Dallas Stars 15 Best Contracts (2005-2022)

This was originally published in my 2020 book Hunting Bargains in a Salary Cap World, and has now been updated with new contracts. I will continue to update each team’s list every summer going forward. The rule is that only active contracts can move up or down. Expired deals cannot pass each other. Next summer it may even be expanded to top 20. The book is still available on Amazon, though some of the stats on active contracts are now out of date. You may yet find it interesting because there were detailed stat graphics that you won't find here. One thing you won't find here are entry level contracts because they all come from the same cookie cutter and require less skill at the negotiating table. 

My latest book The Hockey Economist’s Betting Prospectus is now available. It's a comprehensive commentary on the last 3 years of hockey betting, broken down by team, by category, by strategy, by season. There is plenty of useful information for bettors of all skill levels. It covers pre-pandemic, peak-pandemic, post-pandemic. What worked, what failed. Lessons learned, market trends, team-by-team analysis. What impact did the pandemic have on hockey betting? The market differences between these 3 seasons are discussed at length, and there's a lot to talk about. To read more, visit the Amazon store.
 
Enjoy! Please note: The formatting on the graphics got scrambled being copied from Excel into Google Blogger. It's among the reasons my blog is looking for a new home.

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The Dallas Stars have been a mid-level team for most of the salary cap era. Joe Nieuwendyk’s autograph appears remarkably often considering the team missed the playoffs all four years of his administration, hence why he lost his job. Being able to convince players to accept less than market value is great and all, but you need to translate that into playoffs to maintain employment.
 
Brett Hull might have only been the GM for 1.5 years, but he still managed to sign a few bargains. It was the Sean Avery fiasco that ruined Brett’s GM career. Les Jackson was Brett’s co-GM, because let’s face it, there are many duties that come with the job that Hull was woefully unqualified to perform. His job was more talent evaluation and being a salesman to lure free agents. While his administration was short-lived, he happened to be at the steering wheel when the Stars made it to the conference final in 2008.

 

1. Jason Robertson

Signed By:	Jim Nill		Position:	F
Date:	2022-10-6		Age July 1st:	22
Term:	4 years		Playoff GP:	0
Total Money:	$31M		Playoff PTS:	0
Cap Hit:	$7.75M		Stanley Cups:	0

This list was completed before Jason Robertson signed his new deal and I've decided to amend the list because this could be a finalist for best contract in the league in this summer's best NHL contract Twitter poll series. It might be ambitious for me to debut this deal at #1 after just 2 months, but he's currently ranked 2nd in Hart Trophy odds not far behind Connor McDavid. Robertson appears to have broken out into the ultra-elite tier that are worth in the neighborhood of $12M per season. 

If his production significantly declines in the next 4 years, I reserve the right to demote this deal in future updates. That's why I'm converting all this content from book to website, because the subject is a moving target. Heiskanen might be #2 on this list by the end of the season. He might already deserve it, as he's in the process of breaking out into the elite tier too.

 
2. John Klingberg
 

Signed By:	Jim Nill		Position:	D
Date:	2015-04-17		Age July 1st:	22
Term:	7 years		Playoff GP:	57
Total Money:	$29.75M		Playoff PTS:	34
Cap Hit:	$4.25M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	31.7	487	334	1019
Per 82 GP	4.5	82	56	172	23.1

"John is a very special player, possessing a creativity and skill level that few in this League can match. He fits in perfectly with where our core is at age-wise and his impact on our team was felt immediately. We expect him to build off of his rookie season and continue his development towards becoming an elite all-around defenseman."

– Jim Nill

When John Klingberg came over from Sweden, the defenseman played 13 games in the AHL, scoring 13 PTS, before earning himself a permanent promotion to prime time. He had a tremendous rookie season, scoring 40 PTS in 65 GP (50-point pace). That type of scoring from the blueline generally deserves a pay grade in the $6M range.
 
