last two a modified no-trade. Lindell will have 20 teams he can submit his list for as a no-trade.
What all these details translate to, is that Lindell is highly reliable and dependable. Nill knows it, and really so does most of the NHL’s Western Conference. There is a reason they have been perennial contenders, and having guys like Lindell around is a perfect reason as to why.
What Does This Mean for Big D
This contract for Esa Lindell is exciting. One reason Lindell is so dependable, is that he fills in wherever is needed. He spent decent time playing with Ryan Suter, Chris Tanev, and Nils Lundkvist in 2023-24. Of those three, two are no longer Stars. Moreover, his main partner, who clocked in over 600 minutes with him, Jani Hakanpaa, has also moved on. The pairing was solid, posting an expected goals percentage of 52.9%.
It is a bit of an unknown what will happen with the Stars defensive alignment this year. He does have experience with Lundkvist, so they might end up paired together at times. However, Lundkvist isn’t guaranteed a top six spot. More than likely, Lindell finds himself on the second pairing with Ilya Lyubushkin. If they need to mix it up, Matt Dumba is also a possible partner. Currently, he is more so slotted in for the third pairing. In any sense, Dallas is excited to have Lindell on board, and this contract is proof.
Main Photo Credit: Chris Jones – USA TODAY Sports
