"I had a good discussion with him and I know [Coach Dave Tippett] did as well," Arizona general manager John Chayka told the Coyotes website. "We both came away thinking that he's a great person to go along with being a great player, and that he was genuinely interested and seemingly excited about the potential opportunity."
In 82 regular-season games, Goligoski had five goals, 37 points and a plus-21 rating and averaged 23:50 of ice time per game. He had seven points in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"We're excited to showcase our organization and our city and show Alex and his wife our vision for the future and how they can win here and have a great life," Chayka said.
Goligoski spent the previous six seasons with the Stars, who acquired him in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 21, 2011.
"The Dallas Stars would like to thank Alex for all of his contributions to the organization," Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a statement. "A leader both on and off the ice, Alex has played an integral role in the development of our young defensemen into NHL-caliber players. His versatility over the past six seasons has helped shape this team into what it is today and we wish him and his family the best of luck."
In nine seasons with the Penguins and Stars, Goligoski has 55 goals and 277 points in 562 games. He helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2009.
"I think he's the perfect fit for our team with where we're at with our young group of forwards," Chayka said. "They need someone who plays the new age of defense, which is transition to offense and getting the puck up to our forwards and joining the rush and supporting the attack. Those are some of the key variables that we see that he brings to the table. And with a team that over the last few years has not been good in defensive metrics, he's got real history of being strong defensively and good on penalty kill and being used in all situations. He's a very versatile player that our coaching staff would really enjoy."