When someone offers you $29.8M after less than a full year’s work, it’s hard not to jump at the opportunity to bank all that guaranteed income, even if you’re actually leaving money on the table. Peak Klingberg was about to climb much higher and Jim Nill looked like a genius in retrospect. He averaged 56 PTS per 82 GP on this deal.
 
 
3. Jamie Benn
 

Signed By:	Joe Nieuwendyk		Position:	F
Date:	2013-01-24		Age July 1st:	22
Term:	5 years		Playoff GP:	19
Total Money:	$26.25M		Playoff PTS:	20
Cap Hit:	$5.25M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	31.7	363	357	1090
Per 82 GP	6.3	82	81	246	19.7

"Jamie Benn has proven in his short, but very productive NHL career, that he is not only this franchise’s cornerstone player, but also an emerging superstar in the league"

– Joe Nieuwendyk

It was clear from the day that Jamie Benn arrived in the NHL that he was a special player. The young winger was a full-time 20 goal scorer as a rookie. By the last year of his ELC, he scored 26 goals and 63 PTS and it took some time to get his autograph on a new treaty, as Jamie missed the start of the lockout shortened 2013 campaign holding out for a better offer.
 
Benn settled at a price that was very fair for the stat line, but would soon take his game to an even greater plateau that included an Art Ross trophy in 2015 as NHL leading scorer. He finished this contract with 357 PTS in 363 GP.  Any money that Jamie left on the table was thrown on top of his next jackpot, which you can read about on the Dallas Stars worst contracts list.
 
 
4. Sergei Zubov
 

Signed By:	Doug Armstrong		Position:	D
Date:	2005-07-31		Age July 1st:	34
Term:	3 years		Playoff GP:	22
Total Money:	$12M		Playoff PTS:	16
Cap Hit:	$4M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	22.5	202	160	381
Per 82 GP	7.5	82	65	155	26.1

"The new rules of the league make skilled defensemen all the more valuable for your team and he's consistently been one of the best in the NHL."

– Doug Armstrong

Sergei Zubov had been among the NHL’s best offensive defensemen for over a decade since breaking out with 89 PTS in 1994 in his second season. He had recently celebrated his 35th birthday following the 2005 lockout when the Stars retained him on a 3-year ticket (Adrian Aucoin and Brian Leetch signed with other teams for the same salary later that month).
 
The Russian would flourish under the new rules cracking down on obstruction, taking advantage of all those power plays to score 71 PTS, his 2nd highest career point total. An injury cost him a boatload of games in year three, but he still managed to average 65 PTS per 82 GP and 26 minutes of ice per night over the full span. Zubov also added 16 PTS in 22 playoff games.
 
 
5. Miro Heiskanen
 

Signed By:	Jim Nill		Position:	D
Date:	2021-07-17		Age July 1st:	21
Term:	8 years		Playoff GP:	7
Total Money:	$68.4M		Playoff PTS:	3
Cap Hit:	$8.6M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	68.4	70	36	156
Per 82 GP	8.6	82	42	183	24.9

"As an organization, we truly feel that Miro has just scratched the surface of his ability and will be in the Norris Trophy discussion for years to come."

–Jim Nill

When Heiskanen signed this contract at the end of his ELC, Jim Nill triumphantly declared that they had just locked down a perennial Norris Trophy candidate, and I tend to agree with that assessment. The young Fin scored at a 38-point pace over his rookie deal, which is a less exciting number than some of his contemporaries. However, it should also be noted that he was competing for power play time with John Klingberg during that span, limiting his scoring opportunities (an obstacle that was removed at the end of year one).
 
If the stats don’t immediately jump out at you, just watch a Dallas game for confirmation that this kid is one of the best players on the ice shift after shift. Frankly, Cale Makar may need to suffer an injury for anyone else to have a shot at the Norris in the next decade, but Miro is high on the list of contenders. I may need to revise this list next summer and move Heiskanen to #1.
 
