Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today the club has bought out the final year of goaltender Antti Niemi's contract. Niemi had one year remaining at $4.5-million on his three-year contract with Dallas. As per the terms of a buyout, two-thirds of his salary will be spread out over the next two seasons with an annual salary cap hit of $1.5-million per year.

Niemi, 33, posted a 12-12-4 record with a 3.30 goals against average and an .892 save percentage for the Stars in 2016-17. Over two seasons with Dallas, he recorded a record of 37-25-11 with a 2.92 goals against average, a .900 save percentage and three shutouts.

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has acquired defenseman Marc Methot from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for goaltender Dylan Ferguson and a second-round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft.

During the 2016-17 campaign, Methot recorded 12 points (0-12=12) in 68 games for Ottawa and ranked second on the club with 164 hits. He registered four points (2-2=4) in 18 games during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping the Senators reach the Eastern Conference Final. The blueliner recorded 80 hits during the postseason, which was tied for the second-most by any player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was acquired by Vegas in the expansion draft held on June 21.

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has issued qualifying offers for the following players, thus retaining their negotiating rights:

PLAYER - POSITION
Radek Faksa - C
Patrik Nemeth - D
Jamie Oleksiak - D
Brett Ritchie - RW
Gemel Smith - C
Matej Stransky - RW

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has signed defenseman Esa Lindell to a two-year, $4.4-million contract extension.

Lindell, 23, posted 18 points (6-12=18) in 73 games played for Dallas during the 2016-17 regular season, his first full season in the NHL. He finished second on the team by averaging 21:52 of time on ice per game and his +8 plus/minus rating finished third. Additionally, he finished second on the team with 119 blocked shots and tied for fifth with 93 hits.

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has signed forward Mark McNeill to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

McNeill, 24, appeared in one game for Dallas and recorded one shot and one blocked shot. He split the majority of the season between Rockford and Texas of the American Hockey League (AHL). In total, he appeared in 79 AHL regular-season contests and posted 39 points (9-30=39).

CHICAGO, Illinois - Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill and Director of Amateur Scouting Joe McDonnell concluded the 2017 NHL Draft held at United Center by selecting five players on Saturday. Below is a review of all seven of the selections from the two-day draft.

Miro Heiskanen - Defenseman (First Round, Third Overall)

Heiskanen, 17, played for HIFK of the Finnish Elite League in 2016-17, compiling 10 points (5-5=10) in 37 regular-season games, and three points (0-3=3) in eight playoff contests. He also represented Finland at both the 2017 U-20 World Junior Championship and the 2017 U-18 World Junior Championship.

The 6-foot-1, 172-pound native of Espoo, Finland recorded one assist in six games at the U-20 World Junior Championship. At the 2017 U-18 World Championship, he registered twelve points (2-10=12) in seven games as Finland captured the silver medal. Heiskanen earned best defenseman honors and was named to the tournament all-star team after leading all skaters in assists and all defensemen in points.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectdetail.htm?cat=2&dpid=107851&sort=finalRank&year=2017
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=250075

CHICAGO, Illinois - Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill and Director of Amateur Scouting Joe McDonnell selected goaltender Jake Oettinger with the 26th overall selection in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft held at United Center. The Stars acquired the 26th selection from the Chicago Blackhawks for the 29th selection in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft and the 70th overall selection in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft.

Oettinger, 18, completed his freshman season at Boston University in 2016-17 with a 21-11-3 record and four shutouts. His .927 save percentage ranked 10th in the nation and his 2.11 goals against average finished 12th. He was named as a Hockey East Second Team All-Star and was also named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team. He also earned a gold medal representing the United States at the 2017 World Junior Championship. 

CHICAGO, Illinois - Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill and Director of Amateur Scouting Joe McDonnell selected defenseman Miro Heiskanen with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft held at United Center.     

Heiskanen, 17, played for HIFK of the Finnish Elite League in 2016-17, compiling 10 points (5-5=10) in 37 regular season games, and three points (0-3=3) in eight playoff contests. He also represented Finland at both the 2017 U-20 World Junior Championship and the 2017 U-18 World Junior Championship. 

In the U-20 World Junior Championship, he recorded one assist in six games. At the 2017 U-18 World Championship, he registered twelve points (2-10=12) in seven games as Finland captured the silver medal. Heiskanen earned best defenseman honors and was named to the tournament all-star team after leading all skaters in assists and all defensemen in points.

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has appointed Rick Wilson and Stu Barnes as Assistant Coaches. The team will also retain Curt Fraser as Assistant Coach. Wilson, Barnes and Fraser officially join newly-appointed Head Coach Ken Hitchcock's staff and will work alongside Goaltending Coach Jeff Reese and Video Coach Kelly Forbes.

"We are very happy to have Rick, Stu and Curt returning to the Stars organization and rounding out Ken's staff," said Nill. "The three have a unique familiarity with the club from the time they spent here, and we're excited for the wealth of knowledge and experience they will add to our coaching staff."

The Dallas Stars will open the 2017-18 National Hockey League regular season at home on Friday, Oct. 6 against the Vegas Golden Knights. The team will then travel to St. Louis to kick off its road schedule on Saturday, Oct. 7 against the St. Louis Blues.

Click here to view the season schedule in calendar form

Click here to view the season schedule in list form

On Friday, Nov. 24 against the Calgary Flames, the Stars will retire the number 26 in honor of former Stars right wing Jere Lehtinen. The three-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's top defensive forward spent his entire 14-season NHL career in Dallas where he recorded 514 points (243-271=514) in 875 career regular-season games. Lehtinen's No. 26 will be the fifth sweater to be retired by the franchise and the third since the team moved to Texas. Lehtinen joins Neal Broten (No. 7), Bill Goldsworthy (No. 8), Mike Modano (No. 9) and Bill Masterton (No. 19) as the only players in franchise history to have their number retired.