Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We begin with a look at the Central Division; next up is Dallas.

Dallas Stars

Current Cap Hit: $81,756,241 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Mavrik Bourque (one year, $894K)
F Wyatt Johnston (one year, $894K)
F Logan Stankoven (two years, $814K)

Potential Bonuses
Johnston: $318.75K
Stankoven: $82.5K
Total: $401.25K

It’s fair to say that Johnston has provided significant value on his contract so far.  After putting up 24 goals and 41 points in his rookie season, those numbers jumped to 32 and 65 respectively last year while also tying for the team lead in playoff scoring.  This is the type of player that the Stars will want to lock up on a long-term agreement.  However, that deal is going to be quite pricey.  At this point, if Johnston has even a similar performance this coming season let alone a more productive effort, he could be looking for $8MM or more on that second contract.  If their cap situation ultimately dictates a short-term second deal, it’s likely to come in around the $6MM range.

Stankoven was one of the top scorers in the minors last season before being recalled and was productive in a middle-six role.  Assuming he locks down a full-time spot this year, he could make a case for a longer-term second contract, one that is a bit too early to project at this point.  Bourque eventually took over as the top scorer at the AHL level with Stankoven’s departure and only got into one regular season game with Dallas.  That should change this season but unless he has a big year offensively, he’s someone who will likely wind up with a bridge deal for his second contract.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Jamie Benn ($9.5MM, UFA)
F Colin Blackwell ($775K, UFA)
F Evgenii Dadonov ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Matt Duchene ($3MM, UFA)
D Esa Lindell ($5.8MM, UFA)
D Nils Lundkvist ($1.25MM, RFA)
G Jake Oettinger ($4MM, RFA)
D Brendan Smith ($1MM, UFA)
F Sam Steel ($1.2MM, UFA)

When Benn signed this contract, he was among the top-scoring wingers in the NHL.  While he hasn’t been able to get to that level of production (high-80s in points) since then, he has rebounded nicely over the last couple of seasons, notching 78 and 60 points respectively.  While that’s not a great return on this price tag, he’s still producing like a core player.  Given his age when his next contract will begin (36), the AAV might be closer to the $5MM mark.  If he signs a one-year deal next time out, he’ll be eligible for performance incentives, similar to what Dallas had been doing with Joe Pavelski before his retirement.

Duchene was a late entrant to the free agent market last summer so the one-year, $3MM deal he signed then made sense for both sides, seemingly positioning himself for a raise and a multi-year guarantee this past summer.  Instead, he opted to stick around on the same contract, leaving some money and security on the table in the process.  It’s possible he agrees to do so again next summer but if he doesn’t, he could still land a three-year (or so) agreement closer to $4.5MM per season.  Dadonov wasn’t as productive as he was late in the 2022-23 season after being acquired but with 23 points in 51 games, he still provided a decent return on this deal.  He has indicated that he doesn’t want any early extension talks and has left the door open to finishing up his career in the KHL.

Steel had a decent season in the bottom six but his arbitration eligibility was a concern, resulting in him being non-tendered.  While he did have some interest elsewhere, he ultimately elected to remain with the Stars.  With that outside interest, Steel should be able to land this deal or a bit more next summer if he has a similar showing this season.  Blackwell struggled with injuries the last two seasons which certainly didn’t help his cause going into free agency.  Nonetheless, as a capable penalty killer who can play center in a pinch, he could rebuild his value with a good showing in 2024-25 and push past the $1MM mark on his next contract.

Lindell is one of the more intriguing defensemen league-wide who is heading into the final year of his contract.  When he signed this contract back in 2019, he was coming off a bridge deal and what looked like a breakout 32-point campaign.  If he could find another gear offensively, Lindell would become quite a bargain at this price point.  Instead, he hasn’t gotten back to that total since with his best output coming this past season at 26.  While Lindell is still a very capable defensive defender, the limited production will limit his market to an extent as will the fact he’ll be 31 when his next contract starts.  With the cap starting to go up, a small raise could be doable but if he wants a long-term agreement (seven or eight years), it wouldn’t be surprising if the AAV came in slightly below this, barring an offensive breakout in the coming months.

Lundkvist hasn’t been able to provide the secondary offensive contributions Dallas was hoping for when they moved a pair of draft picks (including a first-rounder) for him in 2022.  Then, when the playoffs came around, his playing time was just 4:28 per night in a dozen games when he wasn’t a healthy scratch.  Thus, it wasn’t entirely shocking that he was non-tendered to avoid arbitration although the fact he was brought back might have.  He’ll once again look to earn some trust from the coaching staff (and perhaps a small raise if he’s able to do so) but will be a non-tender candidate next summer as well.  Smith came over in free agency and is set to play a depth role.  Now 35, it’s likely he’ll be going year-to-year on similarly-priced contracts from here on out.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Matt Dumba ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Mason Marchment ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Jason Robertson ($7.75MM, RFA)

Robertson has emerged as a legitimate top-line star, notching 268 points in 238 games over the last three seasons.  Signing after a 41-goal effort, the two sides worked out a rare four-year bridge deal, one that gives Dallas some good value on the contract while also setting him up for a pricier contract in his final RFA-eligible campaign.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of $9.3MM with arbitration rights at that time and unless he struggles over the next couple of seasons, there’s a good chance he’ll push past the $10MM mark in 2026.  Marchment, meanwhile, rebounded nicely after a quiet first season in Dallas.  If he stays near the 50-point mark over the next two seasons, he’ll have demonstrated enough consistency to give him a much stronger market, especially with the premium typically given to power forwards.  That could push his next price tag past $6MM per season.

Dumba didn’t get the long-term deal he sought last summer, resulting in him taking a one-year pact with an eye on having more success this summer.  That didn’t exactly happen as he had a quiet season in Arizona before finishing up with Tampa Bay, putting him back on the open market in a similar spot.  Getting two years at this money was more due to his track record than his performance last season; he’ll need to rebound if he wants a chance to get past the $4MM mark again in 2026.

Signed Through 2026-27

G Casey DeSmith ($1MM, UFA)
D Ilya Lyubushkin ($3.25MM, UFA)
F Tyler Seguin ($9.85MM, UFA)

It was expected that the best was yet to come from Seguin when he signed this contract in 2018.  While his best showing came just after this contract was signed (in the last season of his old deal), he has struggled since then, only putting up more than 50 points just once, that coming last season when he got to 52.  He’s still a capable top-six player but this is a price tag that’s well above market value.  His next deal might check in closer to half of this one as a result.

Lyubushkin rarely plays above the third pairing but did well enough last season to command his best contract so far.  That said, unless he can take on a bit more of a workload, it’s hard to see him getting another raise in 2027 as this is already on the rich side for someone destined to play around 16-17 minutes a night.

DeSmith gave Vancouver a small boost at the backup goalie position last season but after being surpassed by Arturs Silovs on the depth chart in the playoffs, it was clear DeSmith would be going elsewhere.  He elected for stability and a winning environment over chasing top dollar, giving the Stars a reliable second-string option at a below-market cost.

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