The Dallas Stars and forward Antoine Roussel have avoided going to arbitration and have agreed to a new four-year contract.
The deal will reportedly be worth $8 million according to TVA hockey insider Renaud Lavoie.
#stars Antoine Roussel contract. 4 years / 8M$ total. #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) July 22, 2014
Renaud and the Stars were supposed go to arbitration on Tuesday, according to CBS Sports.
Originally, Roussel requested a $2.35 million contract per year. The Stars only want to give him a $1.15 million contract.
The Stars released a statement announcing the contract and saying the Roussel brings energy to the team.
“Since coming into the NHL, Antoine has been a very effective and hard player for opposing teams to compete against,” general manager Jim Nill said. “His skill combined with his competitive grit create energy for our club that impacts our whole lineup.”
Last season, Roussel scored 14 goals and had 29 total points, but he is not considered to be a scorer. Instead, he is the agitator and team’s fighter. Last season he took 56 penalties with 209 total penalty minutes.