Dallas Stars fans thought the team signed Thomas Harley earlier today, and they were wrong. Esa Lindell signed a five-year extension out of the blue earlier this afternoon. He was set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Stars and his agent negotiated a new deal quickly, and Lindell signed on the bottom line. Some fans are concerned that the contract is too long. Let's look at why Jim Nill got it right with this contract once again.
Some of our fan base has to take a step off the ledge and consider why this is a decent contract. Yes, the fact that he is 30 years old does scare some fans, but the team needs veterans who know DeBoer's system. You can't have many young players on a team all at once. There needs to be veterans who can guide the youth so the team doesn't look rough on the ice. Remember when the fan base complained about signing Joe Pavelski? Look at how that turned out after five seasons with the Stars.
Since putting on a victory green jersey, Lindell has been one of the best penalty-killers. Knowing how shaky the defense has been the past couple of seasons, I would try to keep your consistent defensemen under contract. Yes, Lindell made some mistakes throughout last season, but those happen even with veterans. He will probably make some mistakes this upcoming season, but you might as well get used to it.
Another reason the contract is perfect is the amount he will make a season. Jim Nill was able to sign Lindell for around 4 million a year. That leaves tons of money for all the young talent Nill will have to sign next offseason. I also like that the no-trade clause goes away after three seasons. It will allow Lindell to play for another team if he requests to be traded. You never know where the Stars will be in three years, and he deserves a chance to win a Stanley Cup.
The #TexasHockey signed 30 y/o LD Esa Lindell to 5 year $5.25M Cap Hit extension
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 17, 2024
Yr 1 4M Salary & 2.5M Signing Bonus
Yr 2 4M & 2.5M SB
Yr 3 4.25M & 1M SB
Yr 4 4M
Yr 5 4M
Years 1-3 no trade clause. Years 4-5 20 team no trade list
Rep’d by Markus Lehto @wassermanhockey…
I think this contract works well for the Stars as they look to compete for the Stanley Cup. Having Esa Lindell on the penalty kill will be vital, especially in the playoffs. Hopefully, Lindell will stay for the entire duration of the contract. He loves playing for the city of Dallas, and I'm sure he'll be ready to play in Finland later this year. The average per year won't put the Stars in a salary cap bind next offseason. There's a reason why Jim Nill will probably win another General Manager of the Year Award this season.