These Mid-Season Contract Extensions Have Not Aged Well
This year has been unique for in-season contract extensions, as a rising salary cap put pressure on teams to lock up their pending free agents before they could even sniff the open market. What once looked like a promising free-agent class in the summer of 2026 quickly turned into a very thin market void of big names and impact players. Some of those extensions were signed with players who had thrived in previous years and/or started the season well, but faltered after signing their big new contract, leaving teams in a tough spot heading into the summer. Here are five contracts that the signing teams would presumably like to have back.
The first player on our list could very well turn things around next season, and that is Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley. The 24-year-old inked an eight-year, $84.7MM contract extension at the end of October ($10.587MM AAV), and it made perfect sense at the time, as Harley was the 15th-highest-scoring defenseman in the NHL over the previous three seasons, with 105 points in 166 games, and played a solid defensive game as well. However, he struggled this past season, posting his lowest offensive numbers in three years and struggling to drive play. Harley lacked a solid partner for much of the year, but given his new salary cap hit, the hope would be that he could overcome that obstacle, especially considering Dallas doesn’t have the cap space to really look at upgrades on their back end. Harley has plenty of time to turn things around, and he likely will, but Stars management has to be a little nervous about the deal they inked and the long-term ramifications if Harley can’t get his game back next season.
Sticking with Western Conference defensemen, Jake Walman of the Edmonton Oilers was a colossal disaster after signing his seven-year, $49MM extension with the team. The 30-year-old had been terrific after a trade from the San Jose Sharks, but after signing his extension in October, Walman began to struggle and never returned to his form for most of the season. Walman’s signing was made because Oilers management believed he was a good fit for the team’s style, with his solid first pass and heavy shot. But many of the warts in Walman’s game became evident as the season went on. He isn’t physical, he turns the puck over too much, and he doesn’t play a full season. These issues aren’t exactly unique, but for a player being signed to a $7MM AAV, you’d hope he would give you more than 21 points a season, something Walman has done just once in his NHL career. A big issue for the Oilers and Walman is that his contract will take him from his age 30-37 seasons, and at this point he is a finished product. It’s clear Edmonton overpaid to retain his services.
Moving up front, the Winnipeg Jets were quick to re-sign their captain Adam Lowry to a five-year, $25MM contract extension in late November. The deal looked fine at the time, though there were concerns about his age, as he was 32 at the time of signing, and five years is a long time for a player who plays the way he does. Lowry remains a solid shutdown center who can skate, outwork his opponents, and tilt the ice in the Jets’ favor. But given his age and style of play, it’s fair to wonder how much longer he can serve as a Jets top-nine center before his body breaks down and he is relegated to fourth-line duties. It’s a tough spot for Winnipeg because Lowry is a heart-and-soul player, but five years for him is a long time, and it’s a contract the Jets would probably like to renegotiate. Given the history with Lowry, the Jets would no doubt love to keep him in the fold, but at a lower cap rate.
Another late-October extension (two years, $12MM) was New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who had a decent first season with the Devils but was awful in his second year. The timing of this one was particularly peculiar, as Markstrom was off to a very slow start in October 2025, posting a 5.13 GAA and a .830 SV% in just four appearances. He was also coming off a lower-body injury and was 35 years old at the time, making the timing of the signing even stranger. Obviously, the Devils were concerned he might go on a heater and raise the price tag, but that never happened as Markstrom struggled through much of the year, finishing with a 3.07 GAA and a .883 SV%. Those numbers are clearly concerning, but the silver lining is that Markstrom has a history of struggling through a season and bouncing back the following year to get into Vezina Trophy contention, so a bounce-back season in 2026-27 can’t be discounted. However, for now the Devils must be looking at Markstrom’s $6MM AAV and wondering how much lower the number could have been or whether they should have gone in a different direction.
