Dallas Stars Sign D Aaron Rome To Three-Year, $4.5 million Deal

Darren Dreger is reporting this evening that the Dallas Stars have agreed to terms with former Vancouver Canuck defenseman Aaron Rome on a three-year deal worth a total of $4.5 million - An average of $1.5 million per season.

"Aaron is a physical defensive defenseman who adds size and grit to our blue line," said Nieuwendyk. "He competes at a very high level and helps make our team harder to play against. We're very pleased to add Aaron to our team for the next three years."

Rome is 28 years old, 6-1 225 lbs. He broke into the league briefly with the Blue Jackets in 2007-2008 after the 2008-2009 season and became a UFA having played just 25 total NHL games. He signed with the Vancouver Canucks in 2009 for one year and played most of the season in the AHL. He then was re-signed for two seasons and saw spotty duty with the Canucks in the last two seasons, playing just 99 games and scoring 15 points with a -3 rating.

Rome played just 43 games last year after dealing with thumb, knee and hand injuries. He famously hit Nathan Horton in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, and was awarded a four game suspension.

This signing comes just minutes after GM Joe Nieuwendyk told media "We're going to try and incorporate Brenden Dillon and get him going. We have some young guys that are coming into our lineup. A guy like Ray Whitney is really going to help those guys."

The Stars now have Stephane Robidas, Trevor Daley, Alex Goligoski, Philip Larsen, Aaron Rome, Mark Fistric, Adam Pardy, and Brenden Dillon on defense signed (or will be signed as RFA) for next season.

Rome projects to be a third pairing guy at most, with slightly better metrics than Mark Fistric and Adam Pardy, or possibly a number-seven defenseman.

The question as this news comes down is - Is Dillon going to be given a role next year as was just indicated, or not? Or is someone getting moved/waived? Will Adam Pardy get bought out, or will Mark Fistric's qualifying offer not be the end of that story?

The official release from the Dallas Stars...

Frisco, TX - Dallas Stars General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk announced today that the club has signed defenseman Aaron Rome to a three-year, $4.5 million contact ($1.5 million per season). Rome, 28, has played the last three seasons for the Vancouver Canucks.

"Aaron is a physical defensive defenseman who adds size and grit to our blue line," said Nieuwendyk. "He competes at a very high level and helps make our team harder to play against. We're very pleased to add Aaron to our team for the next three years."

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound blue-liner appeared in 43 games for Vancouver last season, collecting four goals and six assists for 10 points, all NHL career highs.

A native of Nesbitt, Manitoba, Rome has appeared in 174 career NHL games with Anaheim, Columbus and Vancouver, recording six goals and 16 assists for 22 points with 156 penalty minutes. He has also skated in 18 Stanley Cup Playoff games (15 of which came with Vancouver the past two seasons), posting a goal and an assist with 37 PIM. He appeared in one playoff game for Anaheim during the Ducks' 2007 Stanley Cup championship run.

Originally selected by Los Angeles in the fourth round (No. 104 overall) in the 2002 NHL Draft, Rome played in 304 Western Hockey League games from 1998-2004, with Saskatoon, Kootenay, Swift Current and Moose Jaw. In the WHL, he earned 155 points (31 goals, 124 assists) and 646 penalty minutes. He was named to the WHL East Second All-Star Team in 2004.