When the Dallas Stars dealt forward James Neal to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Alex Goligoski last February, both teams were using a surplus to fill a need.

While Neal struggled after coming over to the Penguins and is now blossoming, Goligoski has been a steady presence on the Stars' blueline contributing 15 points in 23 games last season and after dealing with a broken thumb and missing 11 games, he's recorded five goals and 10 assists in 36 games this year.

On Monday, the Stars and Goligoski agreed to a four-year extension worth $18.4 million.

From the Stars:

"We're very pleased that we were able to sign Alex to this extension," said Stars owner Tom Gaglardi. "We are committed to building a winner here in Dallas and that starts with re-signing your key players and maintaining a solid foundation for your roster." Added Stars General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk, "Alex Goligoski is one of our core players and we are very pleased to get him under contract during the prime of his career. Alex is a character person and one of the anchors of our blue-line. He's a big part of our hockey club."

The deal keeps the 26-year old Goligoski in Dallas through the 2015-16 season, making him the second-highest paid Star in terms of cap hit, and he joins Trevor Daley as the two Dallas blueliners locked up past 2014-15.

(UPDATE: Via CapGeek, Goligoski's deal includes a limited no-trade clause from the 2013-14 season to 2014-15.)

Now that the Dallas ownership situation is settled and Nieuwendyk has one restricted free agent crossed off his list, he can now set his sights on Jamie Benn, who will be an RFA come July 1.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy