Sam steel will join the Dallas Stars on a one-year contract
Sam Steel is poised to sign a one-year, $1.2 million contract to stay with the Dallas Stars, according to Daily Faceoff source Frank Seravalli.
Steel’s new contract is an improvement above his $850,000 salary hit from 2023–24, although he did not get a qualifying offer from the Ducks on Sunday.
In 77 games during his first campaign with the Stars, Steel finished with nine goals and 24 points. The depth forward had a good season despite his previous high of 28 points, which he had established with Minnesota in 2022–2023. Steel finished the season with the most points of any RFA who did not receive a qualifying offer this year, and he did so at a somewhat higher than league minimum.
Steel, who was selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the 30th overall pick in 2016, has had difficulty making an impact as a scorer in the NHL. Two years before to his NHL debut, in 2016–17, he scored 50 goals and totaled 131 points with the Regina Pats of the WHL. In 2018–19, he had an instant impact, scoring 20 goals and 41 points in the AHL in addition to 11 points in 22 games.
In 65 games in 2019–20, Steel managed just 22 points, indicating some development difficulties. The Ducks decided to let him depart to the open market before the 2022–23 season, which did represent his finest performance to date, after two more challenging seasons.
This summer, the Stars should have little less than $20 million in cap space. After a great season, it will be fascinating to see how much Thomas Harley makes since they extended a qualifying offer to him. Beyond Steel, the squad only has 12 other players under contract, but they want to offer young players like Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven significant roles when they join the team the following season.
