The Dallas Stars face a significant dilemma with Jason Robertson and Thomas Harley needing new contracts coming up. With the salary cap expected to rise, both players are going to want long-term extensions to remain in the Stars' organization. With the way Harley is playing right now, he's about to walk into a Miro Heiskanen-like contract. I'm not sure if the Stars can afford it right now. Here's why Harley should follow suit like Wyatt Johnston did and take a lesser deal.
Thomas Harley Deal: 1. Get more money down the road
I'm sure Harley wants that eight-year extension before it goes away with the new CBA coming soon, and I get that. He wants that long-term investment from the Stars. He already took a short-term deal to remain with the Stars, and he's outgrown it. The only problem with it right now is that Tyler Seguin is still on the books for his eight-year extension, which is coming to a close here shortly. The Stars are in a bit of a salary cap crunch with the Mikko Rantanen trade that happened at the trade deadline this past season.
He should follow what Wyatt Johnston is doing at the moment and wait for more salary cap space to grow after the Stars shed the Seguin contract. It won't be that long before it's over, and the Stars can easily pay him what he wants after the performance he put on after the Four Nations Face-Off. I know Nill wants to keep Harley here for his career. All Harley needs to do to get paid like the elite defenseman he's shown is wait a couple of years to get paid handsomely.
Thomas Harley Deal: 2. It would help out the franchise stay afloat
Harley would be doing the Stars a solid if he took another bargain contract. I know that's not what he wants at the moment, but it would show he's bought into what the organization is trying to build here. I know Nill would appreciate that. I'm sure Harley knows the franchise thinks the world of him at the moment. As I mentioned earlier, if he waits a couple more seasons, I'm sure the Stars could come to a long-term extension with him in a matter of minutes.
Thomas Harley Deal: 3. It would help the franchise without having to re-work his contract
The last reason why Harley should take a shorter extension is that the salary cap will rise over the next couple of seasons. The last thing the Stars want to do is give Harley an extension and then have to re-work it in case something goes wrong with the NHL increasing the salary cap. I'm sure the Stars have great minds that work out the contract terms, but taking a lesser deal now means less headache for the Stars down the road. I'm sure the Stars and Harley can work out an extension here shortly.