Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill made it clear Thursday that Thomas Harley remains firmly in the club’s plans, even after Harley’s name popped up in summer trade chatter.
Speaking on NHL Network, Nill said he reached out to Harley right away once the rumors started and that the conversation won’t end there. The two are expected to talk again when Harley is back in Dallas.
“That’s where I think it’s important, every relationship. Unfortunately in today’s world, names are going to get out there, right or wrong,” Nill said.
“I feel for the players. We’ve all been there and you don’t like to hear that, and these guys are a big part of your team.”
“So that situation, as soon as that name got out there and there was no trade, I made sure I got hold of Thomas,” Nill continued. “And we walked through it, talked through it.
And when he gets back to Dallas, he will sit down again. But he’s a big part of our team.
I was with him with the Olympic team also. So we have a good relationship.
And you just want to make sure that those situations are taken care of sooner than later.”
Nill and Harley were together on Canada’s Olympic team in February, a connection that adds some familiarity to a situation that could have easily gone sideways. Harley was also part of the same Canadian group at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, where he entered after Shea Theodore was hurt in the tournament opener.
The trade noise traced back to July 1, when ESPN reported that Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski used his full no-movement clause to block a move to Dallas. According to that report, the Stars and Blue Jackets had already reached an agreement in principle earlier that week.
Multiple reports said Harley was the key piece in the deal. Werenski stayed in Columbus, where he won the Norris Trophy last season and led the Blue Jackets in scoring with more than 80 points in each of the past two seasons, ESPN reported.
Harley’s importance to Dallas is hard to miss from the contract the Stars handed him. He signed an eight-year, $84.696 million deal on Oct. 28, 2025, with the contract starting this season and running through 2033-34. The average annual value is $10.587 million, a big jump from the $4 million he made last season.
On the ice, Harley gave Dallas 6 goals, 30 assists and 36 points in 70 games last season, while averaging 23:03 of ice time. He was held without a point in six playoff games against Minnesota and averaged 24:15.
In 2024-25, he produced 16 goals, 34 assists and 50 points in 78 games. Dallas selected him 18th overall in 2019.
The Stars have kept most of their blue line intact around Harley and Miro Heiskanen this offseason. Ilya Lyubushkin was traded to the Nashville Predators on July 1, and Alexander Petrovic signed a two-year deal with the Florida Panthers the same day.
Dallas was listed last month by Pro Hockey Rumors, using PuckPedia figures, at $105,360,333 in cap charges against the $104 million upper limit, leaving the club $1,360,333 over the ceiling.
The Stars finished 50-20-12 for 112 points last season and took second in the Central Division before the Minnesota Wild knocked them out in six games in the first round.
Training camp opens Sept. 17 at Comerica Center in Frisco, and Dallas will begin the regular season Oct. 2 against the St. Louis Blues at American Airlines Center.
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. CT on TNT.
In Other News...
Stars Linked To Risky Scorer As Cap Crunch Complicates Decision
The Stars have been linked to another familiar name on the open market, with winger Patrik Laine reportedly drawing interest as Dallas looks for scoring help while also juggling a tight cap picture. Laines most recent deal with Montreal expired after the 2024-25 season, and his availability has naturally put him on the radar of clubs that can still see a bounce-back case if the fit is right.
Dallas is weighing that kind of upside against the realities of its roster build, with pending free agents and the calendar already moving toward training camp and preseason. The question is whether the Stars can afford to chase a high-risk scorer at all, and if they do, how aggressive they can be before the rest of the offseason plans start to get squeezed. [Read more 🡒]
NHL Trade Demands Just Drew A Blunt Response From MacKenzie Weegar
MacKenzie Weegar had a pretty clear message when the conversation turned to player movement and pressure around Canadian markets. The Utah Mammoth defenseman, who spent time with the Calgary Flames, spoke positively about his years in Canada and said he appreciated the passion that comes with Canadian hockey fans, a perspective Stars followers know well anytime trade chatter starts heating up around the league.
Weegar also drew a line between the perks of different markets and the obligation that comes with any NHL jersey, which made his comments land as more than just a polite nod to his old team. There is always a tension in the league between where players want to be and where they are asked to stay, and Weegars stance left little doubt about how he views those demands, even if he stopped short of turning it into a bigger argument. [Read more 🡒]