The Stars finished an unfamiliar process on Friday.
An arbitrator awarded forward Gemel Smith a one-year, one-way contract worth $720,000 on Friday afternoon, two days after the Stars and Smith held an arbitration hearing. Smith was Dallas' final restricted free agent, completing the team's internal shopping.
Entering the arbitration hearing, Smith asked for a one-year, one-way contract worth $900,000. The Stars countered with a two-way deal that would pay the 24-year-old differently in the NHL and the AHL.
Prior to Smith's case, Dallas had not gone to an arbitration hearing since 2014 with Antoine Roussel. The Stars had not completed the process since 2007 with Antti Miettinen.