The Dallas Stars announced a two-year contract extension for defenseman Thomas Harley, with an average annual value of $4 million, on Tuesday. This came shortly after the team extended the contract of fellow defenseman Esa Lindell earlier in the day.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the two sides had been negotiating a bridge deal, and discussions were “ongoing” before reaching the agreement.
Harley, a restricted free agent, had a breakout season in 2023-24, scoring 15 goals and adding 32 assists across 79 regular-season games. He averaged 21:01 of ice time per game. In the postseason, he recorded four assists in 19 games.
The 6-foot-3 defenseman was a regular on the top defensive pairing with Miro Heiskanen throughout the season. Harley, under team control until 2029, could have been signed for up to four years without reaching unrestricted free agency.
Selected 18th overall by Dallas in the 2019 NHL Draft, Harley has since developed into a key player for the team’s blue line. With this new contract, the Stars now have approximately $700,000 in cap space and no remaining free agents, according to PuckPedia.
