The Dallas Stars wasted no time in making a free agent splash.
On Wednesday morning– the first day of NHL free agency– TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Dallas agreed to a four-year, $3.65 average annual value deal with defenseman Ryan Suter.
Not long after, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported the team struck a two-year, $1.5 AAV deal with forward Luke Glendening– along with goaltender Braden Holtby.
Both players bring a veteran presence and offensive upside to a team that struggled at points throughout the 2021 season. Suter, 36, comes off a tenure in Minnesota that started with an infamous 13-year, $98 million deal in 2011 after starring with Nashville. He was released– along with former ultra-max contract recipient Zach Parise– by the Wild this offseason.
Suter, who was skated in more than 1,000 games in his NHL career, comes off a productive 56-game season which saw him score 3 goals and add 19 assists with a plus-minus of 9 on a Minnesota team.
The contract term is a bit concerning– Suter is under contract until his age 40 season — but after exposing and ultimately losing defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to Seattle in the 2021 expansion draft, Dallas had no choice but to out-offer other suitors to sway Suter’s services.
Glendening on the other hand joins Dallas after leaving Detroit- the only team he’d known in his 8-year NHL career. He has tallied 57 points and 69 assists on his NHL career for 126 points.
In 2021, he was one of few players on the lowly Red Wings to finish with a positive plus minus.
Glendening, 32, instantly becomes Jason Dickinson’s replacement after Dallas traded the forward to Vancouver to avoid losing him without compensation. He will likley skate as a bottom-six player.
He also brings versatility and sharpens the penalty kill in the bottom six after Dallas reportedly lost out on Andrew Cogliano– a Stars UFA has been connected to San Jose.
Dallas also reportedly agreed to terms with veteran goalie Braden Holtby days after Vancouver bought him out of a contract signed last offseason. Holtby, known for his work as the goaltender of the Capitals 2018 Stanley Cup team, receives a 1-year contract for an unknown term.
Holtby instantly becomes a Ben Bishop insurance policy after the Stars’ former starter is set to begin the year on long-term injured reserve. Furthermore, goalie Jake Oettinger can take more time honing his skills this season after a promising rookie campaign.
All three command at least $6 million of Dallas’ roughly $13 million in cap space– so, barring the Stars losing Joel Kiviranta on the free agent market, the Stars might be done signing UFA’s.
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