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.
Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer
D Miro Heiskanen ($8.45MM through 2027-28)
F Roope Hintz ($8.45MM through 2027-28)
Hintz is someone who probably has gone under the radar but he has reached the 30-goal mark in each of the last three seasons. He isn’t a top-end point producer like Robertson, however, which may serve as a limiter if that doesn’t change much in the back half of the contract. Even so, he should have a shot at a small raise in 2028 with the potential for more if the point total goes up.
As for Heiskanen, he has emerged as a legitimate two-way star on the back end and is producing at a level that already makes his price tag a team-friendly one. A legitimate all-around number one blueliner, he’ll potentially hit the open market in 2029 where a max-term contract should be awaiting him along with a cap hit in the double digits.
Buyouts
D Ryan Suter ($783K in 2024-25, $1.433MM in 2025-26)
Retained Salary Transactions
None
Still To Sign
D Thomas Harley – Harley has only one full NHL season under his belt, that coming last year. However, with 15 goals and 32 assists, he was a key cog on their back end and projects to be so for the long haul. However, Dallas would be hard-pressed to fit in a long-term agreement into their current cap situation so a bridge deal in the $4MM range may be the end result.
Best Value: (non-entry-level) Duchene
Worst Value: Seguin
Looking Ahead
Cap space may be hard to come by this season for Dallas depending on what Harley’s deal winds up at and their willingness (or lack thereof) to carry a full-sized roster. If they operate at 21 or 22 players, they may be able to bank enough in-season space to try to make a move at the trade deadline, presumably to upgrade their back end. But if they wind up with 23 on the active roster (or some injury trouble), then they’ll be closer to cap-in, cap-out like a lot of contenders will be.
Dallas is relatively well-positioned moving forward. While Johnston, Oettinger, and Lindell will be in line for pricey contracts next summer, they have a lot coming off the books to help offset that. Seguin’s deal expiring in 2026 gives them some future flexibility to help afford eventual increases down the road as well. They’re not going to be in a spot where they’ll be able to add a significant piece to their existing core (unless they can develop one from within) but the Stars shouldn’t find themselves in a spot where they have to part with a key piece to afford the rest either. All things considered, GM Jim Nill has a relatively clean set of books to work with as a result.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The stars have 30m in space this offseason, hardly cash-strapped.