Finally, we have Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot, who inked a three-year extension this past January worth $3.85MM per season. The 35-year-old has his strengths, as he is reasonably good at skating and can move the puck. He’s also incredibly physical, playing on the edge much of the time and displaying a high level of orneriness in the defensive zone. But that is where his strengths wear off, and his weaknesses are becoming more glaring as he ages. Chiarot has been a drain on whoever he is paired with, particularly on the possession front, and he has posted the worst Wins Above Replacement score for two consecutive regular seasons (as per hockeystats.com). Chiarot can still be an effective defenseman in the NHL, but not in the top four, and that’s where Detroit may need to deploy him once again next season.
None of these contracts are going to be especially crippling to a team, but they do show how quickly the shine can wear off a high-priced extension and how much pressure teams are under to extend their players, thanks to a rising salary cap and many teams’ possession of additional cap space, chasing a few available players.
Examining Dallas Stars Cap Crunch
The NHL’s announcement of a record $104MM salary cap for 2026‑27 was expected to create meaningful flexibility across the league. For the Dallas Stars, though, the numbers remain tight. Per PuckPedia, Dallas is projected to enter the offseason with roughly $11.1MM in functional cap space and 19 players already under contract for their active roster. That level of roster certainty is usually an advantage, but in this case, it leaves GM Jim Nill with very little room to maneuver as he approaches the most consequential negotiation of his tenure.
With nearly $93MM already committed, the remaining cap space averages out to about $2.7MM per open roster spot. A workable number for depth pieces. However, the equation changes entirely once Jason Robertson enters the picture.
Robertson is coming off a 45‑goal, 96‑point season, and his next contract will almost certainly land among the league’s top winger comparables. His camp is believed to be targeting the Mikko Rantanen range ($12MM AAV). A deal at that level would push Dallas over the cap with only 20 players signed, forcing immediate subtractions.
Even a contract closer to the internal ceiling set by Thomas Harley’s $10.587MM AAV would leave Dallas with a less-than-viable number, roughly around $513K to fill three roster spots.
Robertson’s extension isn’t the only item complicating the Stars’ cap picture. Dallas still has several key vacancies to address starting with their team captain and unrestricted free agent, Jamie Benn. The 36-year-old’s future remains unresolved and a new contract, even at a steep discount, would cut further into the limited space available after a Robertson deal. Restricted Free Agent Mavrik Bourque (24) finished seventh on the team in points (20-21–41) in 82 games. A bridge deal could be beneficial for both parties, but even a modest number adds to the squeeze. Bourque finished the season with nine goals and 19 points in 25 games while averaging 19 minutes of ice time after the Olympic break.
The Stars could see key departures in their depth, including forward Michael Bunting (30), which leaves holes that typically require $1.5–$2MM signings. That tier of spending becomes difficult once Robertson’s contract is accounted for.
To reconcile Robertson’s expected AAV with the Stars’ current structure, Nill may need to shift from cap management to cap triage. The most straightforward path to creating space would involve moving a veteran contract. Defenseman Esa Lindell ($5.8MM) stands out as one of the more viable trade candidates, while Ilya Lyubushkin could also be a trade target as well. Moving one of those deals would push Dallas’ available space into the $15–17MM range, giving enough to sign Robertson and complete the roster without resorting to minimum‑salary patchwork.
Dallas has already secured the core of its roster, including long‑term commitments to defenseman Miro Heiskanen and forward Roope Hintz. But that stability has created what amounts to a 19‑man cap trap. The Stars can keep their group intact, but only if they clear meaningful money before finalizing Robertson’s extension.
Without the necessary moves and shedding of salary, the idea and ability to retain their most productive forward becomes mathematically impossible under the current structure.
Dallas Stars Issue Several Injury Updates
There’s no question that the Dallas Stars were severely impacted by injuries throughout the 2025-26 season. The Stars had the fourth-most injuries of any team this season, behind the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and New York Islanders. In today’s end-of-season media availability, the General Manager Jim Nill revealed a laundry list (via Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News) of specific injury information the Stars dealt with throughout the regular season and postseason.
