When Dallas Stars President Brad Alberts posted his signature tweet last night on X, I knew it would be this with all the goalie news. This morning, the Dallas Stars signed Jake Oettinger to a long-term, eight-year extension worth 66 million dollars. The average per year on that extension will be around 8.25 million. Let's examine why the Dallas Stars made the right move to sign him now instead of in the offseason and why it will work with the salary cap.
Otter Finds His Pearl: Breaking down the contract
Let's look at the contract below. This won't start until next season after Oettinger's current contract expires. From the looks of it, it's a pretty heavy up-front contract, with him making six million as his base and a four million signing bonus. Each year, it slowly decreases through the final year of his contract.
Let's now examine the trade policy within his contract. From years 2-6, he has a no-movement clause, which is standard at the beginning of some contracts. When it gets to year 7, he has a limited no-movement trade list that the Stars can trade him to. However, when he gets to the final year of his deal, they can't trade him. Basically, it's a copy of the Jeremy Swayman deal but with one additional no-move year.
Otter Finds His Pearl: Why is it smart to sign him now?
If Jake Oettinger had waited until the end of the season to sign a deal, it would have probably gotten messy, with many teams trying to submit offer sheets. The Stars told him you are the franchise goalie and gave him exactly what Swayman got from the Bruins. Oettinger would get a raise no matter what, and I'm glad it's with the Dallas Stars. Jim Nill did a good job preparing the contract offer, which was a no-brainer for Oettinger to sign.
Otter Finds His Pearl: What's next for the Stars?
Next, they have Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson to re-sign to new deals. Both will probably be expensive based on their stats with the Dallas Stars. Wyatt Johnston is one of the best young players in the league, and teams will throw offer sheets at him if the Stars can't lock him up during the season. Jason Robertson has been one of the top young wings in this league and will want more than four years on his extension. Being a Dallas Stars fan is pretty exciting, given the bright future and projection of the franchise.