Stars Re-Sign Thomas Harley
With their salary cap situation making it hard for a long-term deal to be an option, the Stars unsurprisingly have opted for a bridge agreement with defenseman Thomas Harley. The team announced that they’ve inked the blueliner to a two-year, $8MM contract. GM Jim Nill released the following statement:
Thomas is one of the league’s top young defensemen. His performance last season was a testament to the way that he has worked on and off the ice to become a better player. We are looking forward to his continued growth and helping anchor our blueline for many years to come.
PuckPedia reports that the deal will pay Harley $3.5MM this season and $4.5MM in 2025-26. The latter number will represent his qualifying offer and he will also be arbitration-eligible at that time.
Harley’s performance last season was certainly worthy of the praise from his GM. The 23-year-old only has one full NHL season under his belt – 2023-24 – but it was a very strong one which saw him record 15 goals and 32 assists in 79 games while averaging just over 21 minutes a night. Harley was quieter offensively in the playoffs (four assists in 19 appearances) but still logged heavy minutes, averaging nearly 24 minutes per contest, second only to Miro Heiskanen. His goal total put him in a tie for eighth-most among all NHL rearguards.
While the 2019 first-round pick (18th overall) had a more limited track record compared to some more established young blueliners, Harley’s play last season could realistically have put a long-term agreement past $7MM per season on a max-term deal. But to give him that would have necessitated some cost-cutting now, something that Dallas as a win-now team wouldn’t have been looking to do.
This is the second notable contract of the day for the Stars’ back end with Esa Lindell inking a five-year extension earlier today. In getting these deals done, Dallas now has their top five defensemen signed through at least the 2025-26 season which will give them a bit of stability on that front.
With the move, the Stars now have their full team signed for the upcoming season. PuckPedia projects them to only have $694K in cap space but that’s with a full-sized roster. If Dallas is willing to carry fewer the maximum number of players and opts to continue the daily shuffling of waiver-exempt players (as they did frequently with Logan Stankoven last season, for example), then they should put themselves in a position to comfortably bank some in-season cap room, barring a rash of injuries, of course.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Evening Notes: Harley, Iginla, Levshunov
Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside spoke with Dallas Stars general manager about the team’s negotiations with restricted free-agent defenseman Thomas Harley. Nill showed no sense of urgency to speed along the process, highlighting the fact that training camp doesn’t start for another week so both sides have some time to agree to terms.
The 23-year-old is coming off a career year in which he posted 15 goals and 32 assists in 79 games and is a tough contract to project due to the small sample size in which he’s played at a high level. Prior to last season, the Syracuse, New York native had only played 40 NHL games over parts of two seasons and hadn’t yet established himself as an everyday NHLer. Now, a year later, Harley has broken through and appears to be everything the Stars were hoping for when they drafted him 18th overall in 2019.
In other evening notes:
- Utah’s 2024 first-round pick Tij Iginla is reportedly being evaluated for a lower-body injury and will be listed as day-to-day going forward (as per Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports). Brogan Houston of Deseret News added specifics on the injury saying that Iginla is dealing with a hip issue that will keep him off the ice for a few days. Iginla is Utah’s first-ever draft pick and appears unlikely to play for the team at the Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles this weekend.
- Chicago Blackhawks prospect Artyom Levshunov will miss the prospect tournament this weekend in St. Louis after taking a shot off the foot (as per Mark Lazerus of The Athletic). Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the young defenceman is expected to miss a few weeks and is in a walking boot which will be a disappointment for all of those who were looking to catch a glimpse of this year’s second overall pick. Levshunov was facing a battle to try and make the NHL roster, but with the injury, it seems very likely that he won’t begin the season in the NHL.
Checking In On Notable Remaining Restricted Free Agents
We are now three weeks away from training camp opening up in the NHL with preseason games coming quickly after. We recently checked in on several free-agent players looking for new homes shortly before preseason action and we’ll now pivot to notable restricted free agents still looking to re-up with their current clubs.