Nill disclosed new injuries or details regarding 18 players on the roster, from the preseason to the present. Some injuries were already known, such as Tyler Seguin‘s ACL tear, Jamie Benn‘s collapsed lung, and Miro Heiskanen‘s torn oblique, but several others were also mentioned.
The biggest news is that star forward Mikko Rantanen suffered a torn MCL in the Olympics. Missing more than a month of action, Rantanen dropped from a 1.27 P/G average before the international tournament to a 0.80 upon his return. His point production went up mildly during the playoffs, but it was clear that Rantanen wasn’t his usual self.
Nill admitted that Rantanen came back as quickly as he could, which likely hurt his recovery process. Fortunately, the Stars aren’t expecting that he’ll need surgery this summer.
Both players that Dallas acquired at the trade deadline were also dealing with injuries. Nill alerted that both Michael Bunting and Tyler Myers were dealing with groin injuries in the regular season. That could be a key reason as to why neither player transitioned well to the team after being acquired by the Stars.
He also offered injury updates on those on the team who suffered longer-term injuries throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Matt Duchene was dealing with a concussion earlier in the season that cost him most of October and all of November.
Roope Hintz, who became ill at the Olympics, suffered a double hamstring tear in his first game back on March 6th. Unfortunately, as he was attempting to make another comeback, Hintz reaggravated the same injury. In a similar vein, Radek Faksa, who was also injured in the Olympics, apparently suffered a concussion. Additionally, while he was recovering from concussion symptoms, Faksa was stepped on by a skate and had a serious laceration in his foot that cut some ligaments. There’s a chance he’ll need surgery again this offseason.
Further down the forward corps, Nill shared that Oskar Back lost 10 games in October due to a wrist injury, Nathan Bastian broke his finger toward the end of the regular season, Adam Erne sprained his MCL in December, Arttu Hyry suffered a high ankle sprain in the playoffs, and Sam Steel endured a groin injury during the regular season.
On defense, the most notable news was the injury specifics to Thomas Harley and Lian Bichsel earlier in the season. According to Nill, Bichsel fractured his leg and ankle in late November, costing him nearly a third of the regular season. Nill added that Bichsel suffered a shoulder sprain in the playoffs, but that isn’t expected to have any long-term consequences.
Meanwhile, Harley, who lost 12 games of the regular season, suffered a broken foot in November. Nils Lundkvist, who hasn’t played since getting a facial laceration against the Minnesota Wild, was also suffering from concussion symptoms from the same play. Additionally, Nill shared that Lundkvist fractured his leg and ankle earlier in the year, costing him 30 games. Lastly, Nill told the media that depth defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin had a shoulder injury throughout the regular season.
Dallas has reached a point where losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in overtime is considered a disappointing year. Still, given the overwhelming amount of injuries the same faced during the regular season and playoffs, it’s impressive that the Stars managed to win 50 games this season and finish third in the league standings. They’ll want to emphasize rest and recovery for their players this offseason and look to get back for the 2026-27 campaign as a healthy group.
Photo courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.
Thomas Harley Returning To Stars Lineup
Dec. 9: Harley will be back in the lineup tonight against the Jets, per Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press. He never landed on injured reserve when he was out, so there’s no transaction involved.
Nov. 15: The Dallas Stars will be without one of their top defenseman for the next few weeks. Dallas announced that Thomas Harley is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Although Harley’s most recent game came in the Stars’ lopsided win against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, there’s reason to believe that he’s been playing through the injury for some time. Given their salary cap space, it’s expected that Kyle Capobianco will fill in for Harley for the time being.
It’s safe to say that Harley will be a huge missing piece for Dallas moving forward. The former first-round pick has arguably been the Stars’ top defenseman for the last three years, scoring 32 goals and 107 points in his previous 175 games. Additionally, Harley was the highest-scoring defenseman for the Stars last postseason, adding four goals and 14 points in 18 games.
