Dallas Stars: Three Best Player Contracts Going Into 2018-19 Season

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DALLAS, TX – MARCH 25: Tyler Pitlick #18 of the Dallas Stars handles the puck against the Vancouver Canucks at the American Airlines Center on March 25, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tyler Pitlick /

3. Tyler Pitlick

Contract details: Three years, $1 million AAV (two years left)

Only seven Dallas Stars forwards tallied more than 26 points last season. Five of them are under the age of 27. And only two of the seven were not Stars before the 2017 offseason.

But of those seven forwards, only one of them spent the majority of the 2016-17 season recovering from an ACL tear. That’s Tyler Pitlick.

The 26-year-old has been on quite the journey through the first few years of his NHL career. After being drafted 31st overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Pitlick fought his way through a tough stretch in Edmonton. It wasn’t an easy trek, either.

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He made his NHL debut in 2013-14, but didn’t earn a starting gig until the 2016-17 season. Things finally seemed to be going in the right direction through the first half of that year. But then Pitlick suffered an ACL injury that required surgery and sidelined him for the rest of the year.

Going into July 1, 2017, Pitlick didn’t necessarily know what his future would hold. He hadn’t played a game since December 2016 and was still an unproven NHL talent. Would anyone try and sign him on the first day of free agency?

GM Jim Nill and the Dallas Stars ended up going for it, and it turned into a beneficial investment. In his first full season as an NHL skater, Pitlick played in 80 games (up from his previous career high of 31), scoring 14 goals and 27 points along with a +9 rating. He did all of this while averaging 13:41 on the ice per game and playing a primarily defensive role against the opponent’s top lines alongside Radek Faksa and Antoine Roussel. His scoring presence as well as his contributions on the penalty kill made him a viable asset for Dallas.

He worked with the time and opportunities he had and made the most of each shift. And though his numbers aren’t entirely glamorous, he turned out to be one of the Stars’ best depth scorers.

But it wasn’t just his contributions in those areas that made him so effective. Instead, a lot of it had to do with his contract structure and how Nill was able to pick him out of the crowd on day one of free agency.

Pitlick actually turned out to be the Stars’ first official signing of the 2017 offseason. Upon the announcement, many fans didn’t know what to expect. With Pitlick’s injury history and his spotty play at the NHL level, there was no certainty as to how Nill wanted to use him. But considering he signed a three-year deal worth $1 million per year, it was clear that Dallas wanted to use him as an NHL player.

More From Blackout Dallas: Tyler Pitlick Providing Great Depth For Stars

And he produced quite a significant payoff. Pitlick was a reliable third line option for the Dallas Stars in 2017-18. He was one of their top defensive and shorthanded weapons and combined that with a timely offensive touch.

For a guy that missed most of the 2016-17 season and is making $1 million for the next two years, that’s one solid set of skills. The Stars are definitely in good hands with Pitlick in their middle six for the next few seasons.

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