Goalies
One of the most oft-mentioned restricted free agents over the summer has been Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins. Recent reporting indicates that Swayman is not looking for the rumored $10MM a year salary but is looking more in the $8.5MM range. This would be a welcome sign for most teams but not for the Bruins as they are seeking a contract closer to $6MM a year and that gap is not close to getting bridged. They may come together soon and agree to a short-term pact that could lead Swayman to unrestricted free agency and give the Bruins more time to figure out their salary cap structure; this has all the makings of a contract negotiation that could leak into the regular season.
A reasonable price for Swayman may land between both asking prices with honest arguments. Swayman has earned a 79-33-15 record in 125 starts over his career in Boston with a .919 SV% and 2.34 GAA. There is a legitimate argument that Swayman has benefited greatly from the team playing in front of him and sharing the net for several years with now-Ottawa Senator, Linus Ullmark. Swayman’s side will likely argue that $8.5MM is a reasonable salary for an undisputed starter on a playoff-caliber team. He earned the majority of starts last season (43) and finished sixth in the league in goals saved above average with 16.4 with approximately 10 fewer games played than other goaltenders above him.
Defensemen
It’s been a quiet summer for the 2021-22 Calder Memorial Trophy winner Moritz Seider. He saw his entry-level contract expire on July 1st and very little has been reported on regarding current negotiations between himself and the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings currently own around $17.65MM in cap space so money won’t be an issue in retaining either Seider or his teammate Lucas Raymond (more on that later).
The young German defenseman has not missed a game since making his NHL debut on October 14th, 2021, and has been Detroit’s best defenseman since then. He’s been solid offensively with 21 goals and 134 points in 246 games over his entry-level deal but his defensive metrics are much more difficult to interpret. Seider is regularly put into bad situations when he hits the ice as the Red Wings’ most serviceable option on the back end. He’s finished towards the bottom of the roster in on-ice save percentage over his three-year career but he also finishes towards the top of the team in defensive zone starts.
The other notable restricted free-agent defenseman is nearly 1,200 miles away in Dallas, Texas. Thomas Harley is coming off an electric season with the Dallas Stars scoring 15 goals and 47 points in 79 games. He quickly became an offensive option behind Miro Heiskanen and gave the Stars more of a complete powerplay. The most recent reporting came on August 9th with general manager Jim Hill maintaining confidence that Harley will sign soon.
Forwards
Circling back to Detroit; Raymond joins Seider as another restricted free agent yet to re-sign with the Red Wings. He’s a more complicated situation to interpret as Raymond exploded offensively with 31 goals and 72 points last year. The young Swedish forward averaged 53 points a season before that so Detroit may have more desire for a short-term pact before they commit to Raymond as a first-line talent. Coupled with a shooting percentage 6.4% higher than his career average last year; the Red Wings may believe a certain amount of regression is in order next year.
Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes arguably represents the most talented option left on the board. A report yesterday from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period indicates a long-term deal may be on the horizon. It’s no surprise why both sides are targeting a long-term contract as he already showed his importance last year for Carolina before the organization lost a few key forwards this summer. He finished second on the team in scoring last season with 33 goals and 67 points in 82 games while chipping in another five goals and nine points in 11 postseason contests. The contract should eat into much of Carolina’s remaining salary cap space of $6.44MM according to PuckPedia.
The last notable restricted free agent forward we’ll touch on is Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils. The two sides have reportedly exchanged proposals which lends to the idea a deal will be done soon. He’s not as high-profile as some of the other forwards on New Jersey’s roster but Mercer has been a consistent and available scorer since entering the league three years ago. He hasn’t missed a game since the start of the 2021-22 season which has become invaluable to a Devils’ roster that has been rocked by injuries the last few years. Given his reliability and offensive abilities his AAV should land between Ondrej Palat ($6MM AAV) and Erik Haula ($3.15MM AAV) on the Devils’ salary cap table.
Snapshots: Team Canada, Pacioretty, Marushev
True best-on-best men’s hockey is only about six months away from making its return at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The countries participating have already named their first six roster players for the event, with Canada already confirming they’ll be taking Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Brayden Point and Brad Marchand.
But there are still many roster decisions still to be made, especially for the league’s most common nationality. To that end, Luke Fox of Sportsnet listed some dark-horse youngsters that could challenge for spots. Most of them would be repping the senior team for the first time, although a few have World Championship experience.