Fortunately, Dallas has built a solid lead in the standings that they can likely absorb Harley’s loss. At the time of writing, the Stars are four points up on the Utah Mammoth for second place in the Central Division standings and are five points up on the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Moving forward, it’s likely that young blueliner Lian Bichsel will get a larger look in the Stars’ top-two defensive pairings. Also drafted 18th overall like Harley, Bichsel is in his second year in the NHL. At this point, he’s scored four goals and 11 points in 56 games with 213 hits, averaging 14:46 of ice time per night.
Stars Sign Thomas Harley To Eight-Year Extension
Oct. 29: Harley’s extension has been finalized at a total value of $84.7MM with a cap hit of $10.587MM, PuckPedia reports. The contract includes a no-movement clause from the 2029-30 through 2033-34 seasons, the last five the deal covers. His year-by-year breakdown is as follows:
2026-27: $9MM base salary, $4MM signing bonus
2027-28: $9MM base salary, $2MM signing bonus
2028-29: ”
2029-30: $7,939,200 base salary, $2MM signing bonus
2030-31: ”
2031-32: ”
2032-33: $8,939,200 base salary, $1MM signing bonus
2033-34: ”
Oct. 28: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Dallas Stars have made significant progress on an extension for defenseman Thomas Harley. Friedman believes that the extension will likely be an eight-year, $84MM ($10.5MM AAV) agreement and is expected to occur relatively soon.
It’s a significant agreement for a negotiation that had plenty of question marks. Harley has been a high-scoring blueliner for the Stars over the past three years, but the team was reportedly hesitant to pay him more than Miro Heiskanen‘s $8.45MM salary.
Considering how much the upper limit of the salary cap has grown since Heiskanen signed his extension in 2021, there was little chance the Stars would get him at or below $8.5MM. To add more context, Heiskanen’s deal in 2021-22 accounted for 10.37% of Dallas’ available salary cap space, and Harley’s reported $10.5MM salary beginning in 2026-27 would only account for 10.1%, technically making Harley more affordable.
There is little argument that Harley isn’t deserving of the price tag. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, when Harley became a full-time member of the Stars’ blueline, he has scored 32 goals and 105 points in 166 games for the Stars, with another four goals and 18 points in 37 postseason contests. That makes him the 15th-highest scoring defenseman in the NHL over the last three years, and he’s only 24 years old.
Additionally, he’s earned a +57 rating, 53.3% CorsiFor% at even strength, and 90.8% on-ice save percentage at even strength over that stretch. Not only can he significantly contribute offensively in the NHL, but he’s also an above-average player on the defensive side of the puck.
While there are few concerns about Harley’s projections for the contract’s duration, Dallas’ salary cap situation should raise some red flags. After factoring in the purported deal, the Stars would enter the summer with approximately $17MM in cap space. Although some players, such as Adam Erne and Nathan Bastian, are easily replaceable, the Stars will face challenges keeping Jason Robertson, Mavrik Bourque, and Nils Lundkvist around on long-term deals with that cap space.
Regardless, General Manager Jim Nill should be commended for locking in the team’s core for the foreseeable future. Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Esa Lindell, Jake Oettinger, Heiskanen, and now Harley all signed through the 2029-30 season at the very least, guaranteeing Dallas a competitive roster into the next decade.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Afternoon Notes: Hockey Canada, Zary, Harley
A preliminary report has been released by the ‘Future of Sport in Canada’ commission, a group formed in May of 2024 focused on reviewing Canada’s amateur sports system. In it, the group made a recommendation for the creation of an independent body to oversee amateur sports across the country, shares TSN’s Rick Westhead. They claim that this group could address both funding shortages and instances of abuse or maltreatment.
The recommendation was one of 71 made by the commission in their initial report. It follows an investigation that spanned visits to 12 Canadian cities and review of over 1,000 written submissions. Their findings detailed multiple instances of abuse or neglect, including suspended or banned coaches still working within their clubs. This effort comes as part of a yearlong push to make Canadian amateur sports more safe and secure environments for children and families. The federal Heritage Committee also made recommendations for changes in the sports system in June 2024.
