Thomas Harley is one of the up-and-coming stars in the NHL. You have to give a round of applause to Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill for making sure Thomas Harley developed the right way. If it weren't for the years he spent down in Cedar Park, Harley wouldn't be the defenseman he is today with the Stars. You can expect him to have a significant role with the team this season as they look to get back to the Western Conference Finals.
Nill gave a promising update on the contract talks with Harley the other day. Nill expects the Stars and Harley will have an extension signed by the beginning of training camp. That's excellent news, considering Harley's performance last season. He took a big step towards more minutes, and I expect Harley to get another bump in minutes this season. He's taking the same route as Miro Heiskanen did, minus the eight-year extension. I doubt the Stars will sign Harley for that long. They have more youngsters to sign, like Wyatt Johnston.
One of the most surprising aspects of Harley's game from last season was his offense. He found the back of the net from different places in the offensive zone. You can see in the highlight below that it doesn't take long for him to get the offense going. Harley flew into the offensive zone to help Jason Robertson finish the breakaway. Fans can expect Harley to score more goals like this in his 2024-25 campaign.
Now, let's get down to how his contract extension is coming. It's very good to hear that both sides have been continuing talks. It's not like when Jason Robertson was up for an extension and skipped training camp until a new deal was made. I think the Stars and Harley can get this done by the end of the prospect tournament. From how it's going, Harley is not asking for an eight-year deal like Heiskanen received.
Thomas Harley's future with the Stars is bright. At 22, Harley's NHL career is just beginning, and he has a chance to be a leader on the blue line with Heiskanen. I can't wait to see how Harley takes another step in becoming an all-star caliber player. He can possibly represent the Stars at the NHL All-Star game this season. Hopefully, we hear more promising news in the weeks to come about his new contract with the Stars in the weeks to come.