Shine On: Tyler Seguin Signed $78.8 Million Extension

by
Former Writers
September 15, 2018

Everyone can finally breathe. Tyler Seguin signed an eight-year contract extension this afternoon, which carries a $9.85 million average annual value. One year remains on his current contract and, according to TSN’s Elliotte Friedman, a full no-movement clause goes into effect now. Contract negotiations picked up after Seguin recently voiced his displeasure that the two parties hadn’t reached an agreement yet. It was all a matter of numbers because Seguin knew what he wanted.

“At the end of the day, I knew where I wanted to be. I knew where home was. That was here in Dallas.”

While still a large paycheck for the high-scoring center, the Stars can rest easy knowing they were able to sign him for a value. The bar was set high following John Tavares signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in the offseason. Seguin was expected to sign for something similar, but the location provided an added bonus. Texas does not have state income tax, so there will be more take-home pay.

pic.twitter.com/bTvJuadtMt

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) September 13, 2018

Dallas had the cleverest contract announcement that the NHL has seen to date. In an homage to the Super Mario Bros. games, an 8-bit Seguin fought his way through to his new contract.

Stanley Cup Set-Up

With Seguin’s contract in place, the Stars have their future in focus. The core of Seguin, Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov, John Klingberg and Ben Bishop will be around for a minimum of four more years. Dallas can now build around these five players to fill in the gaps that are preventing them from making a deep playoff run.

Seguin hit a career-high of 40 goals during the 2017-18 season and he’s expected to continue on this track. At 26, he is entering the prime of his career and the Stars are going to cash in on that. Seguin ranks second in goal leaders since the 2013-14 season, only behind Alexander Ovechkin.

Even if he doesn’t break into the 40’s on a regular basis, an average within the mid-30’s will be good enough for Dallas right now. The team is missing strong centers aside from Seguin, but due to their scoring leaders, that lack of depth can be overlooked for the moment.