Hockey Terminal
Be a GM

← All players

Photo of Esa Lindell

Esa Lindell

#23 · Defence · Dallas Stars

Born May 23, 1994 in Vantaa, FIN (age 32) · 6'3", 217 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 74th overall in 2012 by DAL (round 3)

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2024-25. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Dante Fabbro CBJ · 26 P in 68 GP Jaccob Slavin CAR · 27 P in 80 GP Alexandre Carrier MTL · 25 P in 79 GP Martin Fehérváry WSH · 25 P in 81 GP Brett Kulak EDM · 25 P in 82 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

01020302015-16: 0 points015-162016-17: 18 points1816-172017-18: 27 points2717-182018-19: 32 points3218-192019-20: 23 points2319-202020-21: 16 points1620-212021-22: 25 points2521-222022-23: 24 points2422-232023-24: 26 points2623-242024-25: 26 points2624-252025-26: 32 points3225-262026-27: 0 points026-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2015-16 DAL 4 0 0 0 -3 0 2 4 0.00 $746K
2016-17 DAL 73 6 12 18 8 22 99 93 0.25 $746K
2017-18 DAL 80 7 20 27 19 24 137 92 0.34 $2.2M
2018-19 DAL 82 11 21 32 14 33 132 143 0.39 $2.2M
2019-20 DAL 69 3 20 23 5 12 98 89 0.33 $5.8M
2020-21 DAL 56 5 11 16 11 19 100 114 0.29 $5.8M
2021-22 DAL 76 4 21 25 4 12 136 111 0.33 $5.8M
2022-23 DAL 82 8 16 24 29 10 116 87 0.29 $5.8M
2023-24 DAL 82 5 21 26 17 12 114 74 0.32 $5.8M
2024-25 DAL 80 5 21 26 34 14 99 50 0.33 $5.8M
2025-26 DAL 82 6 26 32 30 20 83 30 0.39 $5.25M
2026-27 DAL 5 0 0 0 4 2 2 3 0.00 $5.25M
12 seasons Career 771 60 189 249 172 180 1118 890 0.32

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2018-19 DAL 13 1 3 4 4 4 15 29 0.31
2019-20 DAL 24 1 7 8 -7 0 33 73 0.33
2021-22 DAL 7 0 2 2 0 0 17 6 0.29
2022-23 DAL 19 0 3 3 -10 8 28 16 0.16
2023-24 DAL 19 3 2 5 2 4 23 27 0.26
2024-25 DAL 18 1 1 2 -3 4 18 13 0.11
2025-26 DAL 6 0 1 1 -7 6 9 2 0.17
7 seasons Playoffs 106 6 19 25 -21 26 143 166 0.24

2024-25 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
80 5 21 26 34 14 99 50 0.33 5.1 22:11

Contract

$5.8MCap hitends in 2025, then extended to 2030
$223KCap dollars per point26 points in 80 games
$884KCap dollars per goal above replacement6.6 goals above replacement
$5.9MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$64KValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 698 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Dallas Stars on May 16, 2019, as an extension of the contract he was on: 6 years and $34.8M, beginning in 2019-20. It runs through 2024-25, so this is its last season, and his extension takes over. His next contract is already signed: an extension with the Dallas Stars on Sep 17, 2024, 5 years and $26.25M at $5.25M a season, beginning in 2025-26.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2019-20 $5.8M $6M $1M $7M
2020-21 $5.8M $4.8M $0 $4.8M
2021-22 $5.8M $5M $2M $7M NMC
2022-23 $5.8M $5M $1M $6M NMC
2023-24 $5.8M $5M $0 $5M NMC
2024-25 $5.8M $5M $0 $5M NMC

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Sep 17, 2024 Dallas Stars Extension not begun 2025-26 to 2029-30 5 $26.25M $5.25M
May 16, 2019 Dallas Stars Extension 2019-20 to 2024-25 6 $34.8M $5.8M
Jun 26, 2017 Dallas Stars Extension 2017-18 to 2018-19 2 $4.4M $2.2M
May 26, 2014 Dallas Stars Entry-level 2014-15 to 2016-17 3 $2.775M $746K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2024-25 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2024-25 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+6.6Goals above replacement144th of 698 skaters, 42nd of 242 defencemen
+1.1Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+0.7Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 242 ranked defencemen: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence-1.8 36th percentileEven-strength defence+1.4 70th percentilePower play-0.1 55th percentilePenalty kill+0.5 88th percentilePenalties+0.6 95th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among defencemen. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance.

-50510152015-162017-182019-202021-222023-242025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

45.8Corsi for %1258 attempts for, 1489 against
-5.8CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
50.7Expected goals for %61.1 expected for, 59.5 against
+0.1xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.3Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
59.5Goals for %66 for, 45 against
104.4PDO10.8% shooting + 93.6% saves
199Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 598 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Cody Ceci · Esa Lindell28348:5340.544.719-12
Esa Lindell · Nils Lundkvist38330:3148.650.510-7
Esa Lindell · Miro Heiskanen45221:5945.853.712-12
Esa Lindell · Ilya Lyubushkin62215:2443.150.06-8

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net.

