According to the Dallas Stars official site, Stars General Manager Jim Nill has signed right wing Denis Gurianov to a two-year contract. The deal will will run through the 2021-22 season and pay the winger $5,100,000 with an average annual value (AAV) of $2,550,000.
When the two-year deal is done, he will still be an RFA, two years from UFA on expiry.
Gurianov, 23, registered 29 points in 64 regular-season games with Dallas this past season. He finished tied for second among NHL rookies and led all Dallas Stars skaters with 20 goals (one more than Jamie Benn’s 19) and he tied for 13th in franchise history for most goals by a rookie.
Interestingly, it’s the exact same deal Jake Virtanen signed for earlier in the day with the Vancouver Canucks (2×2.55M). It’s fair to argue Dallas got the better end of the two deals, even if both could be seen as values over the next two seasons.
Gurianov Broke Out in the Playoffs
Up until the postseason, Gurianov was a middle-six forward who was providing nice offense for the Stars. But, in the playoffs, he found another gear. He had 17 points and 9 goals, second only to Joe Pavelski in the goal-scoring department.
Some of his totals might have been a bit skewed by his four goals in a Game 6 win over Calgary in the first round. Still, if what he showed in the postseason is something the Stars can rely upon, they’ve got a nice top-six forward on their depth chart.
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