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Dallas Stars Free Agent Spotlight And Poll: Jyrki Jokipakka

By Josh Clark |

The Dallas Stars have a total of 18 players on their NHL and AHL rosters that will become some sort of free agent this coming offseason.

With the overstocking of forwards and need for veteran defensemen, it will be interesting to see who Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill re-signs and who he lets go into free agency.

A few days ago, we took a look at the eight players that spent a good majority of their season with the Dallas Stars in the NHL.

Next: Dallas Stars Free Agents: Breaking Down Possibilities

We examined the current situation of each player and the pros and cons of their argument to be re-signed or let go.

So far, we’ve looked at and voted on Jamie Oleksiak and Patrik Nemeth. Here are the results from the polls:

Of the 52 total voters at the time this article was written, 54% said that Jamie Oleksiak should be re-signed and brought back to Dallas. 33% voted that the Stars should sign him back and then use him on the trading block. The last 13% voted that the Stars and Oleksiak should part ways completely.

Of the 63 total voters at the time this article was written, 92% said that the Stars should bring back Patrik Nemeth and keep him around on the Stars blue line. 5% voted that he should be re-signed and used for trading. Lastly, just 3% voted that the two sides should separate and go different directions.

For Oleksiak’s poll, click here. For Nemeth’s poll, click here.

Today, we’ll take a look at RFA defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka:

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.

Jyrki Jokipakka will be the Dallas Stars fourth restricted free agent this coming offseason, in regards to players who spent a majority of their year in Dallas. The Stars basically have the upper hand on Jokipakka since he is an RFA. More than likely, everything will be settled smoothly between the two sides. But anything can happen. Basically, the situation will resolve in one of three possibilities:

1. The Stars send a qualifying offer, Jokipakka says yes or no

If the Stars extend a qualifying offer to Jokipakka based on NHL procedures, he can either accept or deny. Whatever he chooses to do, the Stars will still maintain the negotiating rights. If he accepts, everything is good. Also, if he accepts, the Stars can do anything with him, such as trade him or move him around. If he declines, he can shop in free agency, but will still be restricted from freely signing with a team.

2. No qualifying offer from the Stars

If the Stars do not send him a qualifying offer at all, Jokipakka becomes unrestricted come July 1st and can go anywhere.

3. Jokipakka declines qualifying offer, waits for offer sheet

Jyrki Jokipakka could decline the Stars offer, which would keep him as a restricted free agent. He could go into free agency and wait for an offer sheet from another team. If he accepts the offer sheet, the Stars would have seven days to match the offer. If they did, Jokipakka would be a Star for 2015-2016. If the Stars neglect to negotiate in the time period, Jokipakka would move on to the team with the offer sheet and the Stars would receive draft picks in return.

Now that we’ve examined each one’s argument and current situation, it’s time to let you, the Stars fan, vote on what you think should be done with Jyrki Jokipakka. Feel free to vote below. Apologies to all using the mobile app that doesn’t support our poll yet. We encourage you to get online or find us on social media and vote!

Next: Three Stars Players Who Could Possibly Be Dealt In Offseason

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