Dallas Stars sign Nicklas Grossman
The Dallas Stars have announced that they have signed defenceman Nicklas Grossman to a two-year deal worth $3.25 million. The signing keeps the restricted free agent from becoming an unrestricted free agent this season.
Grossman was drafted 56th overall by the Stars in the second round of the 2004 National Hockey League entry draft. He joined the Stars organization for the 2005-06 season, spending the campaign with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Stars. He would spend the majority of the following year with Iowa before joining Dallas full time for the 2007-08 season. In his first full season in the NHL Grossman managed two goals and 10 assists for 12 points.
Grossman has established himself primarily as a stay-at-home defender and is not prone to racking-up points at the offensive end. Nevertheless, he has become a reliable defenceman capable of playing tough minutes. His ability to assume a shutdown role while staying out of the box is a blessing for the Stars, as the 25-year-old Swede only collected 32 penalty minutes last season.
The Stars General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk is hoping that Grossman will be able to develop into a top four defender by the end of the year. Sitting fairly thin on the blue line, players such as Grossman, Trevor Daley and Mark Fistric are going to have to play above their pay grade if Dallas hopes to get back to the post season.
Grossman is expected to slot in as the club’s fifth or sixth defenceman, however he will have to work hard to remain in the line-up. Nevertheless, he is likely to see some sort of penalty-killing duty at the very least, and he's proven himself at least able to stay relatively healthy, logging 60+ games each of the past three seasons.
Last season with the Stars Gross man tallied zero goals and seven assists in 71 games, while going a minus-three.
Tags: