"Alex Goligoski said Monday that the biggest thrill he received from signing a four-year contract extension for $18.4 million ($4.6 million a season) was the fact that the Stars see him as an important part of the leadership group going forward.

"That's a role I've always kind of wanted and liked," said Goligoski, 26, who was acquired from Pittsburgh in a trade last February for James Neal and Matt Niskanen. "I definitely think right now I'm at a point where that's a role I can take on, and I look forward to evolving that part of my game.""