Dallas, TX
Dallas Stars free agency tracker: Who’s staying, who’s going and who’s joining the team
NHL free agency: a period where every hockey fan has to regularly ask themselves, “Who’s on my team again?”
Don’t fret. We’re here to help keep track of who the Dallas Stars are signing, re-signing and letting walk in free agency this offseason.
This will be updated as new information becomes available.
Who have the Stars signed?
D Matt Dumba
The 30-year-old signed a two-year deal worth $3.75 million value annually. Dumba spent last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning after being dealt by Arizona at the trade deadline.
D Ilya Lyubushkin
Lyubushkin, who played for the Maple Leafs in parts of two of the past three seasons, agreed to a three-year, $3.25 million AAV deal with Dallas.
D Brendan Smith
Smith’s one-year contract is worth $1 million. The 35-year-old most recently played for New Jersey and has played both defenseman and forward in his career.
G Casey DeSmith
DeSmith signed a three-year deal through 2026-27 worth $1 million annually, and he figures to be the new backup to Jake Oettinger.
D Kyle Capobianco
The former Manitoba Moose and the AHL’s top scoring defenseman last season was signed to a two-year deal in which the first year is a two-way contract and the second year is a one-way worth $775,000.
F Kole Lind
Lind, who was signed to a one-year, two-way contract, helped the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, the affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, to back-to-back Calder Cup finals.
F Cameron Hughes
Hughes, who also played for the Firebirds, received a one-year, two-way contract from the Stars after a 25-goal season in Coachella Valley.
Who have the Stars re-signed?
F Sam Steel
Restricted free agent forward Sam Steel did not receive a qualifying offer on Sunday, making him an unrestricted free agent Monday at 11 a.m. But just 90 minutes later, the Stars announced they re-signed the fourth-line forward to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 season. The deal is worth $1.2 million.
D Nils Lundkvist
The Stars re-signed defenseman Nils Lundkvist to a one-year, $1.25 million deal. The 23-year-old has spent the last two seasons with Dallas after a blockbuster trade ahead of the 2022-23 season, in which the Stars sacrificed a 2023 first-round draft pick to the New York Rangers. In 119 regular-season games in Dallas, Lundkvist hasn’t lived up to expectations, scoring just 35 points despite being known for his offensive ability.
F Matt Duchene
The Stars announced they re-signed Duchene to a one-year, $3 million deal, the same deal he signed to join Dallas’ roster last season. The unrestricted free agent will return to Dallas in the fall for his second year.
D Alexander Petrovic
The Stars signed defenseman Alexander Petrovic to a two-year, two-way contract last Friday. The 32-year-old appeared in one regular-season game and seven playoff games for the Stars last season. Petrovic spent most of last season with the Texas Stars, where he had 22 points in 70 games.
F Oskar Back
Drafted with Dallas’ third-round pick in 2018, Back scored 36 points, seven goals and 29 assists, in 59 regular-season games in Cedar Park, with an additional five points in seven Calder Cup games. His new two-way contract is worth $775,000, and he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
F Matej Blumel
Blumel signed a two-way deal for the 2024-25 season. In his second AHL season, the 24-year-old led Texas in goals (31) and ranked second in points (62) in 72 regular-season games.
F Emilio Pettersen
Pettersen, who also signed a two-way deal for next season, split the 2023-24 AHL season between the Calgary Wranglers and the Texas Stars. The 24-year-old posted 30 points (7 goals, 23 assists) in 54 games with Calgary before he was acquired by Dallas via trade on March 7.
Who’s leaving?
D Chris Tanev
Just 124 days after the Stars traded for the 34-year-old right-handed defenseman, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed him to a six-year deal with an average annual value of $4.5 million.
The Stars traded the rights to Tanev to Toronto on Saturday during the second day of the NHL draft after it became apparent that Jim Nill and his staff would not be able to re-sign him.
F Craig Smith
The Blackhawks announced Monday afternoon they had signed the former Dallas Stars forward to a one-year, $1 million deal when free agency opened. Smith was acquired by Dallas in free agency last year after splitting the 2022-23 season between Boston and Washington. He appeared in 75 regular season games and recorded 20 points on Dallas’ fourth line.
D Jani Hakanpaa
Hakanpää reportedly signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, ending his three-year stint in Dallas after a difficult season.
The Finnish defenseman played the fewest games since becoming a mainstay of the Stars’ lineup in the 2021-22 season — appearing in just 64 in the regular season and none in the playoffs after dealing with injury.
G Scott Wedgewood
The 31-year-old backup goaltender agreed to a two-year, $1.5 million AAV deal with the Nashville Predators. Despite being a good fit, the Stars and Wedgewood’s team couldn’t agree to new contract ahead of his previous one expiring Monday. He sought a raise that Dallas wouldn’t deliver on.
F Ty Dellandrea
The Stars traded forward Ty Dellandrea to the Sharks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft, though Dellandrea, who was set to become a free agent, is not yet under contract for the 2024-25 season.
Who’s left to sign?
D Thomas Harley
The Stars extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent defenseman Thomas Harley Sunday. By doing so, Dallas retains negotiating rights for the young blue-liner.