The creation of an independent oversight committee would be an innovative push into public support of youth sports. It could be an effort that bodies like USA Hockey – who currently handles oversight internally – looks to mimic in years to come.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Calgary Flames restricted-free agent Connor Zary will likely end up with a bridge-deal, per hockey insider Jeff Marek on the latest Empty Netters podcast episode. Zary remains one of the top available free agents, after posting 13 goals and 27 points in 54 games last season. That equates to a 41-point scoring pace over 82 games. Zary has stepped up as a reliable, middle-six center for the Flames over the last two seasons. He’s racked up 61 points in 117 career games, and should be due for big growth over the next few seasons. First, he’ll need to find his way back to good health after missing 47 games over the last two years due to injury. That bad luck could make a bridge deal sensible, and give Zary a chance to earn a payday before his prime years.
- Also on the Empty Netters podcast, Marek shared that the Dallas Stars aren’t likely to go above Miro Heiskanen‘s cap hit for 2026 RFA defenseman Thomas Harley. Heiskanen signed an eight-year, $67.6MM contract with the Stars in 2021, at the age of 22. The deal carries an $8.45MM cap hit. Heiskanen had totaled 131 points in 275 games before signing the deal. That’s more scoring and experience than Harley’s 103 points in 197 career games. Harley also turned 24-years-old two weeks ago. He’s a sharp offensive-defenseman who thrived in Heiskanen’s absence last season, but a lighter resume and older age could counteract a rising salary cap in his contract negotiations.
Evening Notes: Utah, Samoskevich, Morrissey, Harley
The 4-Nations Face-Off championship has full grip of the hockey world’s attention, but there’s still plenty of buzz circling the NHL. The updates start with the Utah Hockey Club, who will be somewhere between buyers and sellers at this year’s Trade Deadline per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Armstrong added that the team would be interested in adding, but many of their weaknesses are addressed by recent additions like Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Kevin Stenlund, and Nick DeSimone. That certainly paints the picture of a team eyeing defensive depth, but the return of top-four defender Sean Durzi could mitigate any insecurities.
Durzi has been out of the lineup since October 14th with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He played four games in a top-pair role before falling to injury – recording two points, a plus-two, and over 21 minutes in average ice time. The 26-year-old emerged as a legit top defender in the Los Angeles Kings’ 2022-23 season. He scored 38 points in 72 games and averaged roughly 20 minutes that year – his second NHL season. Durzi continued to improve with the Arizona Coyotes last year, improving to 41 points in 76 games and over 22 minutes of ice time. This year seemed to be a chance to continue growing before it was derailed by injury. How he returns from the prolonged absence, and what impact it has on the Utah blue-line, could go a long way towards determining the Hockey Club’s deadline approach.
Across the NHL, Florida Panthers youngster Mackie Samoskevich has shared he’ll be clear to play when the team returns on Saturday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich was injured on February 6th – his first game back from a three-game absence due to illness. He missed an additional two games with the injury, but found his way back to full health during the 4-Nations break. The 22-year-old Samoskevich has 17 points in 48 games this season – marking the first scoring of his NHL career.
In other news, Team Canada was forced to scratch Josh Morrissey in the 4-Nations championship due to illness. He was replaced by injury fill-in Thomas Harley, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Harley was eligible to play despite not being on the initial lineup as Morrissey’s illness, and Shea Theodore‘s upper-body injury left the team without six healthy defenders. Harley scored his first point of the tournament in the finals after playing in both matchups against Team USA. Morrissey also didn’t post any scoring during three tournament games – though he does have an impressive 46 points in 56 NHL games this season.
Cale Makar Out With Illness, Thomas Harley Added To Roster
Feb. 15th: According to Friedman, Makar has officially been ruled out of tonight’s contest due to an illness. Team Canada has been allowed to add Harley to the roster, who will draw in for Makar this evening.
