Stars sign Duchene, Smith on first day of NHL free agency

The puzzle pieces are getting tighter for the Stars, and Monday was a great example.

Dallas had to move things around quite a bit on the first day of NHL free agency, and that caused some changes in the lineup. But because the salary cap is tight and because the haul of great prospects have moved into higher contract numbers, it’s just the price of doing business.

In the past week, the Stars have bought out Ryan Suter (saving $2.4 million in cap space, but still getting nothing for the money they are giving him), traded Chris Tanev to Toronto because they weren’t willing to go to six years on an extension for the 34-year-old defenseman, and allowed Matt Duchene, Nils Lundkvist and Sam Steel to briefly test free agency, all so they could sign more team-friendly deals.

“You’re trying to fill in the right holes, but the cap comes into play,” said Stars GM Jim Nill. “You go from the player who is the right fit, to how can we make this fit for the team. You have to make those numbers add up and we’re getting tight.”

Dallas added defensemen Matt Dumba (two years at $3.75 million), Ilya Lyubushkin (three years at $3.25 million) and Brendan Smith (one year at $1 million), as well as goalie Casey DeSmith (three years at $1 million). Duchene returns on a one-year deal for $3 million, Steel gets a raise on a one-year deal to $1.2 million, and Lundkvist gets a one-year deal at $1.25 million.

That restructures the team’s defense, as Dumba is a candidate to play beside Esa Lindell, and Lyubushkin and Smith could alternate with Lundkvist and rookie Lian Bichsel on the third pair.

Lyubushkin, 30, is a defensive defenseman who doesn’t produce a ton of points, but plays physical. Listed at 6-2, 200, the native of Moscow has 47 career points (5-42—47) and 187 penalty minutes in 353 career games with Arizona, Toronto, Buffalo, and Anaheim. He had four assists in 55 games with Anaheim last season and then added another four assists in 19 games after a trade to Toronto.

“He’s a physical presence defenseman,” Nill said. “We think he probably replaces the role of Jani Hakanpää. The right-handed shot is important, and he’s very competitive, a good penalty killer.”

Dumba will likely get similar assignments to Tanev. The 29-year-old is listed at 6-0, 181 and has played 674 games for the Wild, the Coyotes and the Lightning. He was among the leader in hits and blocked shots for the Wild in his 598 games there. He also had a big hit that knocked Joe Pavelski out of the playoffs in 2023, and Stars fans might hold that against him.

“He plays hard,” Nill said. “We know him well. We’ve gone against him in Minnesota. Our fans probably don’t like him because of what happened in the playoffs, but that’s why you want him. The guys you don’t like in that moment are the guys you want on your team. He’s a good skater with good skills.”

Dumba has averaged 20:37 in ice time and is considered a top four defenseman.

Smith is a 36-year-old veteran who has played 694 games. He was drafted by Nill and Detroit in 2007 and started his career there while Nill was assistant GM. He’s listed at 6-2, 200 and played 63 games with New Jersey last season.

“He’s a veteran presence,” Nill said. “He plays hard, he’s very versatile. He can play either side on defense and can actually play forward, as well. He has an element of physicality.”

The Stars were hoping to get Scott Wedgewood back but had to make a decision when the veteran asked for a raise. Wedgewood went to Nashville and signed a two-year contract that averages $1.5 million. DeSmith signed a three-year deal that averages $1 million. DeSmith, 32, has a 71-54-21 career record with a 2.81 GAA and .909 save percentage. He was 12-9-6 with Vancouver last season with a 2.85 GAA and .960 save percentage.

“He’s an NHL goalie,” Nill said. “We think he’s the right fit and the right contract.”

The Stars could have loved to have kept Wedgewood, who had become a big part of the dressing room.

“Scott was great for us. We went to him and offered a contract we thought would work, but he was hoping for a little more,” Nill said. “He was able to find it. That’s when we had to make a decision.”

Duchene might be the biggest signing of the day. The 33-year-old has 809 points (341 goals, 468 assists) in 1,056 career games. He signed a one-year deal with the Stars last season for $3 million and tallied 65 points (25 goals, 40 assists) in 80 games. While he earned a raise, the Stars couldn’t offer anything more, and Duchene decided to take the same deal.

“Matt has bought into the program,” Nill said. “He was willing to agree to what we had. He wants to win.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.