 
6. Roope Hintz
 

Signed By:	Jim Nill		Position:	F
Date:	2020-11-09		Age July 1st:	23
Term:	3 years		Playoff GP:	6
Total Money:	$9.45M		Playoff PTS:	4
Cap Hit:	$3.15M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	9.5	121	115	305
Per 82 GP	3.2	82	78	207	18.1

“His representative has been very fair. I just hope we can get something in the next week or two, but we’ll see where it goes.”

–Jim Nill

Roope Hintz scored at a 45-point pace in 2019/20 and was due a new contract, earning himself a deal that was slightly above what his stat line was worth. At least, his 2020 stat line. In the first two seasons, he was close to a point per game pace and produced at an $8M level. Jim Nill would have been smart to offer him 7 years $5M and it still would have been a bargain. Though the Stars had some expensive contracts on their books and Miro Heiskanen still to sign next summer. 

The Stars gave Hintz a $67M extension before this contract expired, so he'll be okay after playing 3 years at a big discount. Though realistically, he probably owes some of that money to linemate Jason Robertson for driving the bus on their dominant line.

 
 
7. Loui Eriksson
 

Signed By:	Brett Hull		Position:	F
Date:	2008-06-27		Age July 1st:	22
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	0
Total Money:	$3.2M		Playoff PTS:	0
Cap Hit:	$1.6M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	4.7	164	134	392
Per 82 GP	2.3	82	67	196	19.8

"Loui really started to show some flashes of his potential last season and he seems to be growing into the player we think he can be. We expect Loui’s development and production to continue next season and beyond"

– Les Jackson

Loui Eriksson was not in a position to demand too much money when his entry level contract expired, but having scored 31 PTS in 69 GP at age 22, there were reasons to be optimistic about his future. He was compensated equitably for the stat line, a line that was about to explode in a positive direction.
 
In year one Loui blasted 36 tucks and 63 PTS, playing nearly 20 minutes per night. The winger played primarily with Brad Richards, who was very productive during his time in Dallas, scoring 91 PTS in 2010. But Brad’s rate stats took a serious plunge when Loui wasn’t on the ice, suggesting Eriksson was actually driving that bus. When Richards banked $60M from the New York Rangers in July 2011, I hope he bought Loui something nice…
 
 
8. Mike Ribeiro
 

Signed By:	Brett Hull		Position:	F
Date:	2008-01-07		Age July 1st:	28
Term:	5 years		Playoff GP:	7
Total Money:	$25M		Playoff PTS:	2
Cap Hit:	$5M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	34.3	352	314	684
Per 82 GP	6.9	82	73	159	19.8

"I believe he's made great strides from last year until now. He's just scratching the surface. It's not a one-hit wonder type of season."

– Brett Hull

Mike Ribeiro signed for only 1 year on his previous deal to give himself the opportunity to test unrestricted free agency, having led the team in scoring during his first season in Dallas. As fate would have it, betting on himself was a smart wager, as the slick center really started to flourish, reaching a career apex of 83 PTS in 2008. Brett Hull would not allow Mike to make it July 1st, locking him into a 5-year extension in February.
 
While he never did breach the 80-point threshold again, he proved to be an incredibly productive player over his years in Dallas, scoring 314 PTS in 352 GP (73-point pace). Before the final season, Mike was traded to Washington for Cody Eakin and a 2nd round draft pick.
 
 
9. Stephane Robidas
 

Signed By:	Doug Armstrong		Position:	D
Date:	2006-12-05		Age July 1st:	30
Term:	3 years		Playoff GP:	18
Total Money:	$4.5M		Playoff PTS:	11
Cap Hit:	$1.5M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	6.8	236	93	510
Per 82 GP	2.3	82	32	177	23.2

"Stephane brings a relentless work ethic to the rink each day and has earned his three-year extension"

- Doug Armstrong

Stephane Robidas had never scored more than 20 PTS in a season before the Dallas Stars gave him this 3-year extension at age 30. This was originally a generous sum for the numbers he had produced at that stage in his career, but lucky for Doug Armstrong, Stephane took a bath in the fountain of youth.
 
