They acquired him in what was probably the biggest deal on deadline day last year, and now they’ve given him a contract extension worth $18.4 million over the next four years – that works out to $4.6 million per, just to save you the math.
The 26 year old Minnesota native has struggled to show the same form he showed when he came over from Pittsburgh last year, notching five goals and 15 points in his 23 games with the Stars. So far this season he has the exact same offensive numbers, but over 36 games and he’s also a -6. Definitely not the numbers he or anyone else had hoped for.
Goligoski was brought in to give mobility to the Stars inept puck moving back end. Trading away James Neal was huge risk by Joe Nieuwendyk, and many Stars fans still question the move as Neal is currently lighting the lamp in Pittsburgh at a pretty good clip – with 26 goals and 46 points in 48 games. Not to rub that in, but to give my own opinion Goligoski needs to produce more to make that trade seem a little less lopsided. After all, that is what he was brought in to do.
Never the less, the Stars feel confident that Goligoski’s numbers will improve and he can be a true puck moving defenseman and as well as quarterback the powerplay. He’ll now have another four years to prove them right.
What the signing does though is lock up part of the core of this team, and it gives the franchise some much needed stability moving forward.
Goligoski was scheduled to become an RFA this coming summer.
