[Dallas Stars News]

Two years into the NHL's salary cap, teams now value long-term security as much as players.
When Calgary Flames star Jarome Iginla signed a five-year, $35 million extension Wednesday, all eight 2007 Western Conference playoff teams have the face of the franchise, or a crucial player, tied up at least three years.

"The grass isn't always greener," said Iginla, who's also making $7 million in the final year of his contract. "We have talked to some guys who have moved, and they say how good one city is, but some say they don't wish they moved. So when you do have a good situation, and you believe what the team is trying to do, I think there is loyalty from players."

Unrestricted free agency is now available for some players at 27, but teams have persuaded their stars to give it up by giving them longer-term deals.

San Jose Sharks star Joe Thornton recently signed through 2011. The Detroit Red Wings gave Pavel Datsyuk a seven-year deal. Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow got a six-year extension. In all cases, the players all took a bit less than they probably could have earned on the open market.

"You have to take care of your best customers — your season ticket holders and sponsors," said Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke, who gave goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere a four-year, $24 million deal. "You don't want to have musical chairs and want your fans to know that key guys are going to stick around."

Some stars aren't leaving for bigger bucks - USATODAY.com

[ThePundit]

It's a hard thing to analyze until you see the product on the ice. The Rangers signed big free agents for years and all they ever had to show was 1 cup in 70 years....

Sometimes the whole is better than the sum of it's parts.