Dallas Stars Free Agents: Breaking Down Possibilities

As the NHL rests just weeks away from crowning a new champion and closing the doors on the 2014-2015 season for good, the Dallas Stars are waiting for free agency to open up.

The main focus from Stars fans this coming offseason is whether or not the Stars need another big offseason or if they should sit back and work with what they have.

Whichever way Jim Nill decides to go, the Dallas Stars’ offseason will still be a jam-packed one.

The Stars will have a total of 18 free agent situations to deal with between their NHL and AHL clubs. Eight of these eighteen players spent a good majority of the season on the Dallas Stars roster. So, it will be interesting to see how Nill responds and who he brings back.

We’ll take a look at the other ten players that spent their time in the minors in a post down the road.

But for now, let’s take a look at each of these eight NHL players and examine their case to be brought back or let go:

Jamie Oleksiak, D (RFA):

Jamie Oleksiak was drafted 14th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Since being a first round pick, the 22 year old defenseman has played just 59 games for the Dallas Stars. He has scored one goal and tallied 10 points in those games, while spending the rest of his time with the Texas Stars of the AHL. In 2014, he helped lead the Texas Stars to the Calder Cup Championship.

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His big frame and physical approach is a positive for a Stars blue line that lacks big, physical enforcers. The fact that his cap hit was $658,606 means the Stars could snag him with a little bit of a raise and sustain aggression in their blue line. But with that comes Oleksiak being hungry for NHL time and could grow weary settling in the AHL much longer.

Patrik Nemeth, D (RFA):

Patrik Nemeth was physically unable to have a productive 2014-2015 NHL season. After being severely injured by a laceration in his arm in just the fifth game of the season, his first full rookie year in the NHL took a major detour. Since debuting late in the 2014 season and carrying his debut into the postseason, Nemeth has only played 35 games for Dallas. He’s tallied just three assists and no goals in that span.

Nemeth, 23, though not as aggressive as Oleksiak, is still a threatening player on the ice. Nemeth was scratched once between his return from injury and the end of the season, and cycled around the Stars defense as they tried to end the year on a high note with extra players. His 2014 cap hit sits at $870,000. The Stars could certainly bring him back around the same salary, unless Nemeth is looking for a bigger raise and more ice time.

Curtis McKenzie, F (RFA):

Curtis McKenzie had an entertaining rookie year with Dallas. After being drafted in the 6th round of the 2009 draft and shining in the minors, McKenzie got his first chance in Dallas on October 18th, the same night Nemeth was injured. He went back and forth between the NHL and AHL over the next few months, but secured a month-and-a-half long stint from mid-February to the end of March.

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McKenzie, 26, ended the year with four goals and one assist in 36 games. He also had 48 penalty minutes, which included six fights. His aggression is useful in the offensive ranks, and he proved how well he works alongside Brett Ritchie and Shawn Horcoff throughout the entire month of March. His cap hit was only $425,268, so he’ll obviously be expecting a good raise and a more consistent presence in the NHL. After all, he’s earned it.

Jyrki Jokipakka, D (RFA):

Jyrki Jokipakka was a bit of a surprise. After being called up out of the blue for his first NHL game in late October, the 23 year old defenseman impressed the Stars coaching staff enough to keep him on. He traded time between the AHL and NHL with Oleksiak for a while, but ended up winning the upper hand and remaining in Dallas until the end of the season.

In 51 games, Jokipakka tallied ten points, all being assists. He stumbled throughout the middle of the season, and so did the majority of the Stars defense, which is never a good mix. He seemed to have finally found his feet towards the season’s end. With a cap hit of $487,454, the Stars could definitely keep him on at a low price. But with no positivity of how the Stars defensive corps will end up, it would be unsure of whether he would end up in the NHL or AHL.

Rich Peverley, F (UFA):

Rich Peverley has not competed in an NHL game since March 10, 2014 when he collapsed on the Stars bench due to a heart malfunction. Before the episode, Peverley had tallied 30 points in 62 games and had helped carry the Stars bottom lines.

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Peverley, 32, is still unsure of whether or not he will return to the NHL, though he made it known a few weeks back that he is aiming for a comeback. His cap hit of $3,250,000 is a bit pricy for a Stars team stacked with hungry offensive talent, but the Stars may be inclined to bring him back for a lower price. Assuming he comes back, the Stars re-signing him would bring nothing but success with it.

Jhonas Enroth, G (UFA):

Jhonas Enroth became a Dallas Star on February 11th, 2015 in a goalie-goalie trade with the Buffalo Sabres. He welcomed the thought of being traded and was excited to join a team on the rise. Enroth finished his year in Dallas with a record of 5-5-0, along with a save percentage of .906 and a goals against average of 2.38. After a slow start, he finished the year on a four game win streak, which included a shutout and a mere 1.25 goals against average.

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Enroth was quoted in an interview that he wouldn’t mind looking in free agency for possibly more playing time. But he quickly lashed back at the source, calling it disappointing that they didn’t post the entire interview, which could be a hopeful sign for Stars fans. If Enroth is out the door, the Stars can shop the extensive free agent goalie market. But if Enroth wants to stay, his services would be a great improvement to the goaltender department longterm. With a cap hit of $403,225, he could be brought back with a substantial raise, and could even take a shot at the starting job.

Patrick Eaves, F (UFA):

Patrick Eaves may have been the most impressive free agent pick up of the 2014 offseason for Dallas. After being shadowed by the Jason Spezza trade on July 1st, Eaves entered the season as a substitute between starter and scratch. He earned his spot on the roster as the season progressed. Eaves found two instances of misfortune by taking a puck to the ankle that ended up sidelining him for six weeks, followed by taking a puck to the face that sat him down for two weeks with a concussion.

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The best part was, each time Eaves came back, he was stronger and more determined than before. Eaves ended the year with 14 goals and 27 points in 47 games. His presence on the power play helped the man advantage get along towards the end of the year. Some are guessing that Eaves is as good as gone, considering the substantial amount of young offensive talent knocking on the door, and that there just isn’t enough room for him. With a cap hit of just $650,000, it seems foolish to not re-sign him this offseason. But we’ll see how it plays out.

Shawn Horcoff, F (UFA):

Shawn Horcoff made it clear that he loved his time in Dallas soon after the trade deadline expired. Horcoff has been a member of the Stars since being traded for in the 2013 offseason. The 13-14 season was not a bountiful one for him, but he found a way to turn it around in the postseason and translate that into the 2014-2015 campaign.

Horcoff, 36, is the oldest of the Stars free agents. In 76 games this season, Horcoff scored 11 goals and tallied 29 points. He expressed his happiness in Dallas on exit interview day, and talked about how he hoped that his play warranted a new contract for next season. But he also noted the overstocking of forwards in Dallas, and that we’ll have to wait and see what happens. Horcoff would most likely need to take a pay cut, considering his contract he brought from Edmonton had a cap hit of $5,500,000.

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Out of these players, there are four restricted free agents and four unrestricted free agents. This means they have leverage with the four younger players.

Overall, the Stars have a lot to work through and will have to be careful about who they bring back and who they let go. We’ll have a poll up later where you can vote on who you think the Stars need to bring back and who you think should be let go. Until then, continue to process the possibilities through your mind.

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