The Dallas Stars are nearing a deal to lock in another key member of the franchise’s core moving forward.
The Stars are finalizing talks with defenseman Thomas Harley on an eight-year deal worth in the ballpark of $10.5 million annually, according to multiple media reports Tuesday. The contract would keep Harley in Dallas through the 2031-32 season.
Harley is currently in the second year of a two-year bridge contract he signed ahead of the 2024-25 season worth $4 million annually, but as one of the rising stars at his position, he’s due for a significant raise.
The Stars drafted the defenseman in the first round of the 2019 NHL draft and have developed him in their system since. So far in his fifth season in Dallas, he’s recorded eight points (one goal and seven assists) in nine games.
Harley became one of the Stars’ top defensemen last season when he recorded 50 points in 78 games and averaged over 23 minutes of ice time. Following an injury to Miro Heiskanen, Harley stepped into a larger role and caught the attention of the league when he was a late addition to Team Canada in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Harley’s rise to becoming one of Dallas’ top defensemen came after a winding journey where he was sent down to the AHL for most of the 2022-23 season to develop his defensive game. Harley has always had strong offensive instincts — but has returned to Dallas a far more skilled defensive player.
The Stars saw that and wanted to lock him down long-term. But with the hefty $96 million deal they gave Mikko Rantanen last season and Jason Robertson’s ongoing contract negotiations, it wouldn’t be easy.
Nevertheless, Harley was a top priority — and Dallas appears to be paying up accordingly.
The deal would make Harley the second-highest paid player on the Stars, trailing only Rantanen. The two players share an agent. He would be the highest-paid defenseman, passing Heiskanen’s $8.45 million AAV, which extends through the 2028-29 season.
It would put Harley at the fourth-highest AAV among defensemen in the league, trailing only Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson ($11.5 million), Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin ($11 million) and Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty ($11 million).
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