4Goalsnot counting empty-netters
5.6Expected goalsfrom 144 unblocked attempts
-1.6Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.19 expected goals per 60 minutes58th
Shot quality 3.9% chance per attempt82nd
Finishing -1.6 goals above expected19thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 244 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

024Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Expected 5.6Goals 4

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 16, 2025 @ NSH L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 18:53
Apr 10, 2025 vs WPG L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 22:13
Apr 8, 2025 vs VAN L 5-6 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 25:34
Apr 6, 2025 @ MIN L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 23:33
Apr 5, 2025 vs PIT L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 21:27
Apr 3, 2025 vs NSH W 5-1 0 0 0 2 0 3 2 23:12
Mar 31, 2025 @ SEA W 3-1 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 21:35
Mar 29, 2025 @ SEA W 5-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 18:36
Mar 27, 2025 @ CGY W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 22:54
Mar 26, 2025 @ EDM W 4-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 24:41
Mar 24, 2025 vs MIN W 3-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 24:36
Mar 22, 2025 vs PHI W 3-2 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 21:41
Mar 20, 2025 vs TBL L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 22:44
Mar 18, 2025 vs ANA W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 25:06
Mar 16, 2025 @ COL L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 22:46
Mar 14, 2025 @ WPG L 1-4 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 20:29
Mar 9, 2025 @ VAN W 4-1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 20:31
Mar 8, 2025 @ EDM L 4-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 21:12
Mar 6, 2025 vs CGY W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 25:33
Mar 4, 2025 vs NJD W 4-3 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 21:25
Mar 2, 2025 vs STL W 6-3 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 25:24
Feb 28, 2025 vs LAK W 6-2 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 23:30
Feb 25, 2025 @ CBJ L 4-6 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 19:27
Feb 23, 2025 @ NYI W 4-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 25:29
Feb 22, 2025 @ NJD W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 22:13
Feb 8, 2025 @ SJS W 8-3 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 22:27
Feb 7, 2025 @ LAK L 4-5 (SO) 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 24:39
Feb 4, 2025 @ ANA L 1-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 25:44
Feb 2, 2025 vs CBJ W 5-3 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 23:51
Jan 31, 2025 vs VAN W 5-3 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 26:03
Jan 28, 2025 @ VGK W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 20:44
Jan 25, 2025 @ STL W 2-0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 20:13
Jan 24, 2025 vs VGK W 4-3 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 20:33
Jan 21, 2025 vs CAR L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 23:38
Jan 19, 2025 vs DET W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 23:55
Jan 18, 2025 @ COL L 3-6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 21:41
Jan 16, 2025 vs MTL L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 21:29
Jan 14, 2025 @ TOR W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 20:56
Jan 12, 2025 @ OTT L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 19:22
Jan 11, 2025 @ MTL W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 23:26
Jan 9, 2025 @ PHI W 4-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 20:29
Jan 7, 2025 @ NYR W 5-4 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 25:32
Jan 4, 2025 vs UTA W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 22:15
Jan 2, 2025 vs OTT W 4-2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 21:32
Dec 31, 2024 vs BUF W 4-2 1 0 1 2 0 3 0 22:00
Dec 29, 2024 @ CHI W 5-1 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 17:23
Dec 27, 2024 vs MIN L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 22:11
Dec 23, 2024 @ UTA W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 21:43
Dec 20, 2024 vs NYR L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 15:38
Dec 18, 2024 vs TOR L 3-5 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 20:38
Dec 16, 2024 vs WSH W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 30:37
Dec 14, 2024 vs STL W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 2 1 23:54
Dec 12, 2024 vs NSH L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 2 17:40
Dec 8, 2024 vs CGY W 6-2 0 1 1 3 0 1 0 19:50
Dec 6, 2024 @ VGK L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 21:34
Dec 4, 2024 @ LAK L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 4 1 20:57
Dec 2, 2024 @ UTA W 2-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 23:06
Dec 1, 2024 vs WPG W 3-1 0 1 1 1 0 4 1 22:36
Nov 29, 2024 vs COL W 5-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 27:15
Nov 27, 2024 @ CHI L 2-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 18:06
Nov 25, 2024 @ CAR L 4-6 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 20:57
Nov 23, 2024 @ TBL W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 25:49
Nov 20, 2024 vs SJS W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 23:39
Nov 18, 2024 vs ANA L 2-4 1 0 1 -1 0 1 1 21:41
Nov 16, 2024 @ MIN W 2-1 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 26:20
Nov 14, 2024 vs BOS W 7-2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 22:44
Nov 11, 2024 @ PIT W 7-1 0 2 2 4 0 1 0 21:17
Nov 9, 2024 @ WPG L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 21:01
Nov 7, 2024 vs CHI W 3-1 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 20:54
Nov 2, 2024 @ FLA L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 2 2 0 20:44
Nov 1, 2024 vs FLA L 4-6 1 1 2 0 0 3 1 21:46
Oct 26, 2024 vs CHI W 4-2 0 1 1 -1 2 1 1 17:57
Oct 24, 2024 @ BOS W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 20:15
Oct 22, 2024 @ BUF L 2-4 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 15:39
Oct 19, 2024 vs EDM W 4-1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 25:09
Oct 17, 2024 @ WSH L 2-3 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 19:15
Oct 15, 2024 vs SJS W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 23:22
Oct 13, 2024 vs SEA W 2-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 21:23
Oct 12, 2024 vs NYI W 3-0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 24:29
Oct 10, 2024 @ NSH W 4-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 21:45