Finally, the deal’s done.
On Thursday, the Dallas Stars inked RFA d-man Brenden Dillon to a one-year, $1.25 million deal, ending a contractual impasse that saw Dillon miss the entirety of Dallas’ training camp -- including all six exhibition games.
Earlier this week, things between Dillon and the Stars seemed to have soured when Dillon’s agent, Jarret Bousquet, told the Morning-News the situation was “frustrating and disappointing,” adding that Stars GM Jim Nill had rejected a two-year, $3.8 million offer for the 23-year-old blueliner.
That acrimony is now a thing of the past, however.
With this new deal, Dallas returns one of its biggest defensive contributors to the fold; last year, Dillon scored 17 points in 80 games — which included a career-high six goals — leading all Stars in hits (168) while finishing second in blocked shots (149).
Earlier today, the Stars trimmed their roster to 23 in preparation for opening night (Thursday, Oct. 9, when they’ll take on Chicago.) That included seven defensemen -- Trevor Daley, Alex Goligoski, Sergei Gonchar, Kevin Connauton, Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak and Jordie Benn -- but Gonchar is currently sidelined with a lower-body injury. That should open up a spot for Dillon, assuming he can get up to game shape in a week’s time.