Look for Quinton Byfield, Alexis Lafrenière and Mason McTavish to get outside consideration for bottom-six roles, Fox opines, while Thomas Harley and Owen Power will push to find spots on the blue line. But the biggest question mark at any international event for the Canadians recently has been goaltending, and that won’t change for the February tournament.
As such, look for Blues backup Joel Hofer to push for a spot on the final roster, Fox says. The 24-year-old finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting last season after posting a 15-12-1 record, .913 SV% and 2.65 GAA in 27 starts and three relief appearances behind Jordan Binnington in St. Louis.
Other tidbits from around the league:
- If the Sharks aren’t content with the veteran pickups they’ve made so far this offseason, they should approach free-agent winger Max Pacioretty about attending training camp on a PTO, opines Max Miller of The Hockey News. San Jose was busy insulating rookies Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith this summer, adding Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg in free agency and claiming Barclay Goodrow off waivers from the Rangers. But the club could still have a bit of a competition brewing for roster spots up front, especially if captain Logan Couture isn’t healthy enough to return to play after osteitis pubis cost him nearly all of 2023-24. Pacioretty has played just 91 games combined over the past three seasons due to multiple Achilles tendon tears, and the 35-year-old had just four goals in 47 games with the Capitals last year.
- Former Golden Knights prospect Maxim Marushev is on the move in his native Russia, dropping down from the KHL to the VHL with Metallurg Novokuznetsk for 2024-25 (per a team announcement). Marushev, now 25, was a seventh-round pick of the Golden Knights in 2020. He played parts of three seasons for their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, recording 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points in 125 games. Upon the expiry of his entry-level contract in 2023, he wasn’t issued a qualifying offer and returned home. However, he managed just one point in 28 KHL games last year, split between Chelyabinsk and Novosibirsk.
Stars Confident Thomas Harley Will Re-Sign Soon
The Dallas Stars are still mulling over contract details with defenseman Thomas Harley, the team’s final restricted free agent. Stars general manager Jim Nill isn’t fazed by negotiations carrying into August, sharing with Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News that he’s confident talks will ramp up soon and Harley will re-sign. Nill added, “We’re having healthy communication. We’re having talks… We’re going to get him signed. I’m not too concerned.”
Harley will be signing the first real contract of his NHL career, after doing more than enough to earn an NHL role on his three-year entry-level contract. Dallas selected Harley 18th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft and signed him to his first pro deal just three months later. He returned to the Mississauga Steelheads following the draft but found his way into an unexpected NHL debut during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, after joining Dallas’ taxi squad following the end of Mississauga’s season. Harley went without a point in the debut but impressively kept up with a high-tempo Colorado Avalanche offense. He spent the next three seasons finding his footing, and then a top-line role, with the AHL’s Texas Stars – though a pair of extended recalls in 2022 allowed him to play out his rookie NHL season, marked by one goal and four points in 34 games.
The Stars were patient with Harley’s development, keeping him in the minor leagues through 131 games despite promising production to the tune of 70 points. But the long wait paid off, and Harley exploded in his first full NHL season this year. The 22-year-old defenseman managed 47 points in 79 games – just seven points back from Miro Heiskanen, who led the Stars defense in scoring. What’s more, Harley’s 15 goals were the most from a Stars defender since Trevor Daley in 2015. Harley managed the impressive scoring while averaging 21 minutes of ice time every night, serving as the haymaker behind Heiskanen in Dallas’ lineup.
That breakout performance is likely what makes Harley difficult to extend. He entered this season with just 40 NHL games, and six points, under his belt – then joined the heights of players like Noah Dobson, Zach Werenski, and Justin Faulk with his U23 scoring. Both Dobson and Faulk continued on bridge deals, with cap hits around $5MM, after their breakout years, though they both had longer stints in the NHL than Harley’s been afforded. The lack of NHL games played could hold Harley back from the $5MM mark, though a bridge deal would give him a chance to prove his worth next season.
