The Dallas Stars re-signed defenseman Joel Hanley on the first day of free agency to a two-year deal that carries a roughly $758k average annual value. Hanley is the ideal seventh defenseman as he doesn’t make enough to force his way into the lineup consistently but is a solid depth guy that can come in when injuries inevitably come up. At 32 years old, he’s not going to block any young guy’s development path either.
In the release the team sent out regarding the signing, Stars general manager Jim Nill said about Hanley: “Joel has proven to be a dependable blueliner that can step in whenever he’s called upon,” said Nill. “His work ethic makes him an incredibly valuable member of our group, and we’re pleased to have him here for the next two seasons.”
Colin Miller, who found himself a healthy scratch through much of the playoffs, was traded to the New Jersey Devils for a 2025 fifth round pick. That fixes some of the logjam on the blueline and opens up the likelihood that Nils Lundkvist will see consistent playing time this season after he was acquired via trade last fall.
With these moves, the Stars’ current defense as of the time of publishing looks like this:
Miro Heiskanen – Ryan Suter
Esa Lindell – Nils Lundkvist
Jani Hakanpaa – Thomas Harley
Joel Hanley
More moves are always possible to re-shape the blueline, but for now, this is where they stand.