The Dallas Stars locked up a key member of their defense on a five-year deal on Sept. 17. Esa Lindell, a 6-foot-3, 216-pound left-handed defender, received a five-year extension worth $5.25 million per season. It is set to begin in 2025-26 and end following the 2029-30 campaign.
"Me and my family, we love the city, the organization, the fans.
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) September 17, 2024
Everything's so good here… I wanted to stay here" 😊🇫🇮#TexasHockey
Stars Keep Their Elite Defense Together
The Stars have one of the best defenses in the NHL. Last season, they had the second-fewest expected goals against in the league—their defense got it done on a frequent basis. That number is probably improved thanks to their high-possession offense, leading to fewer scoring chances the other way, but Dallas definitely has a strong blue line.
Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley made up the team’s first pairing, but Lindell was sneakily one of the best second-pairing players out there. In terms of relative expected goals percentage (xGF% Rel) at even strength, he was the best on the team and 42nd-best in the NHL among the 220 defensemen with 500 minutes of ice time.
Grading out positively at both ends of the ice, Lindell was essential to the Stars’ blue line last season. In his nine-year career in Dallas, he has the following statistics:
- 604 games played
- 49 goals
- 142 assists
- 191 points
- Plus-104 rating
- 1,100 blocks
- 807 hits
Lindell received a fifth- and third-place vote for the Norris Trophy during his career, occurring in 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively. The Finnish defender has been a staple to the Stars’ defense for a long time now and he’s being rewarded for it. His future $5.25 million cap hit is a step below what he’s making now ($5.8 million), so Dallas is saving money if you want to look at it that way.
Dallas’ Future Salary Implications
The Stars still need to sign Harley to an extension, who is currently a restricted free agent (RFA). They seemingly have the money to do this, though, but it’ll be tight unless they’re looking at a bridge deal. Lindell’s contract doesn’t complicate that now, but it might in the future now that $5.25 million is off of the table for 2025-26 and beyond.
The Stars have quite a few players they’ll need to break out their wallets for over the next two offseasons, such as Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven, and Jake Oettinger. Dallas has spent a good chunk of their money to round out their lineup in recent seasons, but perhaps they’ll have to go with a high-spending approach on their top players in the future. At this time, it doesn’t seem like Lindell complicates that much—Dallas still has more than enough money to dish out.
The Stars are one of the top contenders in the NHL, making it to the Western Conference Final in back-to-back campaigns. With Lindell re-upped, they’ll look to continue that trend and finally get over that hump in 2024-25 and the campaigns following it.
Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick
