Thursday, July 2, 2009
Dallas Stars sign defenseman Karlis Skrastins to two-year, $2.75 million contract
Photo not provided by the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars
DALLAS — The Dallas Stars finally dove into the free agent pool Thursday, signing defenseman Karlis Skrastins to a two year, $2.75 million contract that will count just $1.375 million against the salary cap. Skrastins had previously played last season with the Florida Panthers.
Skrastins is a prototypical defensive defenseman, logging big minutes on the ice while scoring very little. The 34 year-old defenseman, the 230th pick in the 1998 NHL draft, has played 679 games in his NHL career for the Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche, and Florida Panthers. Skrastins has scored 27 career goals and 115 points in those 679 games, and is known primarily as a vastly underrated defensive presence.
Last season Skrastins helped a young Florida defense mature to one of the tightest in the Eastern Conference, a role he also played with the Colorado Avalanche to great effect. Skrastins will primarily be a crease-clearer and calming veteran presence for Dallas, which will sport as many as five players under the age of 25 on the back end.
Posted by Todd M.
