According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Dallas Stars will sign free agent defenseman Andrej Sekera to a one-year contract on July 1st. The Sekera was put on unconditional waivers by the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday for the purposes of having his contract bought out.
Expect DAL to sign recently bought-out defenceman Andrej Sekera to a one-year contract today.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2019
With the Oilers having to deal with a salary cap penalty $2,500,000 penalty in each of the next two seasons and $1,500,000 in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, the Stars were able to get Sekera on a reasonable rate of $1.5 million according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1145708549537972224
Andrej Sekera to Sign With Dallas Stars
In 13 year career, Sekera has played for the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, and Edmonton Oilers. In his career, Sekera has notched 236 points (45 goals, 191 assists) with a plus/minus of minus 6. Dallas is getting Sekera on a good term as he can still move the puck out of the zone quickly and still has good mobility despite his injury concerns.
Sekera’s best season with Oilers came in 2016-17 as he notched a career-best plus 14 to go along with 35 points (8 goals, 27 assists).
What Does This Mean?
The Dallas Stars blueline is crowded as of right now, but adding a veteran presence like Sekera will allow them to rotate defenseman on a nightly basis. Sekera at age 33 will not have to shoulder top line minutes anymore as the Stars have great young players on the back end like John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, and Miro Heiskanen. Sekera will bring a veteran presence to the lineup and could play the role of a 6th or 7th defenseman for Dallas. Sekera will be out to prove he can still play in the NHL as he looks to earn a contract for next season.
VANCOUVER, BC – MARCH 29: Andrej Sekera #2 of the Edmonton Oilers skates with the puck in NHL action against the Vancouver Canucks on March 29, 2018, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