The veteran defenseman set a new career high 41 PTS at the age of 32, in a very improbable offensive renaissance. Getting moved to the power play with Sergei Zubov can have that effect on a player. Any Leaf fans reading this are cringing right now. Stephane procured another 4-year deal with the Stars before the legend of “Robidas Island” was born in Toronto.
 
 
10. Alex Goligoski
 

Signed By:	Joe Nieuwendyk		Position:	D
Date:	2012-01-23		Age July 1st:	26
Term:	4 years		Playoff GP:	19
Total Money:	$18.4M		Playoff PTS:	11
Cap Hit:	$4.6M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	22.6	291	142	470
Per 82 GP	5.7	82	40	132	23.7

“Alex Goligoski is one of our core players and we are very pleased to get him under contract during the prime of his career. Alex is a character person and one of the anchors of our blue-line. He's a big part of our hockey club."

– Joe Nieuwendyk

Alex Goligoski had performed well in Dallas after being traded there for James Neal and Matt Niskanen a year earlier, finishing that season with a career best 46 PTS. The defenseman was logging top paring minutes when he signed this 4-year extension. A few months earlier Brent Burns had been extended for substantially more money despite a nearly identical stat line and career arch.
 
Not only did Alex sell himself short on the salary, he curiously accepted it on a 4-year term when he could have been an unrestricted free agent in 16 months. He would go on to score 142 PTS in 291 GP (40-point pace), averaging 23.7 minutes per game. Fortunately, there was another big pay day waiting for him at age 30, as he proved to be both durable and consistent. Still, he took a bit of a gamble on term for a low price.
 
 
11. Loui Eriksson
 

Signed By:	Joe Nieuwendyk		Position:	F
Date:	2009-10-02		Age July 1st:	24
Term:	6 years		Playoff GP:	12
Total Money:	$25.5M		Playoff PTS:	5
Cap Hit:	$4.25M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	32.3	433	320	938
Per 82 GP	5.4	82	61	178	19.2

"The thing about that type of player is the maintenance is low. They come in every day, do their jobs, make smart decision and never complain."

– Joe Nieuwendyk

Loui Eriksson locked into an early 6-year extension in October 2009 after scoring 36 goals and 63 PTS at age 23, doubling his point total from the previous season. The production level should have been worth a higher salary, but since he’d never previously approached that degree of output, it was justifiable that he potentially sold himself short. It’s hard to tell a guy that he’s leaving money on the table when somebody drops a bag with $25M on his lap after one good season.
 
Loui managed to push his apex even higher, sustaining 3 consecutive seasons over 70 PTS. When the scoring dipped in year three, Eriksson found himself traded to Boston as the key chip in the Tyler Seguin trade. His first 2 years in Boston were disappointing (certainly more so in contrast with Seguin), then he had one more strong performance before this treaty expired and he finally hit the UFA market at age 30.
 
Whatever money Loui had left on the table in his previous negotiation was reimbursed by Jim Benning (who was the assistant GM in Boston when the Seguin trade was made). You can read about Loui’s next deal on the Canucks worst contracts list.
 
 
12. Anton Khudobin
 

Signed By:	Jim Nill		Position:	G
Date:	2018-07-01		Age July 1st:	32
Term:	2 years		Playoff Wins:	0
Total Money:	$5M		Playoff SV%:	1.000
Cap Hit:	$2.5M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Avg Adj Cap Hit	GP	W	GAA	SV%
Total	2.6	71	32	2.42	0.926

"Anton is a proven NHL netminder that gives his team a chance to win every time he's on the ice"

– Jim Nill

Anton Khudobin had a long road to the NHL, and spent most of his career as a journeyman back-up goalie who put up his biggest numbers in frequent flyer miles moving from city to city. He had been with the Boston Bruins before they decided to replace him with a more experienced (and slightly more expensive) Jaroslav Halak. Anton did not go unemployed for long, signing this deal with the Stars that same day.
 