Feb. 14th: Team Canada could be without its best defenseman, Cale Makar when it takes on Team USA, also without its best defenseman, Quinn Hughes. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported this morning that Makar had missed today’s practice due to illness and that Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman Travis Sanheim was skating in his spot in the lineup.
It would ultimately be a massive blow to a Canadian team that has already lost defenseman Shea Theodore for the remainder of the tournament. Chris Johnston of The Athletic confirmed yesterday that Dallas Stars’ defenseman Thomas Harley was brought in on a stand-by role should Team Canada lose another defenseman.
Given the tournament’s rules, there was speculation that Harley wouldn’t be allowed to join the team. However, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the NHL and NHLPA concluded that Harley could travel to join the team in Montreal but would only be allowed to practice and/or play if Makar is officially ruled out.
That doesn’t appear to be a likely outcome. LeBrun later shared that Team Canada’s head coach, Jon Cooper, felt confident that Makar would be in tomorrow’s lineup.
Cooper’s confidence should assuage most doubts about Makar’s availability tomorrow night. The former Calder, James Norris, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner went scoreless over 28:06 in Team Canada’s opening night win over Team Sweden adding three blocked shots.
Thomas Harley To Serve As A Stand-By For Team Canada
Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley will reportedly serve as a stand-by for Team Canada, meaning that he would be first up if there’s another injury to their defense core (as per Chris Johnston of The Athletic). Canada lost Shea Theodore to injury last night in the opener to the 4 Nations Face-Off and will not get him back as he has been ruled out week-to-week due to an upper-body injury.
Canada already has Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim in Montreal, getting ready for Canada’s game against Team USA. However, beyond him, they no longer had a safety net and needed to get another player in place to serve as insurance.
Harley will travel to Boston tomorrow to serve as a stand-by in case they suffer another injury on the backend. It could provide a good experience for the 23-year-old, who is likely on Canada’s radar for the 2026 Olympics and other tournaments in the future. Although the role of a stand-by in this tournament is a little unorthodox as Harley can’t take part in practice or formal meetings unless Canada loses another defenseman.
Harley is actually a dual citizen of Canada and the United States, but he has played for Canada in the past in both the World Under-18’s as well as the World Juniors and has built an impressive resume as a pro thus far. In his breakout campaign last season, Harley posted 15 goals and 32 assists in 79 games while playing a shade over 21 minutes a night. This year has been more of the same as Harley has dressed in 53 games, tallying nine goals and 20 assists.
Stars Notes: Bichsel, Harley, Lundkvist, DeSmith
The Dallas Stars have reversed their paper transaction that sent Lian Bichsel to the minor leagues. He’s expected to step back into the lineup on Monday, setting Bichsel up for his third NHL game. The first two have both gone well, with Bichsel recording a goal, penalty, and eight hits. His four hits per game, or 16.08 hits-per-60, ranks second among all NHL defensemen behind Vegas’ Robert Hagg, who’s recorded 11 hits in two games.
Bichsel’s NHL debut was long anticipated. He was an imperative piece of Rogle BK’s lineup last season, recording a mere four points in 29 games but serving a physical shutdown role in the top four through much of the season. Rogle went on an underdog run to the SHL championship but ultimately fell to Skelleftea AIK in five games. Bichsel made the move to the AHL quickly after and has since combined for 16 points, 60 penalty minutes, and a +6 in 37 games with the Texas Stars.
Where Bichsel slots in on Monday could be up for question. Thomas Harley, who operated ahead of Bichsel in the rookie’s first two games, is listed as a game-time decision due to illness, per Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest. Rea also shares that Nils Lundkvist, who sat out of Saturday’s game with the flu, is expected to return on Monday. With Bichsel potentially filling in for Harley, Brendan Smith will step out of the lineup for Lundkvist’s return.
In additional news from Dallas’ Monday practice, it appears goaltender Casey DeSmith has also returned to full health after missing Saturday’s game with illness. His availability is evidenced by Dallas’ lack of a goaltending call-up, pointed out by Owen Newkirk of the Dallas Stars podcast.