Quiet assassin: How Lindell makes the Stars better

Esa Lindell is a quiet assassin for the Stars.

One of the team’s leading minutes players and the godfather of the Finnish Mafia, the soft-spoken defenseman has immense respect from his coaches and peers. So it wasn’t that much of a surprise when the team signed the 30-year-old Lindell to a five-year contract extension this week that will average $5.25 million per season.

“Any time you can get ahead of free agency, it’s comfort for the player and Esa is much like Jamie Benn; he’s a Dallas Star for life,” said Stars GM Jim Nill.

That’s a bold statement, but it says a lot about Lindell. Drafted in the third round in 2012, Lindell has played 604 games over eight seasons with the Stars and earned not only an “A” as an alternate captain, but also a place in franchise history.

“He’s a core guy,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “All you have to do is be behind the scenes for a week to see what a core guy he is for us . . . around the dressing room, on the ice. He was drafted and developed here. Those are the guys you want to play as long as they can for the organization, because they carry the message and the identity of what we want to do here.”

Lindell is rarely going to be the first star of the game. He had five goals among 26 points in 82 games last season, but he’s a huge reason the team ranks third in goals against (2.75) in his tenure and is one of the best penalty killing teams in the league. Lindell led the NHL in shorthanded time on ice last season, and, in fact, leads the league in that category since 2016.

“The things he does defensively, that’s one of the reasons he’s always one of the first players named to Team Finland,” said Nill. “He just does things that help you win hockey games.”

And winning hockey games is a big reason why Lindell wanted to sign the long-term agreement.

“I feel it shows how I felt and how they felt,” Lindell said. “For myself, it was the first choice to want to stay here. I’m very happy to get it done. The sooner the better. I wasn’t going to stress about it, but we got it done before camp even started, so that’s good.”

Lindell could have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but Nill said it was clear this needed to get done.

“He’s been a big part of our team for a long time,” Nill said. “He’s a guy who plays hard, who plays the right way. So, when you sit down with a player like that and his representative, you know you’re going to find a way to get it done. It’s not all about the most money you can make, it’s about respect me, pay me the right amount, because he wants to stay here.”

Lindell’s leadership is an important part of his impact. He has been paired with several defensemen in his career and this year will likely draw a spot beside youngster Nils Lundkvist. Lindell is a veteran defensive defenseman, Lundkvist is a skilled player who has battled to find the right spot on the Stars. That seems like a good fit. Lindell also played beside skilled defenseman John Klingberg early in his career and said Lundkvist plays a similar game.

“Nils skates so well, and I see similarities to Klinger, so I’m excited to start working out with him now,” Lindell said.

When told his coach and GM praised his leadership skills, Lindell said, “It’s nice to hear those words. I feel I have to be maybe more vocal, but I feel how I play, how I work out, I lead by example.”

And that’s a big part of what makes him a silent assassin.

“You like to get those guys off the market, get them comfortable, know they’re here and help them to lead the team,” Nill said.

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.