Fansided

Dallas Stars Free Agent Spotlight And Poll: Shawn Horcoff

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, Patrik Nemeth, Jyrki Jokipakka, Curtis McKenzie, and Rich Peverley. To vote on their polls and see what Stars fans think, go back to the Blackout Dallas home page and search for each of their names.

Today we’ll look at the next UFA on the list, Shawn Horcoff:

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 need to take a pay cut, considering his contract he brought from Edmonton had a cap hit of $5,500,000.

Next: Dallas Stars Overstocking On Forwards Could Present A Problem

Shawn Horcoff will be one of the Dallas Stars’ four unrestricted free agents in the upcoming offseason. The scenarios are similar to that of an RFA, except here the UFA has complete control of where he wants to go, so long as he receives a contract from said destination. Basically, three things could potentially go down:

1. The Stars offer Horcoff a new contract and he agrees or disagrees

The Stars could extend Peverley a decent-sized contract and he could return to Dallas for a few more seasons. Sure it wouldn’t be as big as his previous contract, but if Horcoff is happy in Dallas, he’ll more than likely accept based on his current situation. If he’s not, he’ll decline the offer and move onto the free agency pool on July 1st.

2. The Stars re-sign him and use him for trade

This isn’t a likely scenario when it comes to unrestricted free agents, but could still happen. Although there is a chance, trading Horcoff away may prove to be difficult. But anything can happen.

3. The Stars leave Horcoff to become a UFA on July 1st

The Dallas Stars could leave Horcoff out of their offseason plan and let him find a new team. It would open up space for the Stars to bring in another young forward from the AHL or go out and sign another top-grade center.

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 Shawn Horcoff. 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: What Should The Dallas Stars Do With UFA Rich Peverley?

More from Blackout Dallas

Home / Dallas Stars News