Patrick Eaves Will Be Only Dallas Stars UFA That Re-signs

The Dallas Stars were very active on the news feed Friday morning. With the free agency market just 11 days from opening, GM Jim Nill gave Stars fans a sneak peek of his plan in regards to the current Stars’ free agents.

The Dallas Stars have four unrestricted free agents and two restricted free agents that spent a good majority of the season in the NHL that they will be worrying about. Friday, Nill unloaded information about a good number of them.

For starters, he announced that the team would not be re-signing Ludwig Karlsson, whom the Stars acquired from Ottawa last July as a part of the Jason Spezza deal. He also announced that defenseman Cameron Gaunce would be testing the free agency market. So more than likely, Gaunce will be gone.

Stars 2009 first round draft pick Scott Glennie will also be parting ways with the organization. Glennie has only participated in one NHL-level game since being drafted and is looking for a bigger role.

Nill also talked of the current status of negotiations with the two restricted free agents mentioned above, being Curtis McKenzie and Jamie Oleksiak. He stated that extensions had been offered to both players and that they were simply waiting for a response. He added that if they declined the offer, the Stars would still extend a qualifying offer to them, meaning that they would retain negotiating rights come July 1st.

But when it came to the four unrestricted free agents, the outcome didn’t look too bright. The Dallas Stars will officially be parting ways with veteran center Shawn Horcoff after two dedicated seasons with the club. Horcoff was a talented and hard-working fourth line center who helped the team with developing leadership. Horcoff had expressed his interest to stay since the trade deadline in March, but the sides apparently reached a mutual decision to move on.

Goaltender Jhonas Enroth is insistent on exploring the market, as are the Stars. The fact that Jim Nill wants to “explore the market” makes me almost certain that he already has a plan to permanently fix the goaltending department. So, more than likely Jhonas Enroth will be finding a new home after his short-lived career in Dallas.

That leaves two unrestricted free agents. These two are forward Patrick Eaves and forward Rich Peverley.

Rich Peverley has more or less gone under the radar since making a statement that he was looking to potentially make a comeback around a month ago. With no news about whether or not it is safe for him to play surfacing, Peverley will more than likely be hitting the free agency market, and possibly an early retirement.

So, out of four UFA’s, none are coming back?

Not so fast. In Jim Nill’s interview, he stated that the Stars has officially offered Patrick Eaves a new contract. Eaves has been with the Stars since July 1, 2014 and has made a huge impact on the club as a whole.

Though he only played 47 games last season due to two extensive injuries, Eaves reeled in 27 points and became a threatening addition to any line the Stars needed him on.

“We need to hear from their camp. We’d like to have him back,” Nill said. “We made him a contract offer and if he doesn’t accept that he’ll be looking at free agency. We’d like to bring him back, so we’ll see where that goes.”

Well, it seems that from Nill’s comment that this is a one-time offer. It sounds like there will be no renegotiating and that this is as far as a contract offer will go. But the fact that Jim Nill wants him back is a great thing. Eaves is currently 31 years old and diving into the prime part of his NHL career. It would be a great thing if he would spend his talents as a Dallas Star.

Next: My Conversation With Patrick Eaves On Exit Interview Day

I was able to catch Patrick Eaves on his way out the door during exit interview day for a minute. When asked about the organization as a whole and if he would want to return, he responded with nothing but positive comments.

“I would absolutely want to come back,” Eaves said. “I really enjoy being here with this group of guys and the coaching staff. Just the way Jim [Nill] runs things is pretty special. I’m sure he’ll be in touch or my agent will call him or however that works here and hopefully we’ll get something done. I really enjoy being here.”

If Eaves truly means what he says, then he will make an exceptional addition to a hopefully stacked Dallas Stars 2015-2016 roster. Eaves is a great player on the ice, and an even greater motivator in the locker room. He is loved by his teammates and by the fans, and is one of those players that comes along rarely. Jim Nill definitely made the right move by offering out a contract.

Now we simply wait for Patrick Eaves to respond.

Next: Shawn Horcoff And Scott Glennie Not Returning To Dallas

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