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Dallas Stars’ Successes and Failures at Free Agency 2017

By Allison Scott

DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 05: A general view of play between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars in the third period during a preseason game at American Airlines Center on October 5, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 05: A general view of play between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars in the third period during a preseason game at American Airlines Center on October 5, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The Dallas Stars made some splashes in free agency this year and some of their decisions were great, while others left room for improvement.

Free agency in the NHL is a chaotic time where players are moving from team to team and deals are being made left to right. The Dallas Stars participated more in this year’s festivities than they have previously, and they made some tough decisions.

As with anything, there are positives and negatives to the Stars’ approach.

Best: Letting Sharp go

Patrick Sharp became a Star two season ago when the Chicago Blackhawks were having cap space issues – largely because of the $21 million they have devoted to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

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His first season was impressive as he yielded 55 points – 20G, 35A – in 76 games. Last year, however, injuries plagued the winger as he appeared in only 48 games, posting a mere 18 points – 8G, 10A.

Unfortunately for him and the Stars, No. 10’s defensive contributions met an all time low last year as well. Sharp, who was previously a player with a significant number of plus seasons, fell to a plus-minus of minus-22.

While he only signed a one-year, $1 million contract in Chicago, the gamble is still too high of a risk. Sharp’s injuries and inability to be an effective player after them in combination with his age make Dallas passing on him a good move.

Worst: Nemeth’s raise

Patrik Nemeth is by no means a bad defender. But he played less than half of last season and has been on a downward slope since his injury a few seasons back.

Dallas, however, signed him to a one-year, $945,000 contract on Saturday afternoon. Maybe this is under the thought process that Nemeth will not be spending the bulk of the season in the press box with Ken Hitchcock behind the bench. Or maybe it’s just an insurance policy to make sure there are ample defenders at the Stars’ disposal. It could also be to strengthen his trade value.

Whatever the reasoning is, Nemeth scored on a good deal. There’s absolutely no reason a guy who spent more than half the year in a suit being a spectator of his teammates should get a raise or be re-signed for that matter.

If they actually end up having Nemeth play in a decent number of games and give him a better chance to prove his worth, this deal makes sense. Adding $45,000 to his contract just seems bizarre.

Next: Stars Make Surprising Splash, Sign Martin Hanzal

End of the day

Only time will tell with all of the moves the Stars made this July 1. Hopefully Dallas’ decision to let go of Sharp was for the best and his re-sign Nemeth has some hidden meaning behind it.

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