Harley was due for the biggest raise among Dallas’ RFAs and the most likely candidate for an offer sheet. The 22-year-old defenseman recorded 47 points (15 goals and 32 assists) as a top-pairing defenseman for Dallas last year despite making an average annual salary of $7.6 million less than his partner Miro Heiskanen. His negotiation could also be the most complicated.
F Max Ellis
The Stars received Ellis, who was not under contract for 2024-25 but over whom Dallas retained negotiating rights, from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Chris Tanev’s negotiating rights. The 5-foot-9, 166-pound forward did not receive a qualifying offer by Sunday, making him a free agent. The 24-year-old notched 14 points in 36 regular-season games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies last season.
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Dallas, TX
Dallas seafood wholesaler fined $250K for false salmon labeling
DALLAS – A Dallas seafood wholesaler has been ordered to pay a $250,000 fine after admitting it falsely labeled the country of origin of salmon, federal prosecutors announced on Friday.
Seafood Supply Co. fined
What we know:
Seafood Supply Co. was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty in March to two counts of violating the Lacey Act, a federal law that prohibits trafficking in falsely labeled fish, wildlife and plants.
According to court records, the company falsely identified Chilean salmon as originating from Scotland or other European countries between January 2020 and February 2022. Prosecutors said the mislabeling allowed the company to market less expensive Chilean salmon as higher-value European product.
Understanding the Lacey Act
Dig deeper:
The Lacey Act requires accurate labeling of imported fish and other wildlife products.
Federal officials say the law helps protect consumers and ensures fair competition in the marketplace by preventing companies from misrepresenting the origin of seafood products.
What’s next:
The investigation was conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement as part of Operation Upstream Diligence, a federal initiative targeting seafood fraud and illegal trade.
The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Department of Justice.
Dallas, TX
No ‘straight answer’: Why Pioneer Cemetery is the latest battleground at City Hall
Emma Ruby
A historic downtown cemetery has found itself in the crosshairs of a group skeptical about the direction of development in downtown Dallas.
The Pioneer Park cemetery is home to the graves of Dallas’ founders. Nearly every major Dallas myth hero and corresponding street name can be found etched into the stones — many of which date back to the 1800s. But the burial site also sits in the heart of downtown, tucked between the convention center and City Hall building.
It’s that location that worries the Save City Hall coalition, a group of organizers who have stood opposed to plans for Dallas’ municipal government to abandon the I.M. Pei-designed building on Marilla Street. According to a notice the coalition sent to the city on Thursday, surveyors have been spotted at the cemetery in recent weeks, and rumors have begun to emerge that the graves may have been included in the latest plans to develop the convention center and surrounding area.
“Pioneer Cemetery is hallowed ground, not a real estate opportunity,” the coalition said in a statement. “The law is crystal clear: you cannot simply pave over the founders of this city to build a basketball arena or a convention center hall. Any attempt to disturb these remains without strict adherence to state statutes is not just a civil violation — it is a jailable felony.”
The notice is the seventh that the coalition has sent to the city in recent months, and each threatens litigation if Dallas’ government fails to comply with various codes and ordinances. In reference to Pioneer Park, the coalition claims that the cemetery’s status as a historical landmark protects it from demolition or tampering. The notice also outlines an extensive process that must be followed when moving remains.
A city of Dallas spokesperson confirmed to the Observer Thursday afternoon that the city was aware of the notice, but stated that any work being done at the cemetery is above board and planned. The city declined to comment on the notice itself.
“Pioneer Park is currently under a plan to refurbish the steers and rider, fix the drainage and replant. There is no plan to change the site into something different,” the statement said.
Still, this is not the first time that the cemetery’s downtown location has been questioned.
The Dallas City Council approved the construction of a new convention center back in 2022. At the time, the state-of-the-art facility came with a $2 billion price tag. (Four years and two construction delays later, we’re looking at a $3.8 billion total.)
Some council members opposed the plan, in part because of the cost. But the Pioneer Park cemetery was cited as a challenge for the site plan, with council member Cara Mendelsohn stating that “across the nation,” people in the events, convention, and hospitality industries “make fun of Dallas for having a cemetery outside of its convention center.”
On Thursday, Mendelsohn declined to say whether she’s heard of any plans involving the redevelopment of the cemetery, but said she’s asked about the burial site “probably 10 times” during various council meetings, and has never been given “a straight answer.”
Still, the staunch supporter of City Hall said she could be persuaded into endorsing a cemetery relocation, with one major stipulation.
“I could support moving Pioneer Cemetery to Old City Park or combining it into one of the historic cemeteries in the city limits if the agreement included a provision to not abandon [or] relocate City Hall,” Mendelsohn said.
Dallas, TX
Mavericks vs Thunder Game Preview and Injury Update
The Dallas Mavericks play on Thursday afternoon at 3pm on Amazon Prime against the Summer Oklahoma City Thunder. Honestly, I forgot about this game, regular work day and all for me, and I suspect most Mavs fans won’t be catching this one either. But in case you do, here’s a discussion board:
I have no idea who isn’t playing. I hope Morez Johnson does but calf injuries are serious.
The Grizzlies game was fun. Here’s hoping this one is too. How’s that for a game preview. If any of the guys drafted in Dallas plays, then that’s a good thing. We want to see them play basketball.
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