DALLAS — Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen signed an eight-year contract extension on Saturday morning worth $8.45 million annually, making him the sixth-highest paid defenseman in the league. The $67.6 million total value makes Heiskanen’s contract the third-biggest in Stars franchise history, and the largest by a Finnish player in NHL history.
On the Stars, only Tyler Seguin ($9.85 million) and Jamie Benn ($9.5 million) will be paid more than Heiskanen. Heiskanen, who turns 22 on Sunday, has a full no-move clause included on the final four years of his deal, the only years he is eligible for one.
The contract represents a massive deal for the Stars, who now have a franchise cornerstone under contract through the 2028-29 season, longer than anyone else on the Dallas roster. Heiskanen’s contract will expire when he is 29 years old, potentially setting him up for another lucrative contract.
Heiskanen was the No. 3 pick in 2017 and burst on to the scene as an immediate difference-maker in 2018-19. He was masterful during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, posting 26 points in 27 games, garnering Conn Smythe consideration should the Stars have won the Cup. Last year, he had 27 points in 55 games while averaging 24:58 of ice time.
Heiskanen would have become a restricted free agent on July 28 when his entry-level contract expired, and entering the summer, it looked as if a three-year bridge contract would make the most sense for both sides.
The Stars would get a cheaper cap hit since RFA years are cheaper than UFA years, allowing them flexibility to add pieces this summer. Heiskanen would get a chance at his third contract once the salary cap starts going up, and would have the chance to capitalize once Benn’s money comes off the books.
But Heiskanen preferred the maximum eight-year term. So the Stars gave up term, and Heiskanen forfeited potential future earnings.
For example, if Heiskanen signed a three-year contract worth $6.5 million annually, and then followed it with an eight-year contract worth $10 million annually, the AAV across the 11 years would be north of $9 million. Instead, both sides landed at an AAV of $8.45 million for the next eight seasons.
Heiskanen’s deal limits the Stars’ ability to add impact free agents this summer, as the Stars would have minimal money to spend should they spend around $4 million on a top-four defenseman, potentially Jamie Oleksiak.
The contract now places more expectations on Heiskanen, who is used to them since he was the Stars’ highest draft pick since Mike Modano. Heiskanen’s defensive game is sound and subtle, relying on his skating and stick to break up plays. But his offensive game is unrefined and has to progress for his contract to be worth it across the life of it.
Heiskanen has averaged 38 points per 82 games during his career, peaking at 42.2 points per 82 games during 2019-20. All five higher-paid defensemen produce at a higher clip in their careers than Heiskanen: Alex Pietrangelo (48.5 points per 82 games), P.K. Subban (48.2), Roman Josi (53.8), Drew Doughty (45.1) and Erik Karlsson (65.0).
Heiskanen’s contract will set the market for other RFA defensemen this summer, notably Colorado’s Cale Makar, Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin. Heiskanen is only the fourth defensemen younger than 24 years old to sign for eight years, joining Doughty, Aaron Ekblad and Thomas Chabot (who is also represented by Heiskanen’s agent, Ian Pulver).
