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

Every NHL general manager has their good moves and their bad moves. Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill is no stranger to this. But when Nill makes a good move, he knows how to make it count considerably in the long run. Here are three of the Stars’ best player contracts going into 2018-19.

There’s nothing like buying an item when it’s on sale. Whether it’s a flat-screen TV that you’ve been eyeing months ahead of the Black Friday sale, a Dallas Stars jersey at an end-of-season sale, or simply a can of vegetables at the grocery store, there’s not much that beats that small sense of satisfaction.

It’s natural to feel that way when you get exactly what you want and have to give up less in return than you normally would. Saving money and getting the same value is an ideal situation, after all.

The same situation can be found in the NHL. When a team signs a player to a cheap deal and the player ends up paying off in massive dividends, that satisfaction can be felt by the general manager, the team itself, and the entire fan base.

It’s a feeling that most NHL teams get to boast, though some may not necessarily have the same luxury as others.

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There are some, however, that have multiple “bargain” contracts on their roster. They can vary in terms of the player’s role and significance, but any bargain is a good one.

And what is a bargain contract? It’s basically a player contract that involves a good deal in BOTH the salary/AAV as well as the term of the deal. In other words, it’s a player that is signed for cheaper than his skill set demands and for a longer term that gives the team impressive flexibility going forward.

Now, certain skilled or elite players don’t typically sign for little money and long terms. But if a team can sign them at the right time and make the bargain deal happen, the payoff can be huge.

The Dallas Stars have a handful of bargain contracts on their roster right now. These team-friendly deals are associated with both big-name players as well as players with smaller, more specific roles. But the benefits from both can be substantial.

Jim Nill has a knack for signing some of his players to very friendly deals and spotting talent at the right time in their respective careers. That can be a tough skill to acquire for many GMs, so Nill has this working in his favor (at times).

Considering it’s August and the 2018-19 season is slowly approaching over the horizon, let’s take a look at some of the Dallas Stars’ best value contracts. Somewhere down the road, we’ll also break down some of their worst contracts.

But for now, let’s focus on the positive side of things. Here are three Dallas Stars players in particular that are riding on team-friendly contracts and giving the team a consistent mega sale along the way. These are players that have already proven themselves to be bargains and that also have a fair amount of term left in their deal. 

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.

Blue Line Station

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.

2. Stephen Johns

Contract details: Three years, $2.35 million AAV (three years left)

The first night of the 2018 NHL Draft brought a wave of excitement to Dallas. It was the city’s first time to ever host an NHL Draft and gave them the chance to show off the hockey culture in Texas.

But as round one approached, the Stars community was sidetracked by their news feeds as Stephen Johns, a pending RFA at the time, became the first Star to sign a new contract in the 2018 offseason.

And like Pitlick, Johns’ road to the NHL has come with a few bumps and turns. After being traded to Dallas by the Chicago Blackhawks in July 2015, the 2010 second-round pick made his NHL debut a few months later against his old team. Johns put together a decent performance late in the season and into the playoffs and earned himself a spot on the 2016-17 roster.

Sports Dallas Fort-Worth

That’s where his future shifted to highly questionable. Johns skated in 61 games in 2016-17, putting up four goals and 10 points along with a -10 rating. His defense looked to be lacking, his offensive contributions were average, and he didn’t necessarily look like a long-term solution for the Dallas blue line.

But a lot of that doubt can be blamed on Lindy Ruff’s system and style. Johns is a defensive defenseman, first and foremost. And considering Ruff preached a high-risk offensive push, it was only natural for Johns to struggle fitting in.

When Ken Hitchcock took over for the 2017-18 season, however, Johns hit a new stride. The 26-year-old thrived in Hitchcock’s “defense first” system and unlocked his potential.

Johns was more efficient in the defensive zone, using his size to his advantage. He broke up transitions both in his own zone and the neutral zone, used his reach to break up plays, and logged 201 hits through 75 games. His possession numbers were down and so was his ice time when compared to the 2016-17 season, but he still found a way to turn in a +10 along with an impressive season.

But his contributions didn’t stop there. Johns also found a way to chip in on offense, scoring eight goals and tallying 15 points. Johns tied with John Klingberg for most goals by a defenseman on the team and put on a solid showing inside both blue lines. He showed impressive skills on offense, defense, and penalty killing and stepped into his element.

And that’s why Jim Nill made him the first offseason signing of the 2018 summer. Johns was set to become an RFA on July 1, but Nill made sure to lock him down on a three-year deal worth an average AAV of $2.35 million.

Dallas Stars

The reason that Stephen Johns is considered to be on a bargain contract is because of how valuable he is to the team. Whether you notice it or not, the Dallas Stars don’t have many options when it comes to right-handed depth defenders. Klingberg is a no. 1 defenseman and there’s an argument to be made that Julius Honka could end up being the same way. Both are small, offensive-minded, puck-moving defenders that regularly use their speed and skating skills to their advantage.

But when you are looking for heavy-hitting, right-handed skaters for the blue line that can pack a punch on defense, contribute respectively on offense, and be a force on the penalty kill, your options run slim. And it’s not just on the Dallas blue line; it’s all across the league.

Johns is a rarity for his role and position, but also for the amount of success that he has in that role.

The fact that the Dallas Stars have him locked up for three more years at a team-friendly rate as he continues to develop into a dominant NHL force cannot be overlooked. Nill did a good job with the contract and Johns was more than happy to accept as he prepares for a potentially larger role going into 2018-19.

It was a win-win situation and reaffirms the Dallas Stars’ impressive stability on the blue line. Johns should play a sizable part in that going forward.