Stars All-Star Seguin signs $78.8M, 8-year extension

FRISCO, TEXAS » Tyler Seguin showed up in Dallas five years ago mired in a Twitter-fed mess and vowing to show fans he could be one of the faces of the only NHL franchise in Texas.

The high-scoring forward has nearly 80 million ways to prove he pulled it off.

The Stars avoided any lingering questions about the future of Seguin by signing the five-time All-Star center to a $78.8 million, eight-year contract extension that goes through the 2026-27 season.

General manager Jim Nill announced the deal Thursday before the Stars flew to Boise, Idaho, for training camp. The team posted a Mario-inspired video on its Twitter account celebrating the news.

Without the extension, Seguin could have become an unrestricted free agent after this season, when he will make $6.5 million to wrap up his current $34.5 million, six-year contract.

“This was a growing-up summer in a way,” the 26-year-old Seguin said, about a month removed from expressing disappointment during a camp in Canada that the deal wasn’t done.

“You don’t find these guys on the Kmart shelf,” Nill said. “He’s an elite player. He’s a center ice man. He’s got a great skill set. And he’s been an elite scorer for a long time.”

Preds: Support Watson, fight domestic violence

NASHVILLE, TENN. » The Nashville Predators started training camp explaining why they’re keeping a player after the NHL suspended forward Austin Watson for the entire preseason and the first 27 games of the regular season for domestic abuse.

Predators president Sean Henry and general manager David Poile made the move sound more like a family affair than a business decision Thursday.

“I think you would do everything you could do just to rehabilitate your child or make the situation whole,” Poile said.

“I’m hoping at the end of the day that maybe this is a blessing, that maybe this is what was meant to be for a lot of reasons and there’s going to be a good outcome for Austin and Jen and their baby. It’s a very difficult situation. It’s a private situation, and we’re the family that’s going to do our best to try to care of this.”

Beards, moustaches now OK for Maple Leafs

TORONTO » The Toronto Maple Leafs will be allowed to show up for work a little scruffier this season.

General manager Kyle Dubas said Thursday that he’s relaxing predecessor Lou Lamoriello’s rule banning beards and moustaches.

“I want the players to be at their best, whatever their individual best may be,” Dubas said as the Maple Leafs gathered for medicals and testing to open training camp. “Part of that is letting them really express themselves in a professional manner and to try and be themselves the best they can . ... ”