Aaron Rome heads south, signs 3-year deal with Dallas Stars

Unlike Sami Salo, there wasn't a chance Aaron Rome returned with the Vancouver Canucks next season, failing to offer him a contract before July 1.

Just like Sami Salo, Rome has moved on, signing a 3-year deal with the Dallas Stars for $4.5 million — a $1.5 million cap hit.

From the Stars:

Rome, 28, has played the last three seasons for the Vancouver Canucks. "Aaron is a physical defensive defenseman who adds size and grit to our blue line," said Nieuwendyk. "He competes at a very high level and helps make our team harder to play against. We're very pleased to add Aaron to our team for the next three years."

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound blue-liner appeared in 43 games for Vancouver last season, collecting four goals and six assists for 10 points, all NHL career highs.

As Defending Big D notes, the Dallas Stars blue line is getting a little crowded:

The Stars now have Stephane Robidas, Trevor Daley, Alex Goligoski, Philip Larsen, Aaron Rome, Mark Fistric, Adam Pardy, and Brenden Dillon on defense signed (or will be signed as RFA) for next season.  So the question is as this news comes down is - Is Dillon going to be given a role next year as was just indicated, or not? Or is someone getting moved/waived?

Dillon's a 21-year-old D-man that Stars play-by-play announcer Ralph Strangis said looked "ready" when he watched him back in April. But hey, a collection of NHL-ready defensemen is a good problem to have, and $1.5 million for Aaron Rome isn't a bad investment.