The Kazakhstani backstopper found a home in Dallas, where he became a very effective 1B. Ben Bishop was among the league’s best goaltenders, but Anton was so good behind him that he continued earning starts. Limiting the load on Bishop helped both evolve into one of the league’s best tandems in net. Khudobin’ legacy will be a sensational 2020 playoff run that knocked on the door of a championship, but were ultimately denied by a superior team. He did manage to parlay that performance into a pay raise and a 3-year term at age 34 (that you certainly won't find here).
 
 
13. James Neal
 

Signed By:	Joe Nieuwendyk		Position:	F
Date:	2010-09-16		Age July 1st:	22
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	12
Total Money:	$5.75M		Playoff PTS:	8
Cap Hit:	$2.875M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	7.7	159	126	541
Per 82 GP	3.8	82	65	279	18.3

"We're only touching the surface of where his abilities can go. He has tremendous hands, a great shot, and he's powerful. What we need to have from him is that drive to the net and that power forward mentality."

– Marc Crawford

From the moment he arrived in the NHL, James Neal proved he could score goals. The winger ripped 27 tucks in the final year of his ELC, but since he was still inexperienced and lacked arbitration rights, so there were limits on the compensation he could realistically demand. By accepting a 2-year term, he made a bet on himself that ultimately paid off.
 
Neal would only play 59 more games for the Stars, getting moved to the Penguins with Matt Niskanen (who also signed a 2-year bridge deal the same day as Neal). The first year in Pittsburgh was stunning success, as he scored 40 goals and 81 PTS. Granted, some of the credit for that success rests on the shoulders of Evgeni Malkin.
 
 
14. Esa Lindell
 

Signed By:	Jim Nill		Position:	D
Date:	2017-06-26		Age July 1st:	23
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	13
Total Money:	$4.4M		Playoff PTS:	4
Cap Hit:	$2.2M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	4.7	162	59	269
Per 82 GP	2.4	82	30	136	23.2

"Esa displayed great composure during his first season in the NHL and we look forward to his continued development as a top player on our defense"

– Jim Nill

Esa Lindell had only played 77 games in the NHL when his ELC expired, and unlike with John Klingberg, Jim Nill was not yet prepared to make a similar long-term commitment. He needed to see a little bit more, inking the young defenseman to a cheaper version of the Matt Dumba bridge deal from a few months earlier.
 
Lindell would perform admirably in both zones, logging over 24 minutes per game in year two, playing all situations. The Finnish defenseman also scored 59 PTS in 162 GP (30-point pace), taking 269 shots and throwing 235 hits. That was all Jim needed to see before offering Esa $34.8M.
 
 
15. Kari Lehtonen
 

Signed By:	Joe Nieuwendyk		Position:	G
Date:	2010-05-11		Age July 1st:	26
Term:	3 years		Playoff Wins:	0
Total Money:	$10.65M		Playoff SV%:	0.000
Cap Hit:	$3.55M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Avg Adj Cap Hit	GP	W	GAA	SV%
Total	4.7	164	81	2.49	0.917

"His play during the last month of the season reaffirmed our belief that he can be our starter for next year and seasons to come. We're very happy to agree to terms with Kari on this contract extension."

– Joe Nieuwendyk

Kari Lehtonen was an above average starting goaltender for the Atlanta Thrashers Winnipeg Jets (.911 SV% and 33 goals saved above average over 204 games), coming to the NHL at a young age (relative to other goalies) as a 2nd overall draft pick. He was traded to the Dallas Stars for a 4th round pick and Ivan Vishnevskiy (who soon went back to Russia) in February 2010. Great trade for Dallas that actually worked out pretty good for the Thrashers Jets too, who flipped their Russian prospect to add Andrew Ladd.
 
Lehtonen had missed that entire season due to a back injury, returning to play 12 games for the Stars before signing a new 3-year contract. He could have been an unrestricted free agent in one year, but lingering concerns about his health had to affect negotiations on both sides. This would become a very cost-effective investment, producing 81 Wins, 60 Loses, with a 2.49 GAA and .917 SV%. The money he left on the table was added to his next ticket, which you can read about on the Stars worst contracts list.