It’s hard to deny that Harley is set for a long and fruitful career – especially granted his cushy role behind Heiskanen. Dallas will have to put a figure to their confidence in the young defender in the next few weeks. If, and presumably when, he finally re-signs – Harley will return to a Stars lineup that looks like it could be dangerous for years to come, on the back of incredibly talented young stars like himself.
Miro Heiskanen Set To Return Tonight
Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen is set to return to the lineup tonight after missing the last three weeks with a lower-body injury. Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas News reported that Stars head coach Pete DeBoer confirmed to the media this morning that Heiskanen would be returning as he took reps in his normal spot on the powerplay and in the line rushes.
Heiskanen was sidelined earlier in January after he was hurt in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. He collided with his own goalie and had to leave the game. Heiskanen ended up missing 10 games while he was out of the lineup and despite missing him and star goaltender Jake Oettinger for a stretch, the Stars went 6-3-1 in those 10 games.
Dallas replaced Heiskanen’s minutes by committee rather than having one player try and fill his role. It worked well as Esa Lindell, Ryan Suter, Jani Hakanpää, and Nils Lundkvist all averaged 17 minutes of ice time per game while the team was playing at even strength. Thomas Harley also took a lot of extra time as well, his average ice time at even strength increased by over two minutes per game.
With Heiskanen back in the lineup the Stars will be looking to close the gap in the Central Division as they currently occupy the third spot sitting three points back of the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche. Heiskanen should give Dallas a boost, even if he hasn’t matched his offensive pace from last season. The 24-year-old was having a terrific season prior to his injury with four goals and 23 assists in 37 games.
West Notes: Vilardi, Harley, Benning
Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi is nearing a return to action from an MCL sprain that’s cost him the last 14 games. Associate coach Scott Arniel said today that Vilardi will travel with the team on their upcoming three-game road swing through Tampa Bay, Florida and Nashville and is an option to play during the trip.
The 24-year-old has played in just two full games this season, sustaining the injury early in the team’s third contest of the year against his former team, the Kings, on October 17. Vilardi was the main aspect of the trade return from Los Angeles in exchange for center Pierre-Luc Dubois this summer. After a strong camp, Vilardi had earned himself a spot in the team’s top six, registering an assist through his first two contests while playing over 20 minutes per game. A first-round pick of the Kings in 2017, injuries have largely delayed Vilardi’s development, but he still managed a career-high 23 goals and 41 points in 63 games last season. He remains on injured reserve, and the Jets will need to open a spot on the 23-man roster to activate him.
Other notes out of the Western Conference to open the holiday week:
- Stars defenseman Thomas Harley will remain out of the lineup tonight when they host the Rangers, Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest reports. The 22-year-old is sidelined with an upper-body injury sustained November 12 against the Wild on a hit from forward Brandon Duhaime and is listed as day-to-day. This will be Harley’s third straight absence after playing in 14 straight games to start the season. The team’s 2019 first-round pick is looking quite at home in the NHL, posting five points and a +2 rating while averaging 17:24 per game.
- After getting Jacob MacDonald back in the fold earlier today, another injured Sharks veteran is on the precipice of a return to the lineup. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports defenseman Matt Benning could come off IR before Wednesday’s game against the Kraken. Benning will miss his ninth straight contest tonight against Vancouver with an undisclosed injury. The 29-year-old has played in eight games this season, recording an assist and a -6 rating in 18:29 of average ice time.
West Notes: Avalanche Reassignments, Draisaitl, Harley
The Colorado Avalanche have announced that defenseman Caleb Jones and Sam Malinski have been reassigned to the franchise’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. The reasoning behind Malinski’s reassignment is relatively clear, the player made his NHL debut last night and now will return to the Eagles to resume playing a regular role there.
With Jones, the reassignment could mean a few things, as outlined by The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. Jones’ reassignment could be a paper transaction to maintain his waiver-exempt status, or it could be an indication that injured blueliners Josh Manson and/or Samuel Girard are healthy and ready to return to head coach Jared Bednar’s lineup.
Some other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Edmonton Oilers got a crucial win in new head coach Kris Knoblauch’s debut, but the 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders has come at a personal cost to superstar center Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for what the department termed a “dangerous trip” on Islanders center Bo Horvat.
- Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer told the media today that defenseman Thomas Harley will be out for tonight’s game when the team hosts the Arizona Coyotes. Harley is, according to DeBoer, dealing with a day-to-day injury, and it was specifically clarified that he is not in concussion protocol. Harley was on the wrong end of a big hit in the most recent Stars contest, so there was fear that his injury could be something more major it but appears the worst has been avoided. Harley has had a solid start to the season on the Stars’ bottom pairing next to Jani Hakanpää and in his absence his spot there is set to go to Joel Hanley.
Dallas Stars Recall Thomas Harley
As announced by the team Monday morning, the Dallas Stars have recalled defenseman Thomas Harley from the Texas Stars of the AHL.
Harley’s first recall of the season comes with just a few weeks left, much later into the year than most Stars fans were expecting. The 21-year-old played in 34 games with Dallas last season but saw limited ice time and limited production (one goal, three assists).
Extended time in the minors has seemed to be the right choice for Harley’s development, though. His defensive game has shown significant strides this season, and he’s added 10 goals and 34 points in 66 games to lead the team’s defense corps in goals.
Selected 18th overall in 2019, Harley will continue to push for more NHL looks over the next few seasons. With only depth veteran Joel Hanley slated for free agency this offseason, though, a significant full-time chance may not come until 2024-25. That’s likely fine with Dallas, who seems content to let Harley grow at his own pace into the capable top-four defender they expect.
With a three-game homestand on tap for the Stars, Harley could make his 2022-23 NHL season debut sometime this week.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/10/21
A variety of final or close-to-final cuts will be made to rosters today, as opening-night rosters are due tomorrow. Here are today’s training camp cuts:
Buffalo Sabres (via team Tweet):
F Brandon Biro (to Rochester, AHL)
D Casey Fitzgerald (to Rochester, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian):
F Walker Duehr (to Stockton, AHL)
F Byron Froese (to Stockton, AHL)
F Justin Kirkland (to Stockton, AHL)
D Connor Mackey (to Stockton, AHL)
G Adam Werner (to Stockton, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release):
D Joey Keane (to Chicago, AHL)
G Alex Lyon (to Chicago, AHL)
F Ryan Suzuki (to Chicago, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via NBC Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis):
F Alexander Nylander (to Rockford, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release):
D Gavin Bayreuther (to Cleveland, AHL)
*D Gabriel Carlsson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Justin Danforth (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Liam Foudy (to Cleveland, AHL)
*D Mikko Lehtonen (to Cleveland, AHL)
*F Kevin Stenlund (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Daniil Tarasov (to Cleveland, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via team release):
D Dawson Barteaux (to Texas, AHL)
F Mavrik Bourque (to Shawinigan, QMJHL)
D Joseph Cecconi (to Texas, AHL)
F Tye Felhaber (to Texas, AHL)
D Thomas Harley (to Texas, AHL)
F Jordan Kawaguchi (to Texas, AHL)
D Ryan Shea (to Texas, AHL)
F Riley Tufte (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team Tweet):
G Calvin Pickard (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via team release):
G Stuart Skinner (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Nashville Predators (via team Tweet):
F Egor Afanasyev (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jeremy Davies (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via The Athletic’s Corey Masisak):
F Jesper Boqvist (to Utica, AHL)
*F Frederik Gauthier (to Utica, AHL)
G Akira Schmid (to Utica, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team Tweet):
G Filip Gustavsson (to Belleville, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team Tweet):
F Dylan Gambrell (to San Jose, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford):
F Logan Brown (to Springfield, AHL)
F Mackenzie MacEachern (to Springfield, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team release):
*F Justin Bailey (to Abbotsford, AHL)
*D Madison Bowey (to Abbotsford, AHL)
*F Phillip Di Giuseppe (to Abbotsford, AHL)
*D Travis Hamonic (to Abbotsford, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team Tweet):
*G Zach Fucale (to Hershey, AHL)
*F Garrett Pilon (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team release):
F David Gustafsson (to Manitoba, AHL)
*D Nelson Nogier (to Manitoba, AHL)
*F Dominic Toninato (to Manitoba, AHL)
* – Player must clear waivers prior to assignment