Dallas Stars Mailbag: An Intriguing Season Lies Ahead

It’s an interesting and even potentially confusing time for the Dallas Stars right now, and confusion leads to questions. We took the liberty of answering some of the fans’ questions right here, hopefully clearing up some foggy spots. Check it out.

Mail call, mail call! As the offseason rages on and the Dallas Stars continue to play the quiet game, Stars fans are left wondering a lot about how their favorite team is operating.

So obviously there are questions. Yesterday, we put out some posts on Twitter and Facebook to see just how many inquisitive minds were out there. I chose some of the more popular questions and gave them an elaborate, hopefully helpful answer. Check them out below to see if I may have answered a similar question you had.

Question #1: The RA stuff confuses me. [Jamie] Oleksiak chose not to go to arbitration. Val [Nichushkin] doesn’t have the right. So what happens now? (submitted by @roseoftexas1)

Answer: Good question. RFA statuses and arbitration can always be tricky, so I’m glad someone brought it up. The fact of the matter is, Oleksiak going to arbitration would be silly. When Antoine Roussel almost went to an arbitration hearing back in 2014, it was because he had just finished a spectacular year for the Stars. Meanwhile, Oleksiak only played 19 games this season.

He doesn’t have a need nor a case for more money. But now that both have signed qualifying offers, they are on board for one year with the team.

The qualifying offer was for nothing more than to retain the negotiating rights of both players so they would not wander into free agency. Now, the Stars have each one locked up for at least another year. They can begin trying to sign one or both to longterm deals whenever they feel like it, because they own the negotiating rights for both players until next offseason.

Question #2: What will the trade details be for a Bishop trade? (submitted by Rishi Trikha)

Answer: While anything is still possibly and Ben Bishop‘s future is still up in the air, I don’t see him coming to Dallas. The primary thought is that the Lightning would try to keep Bishop to make a serious run next season.

But if by chance general manager Jim Nill is able to pull off a miracle trade (which he has done before), then the asking price would not be cheap. Knowing Nill, he could probably work his magic and get a discount, but it would probably cost at least a top-six or top-nine forward, a high draft pick next year, and a hot prospect defenseman. Not to mention that Dallas would have to alleviate themselves of one of their current goalies.

So all in all it would look something like this.

Something along those lines. Again, I don’t see it happening at this point, but anything is possible when Nill is in charge.

Question #3: With Jim Nill, don’t trades come out of nowhere?  (Like there is no tweets or reports on potential trades). (submitted by Rishi Trikha)

Answer: This is a perfect question to piggyback off of the Bishop discussion with. Yes, it is true that Nill loves flying under the radar. Another thing he loves to do is use the art of deception, like a magician. He has people thinking that he is doing one thing while he is doing something completely different.

Take last year’s draft for example. Going into Saturday morning, it seemed as though the Dallas Stars were a lock for trading for G Cam Talbot. As reports continued to flare up, Nill came out of nowhere and traded for G Antti Niemi.

Sure Nill does not mean to do these things. He’s just focused on his work. But the only deal he has ever made that has been caught early by reporters was the Jason Spezza trade back in 2014, and that was only because Spezza was already planning on being shipped out July 1.

Question #4: Do you see the expansion draft influencing the Stars roster? Can they “hide” prospects in the AHL? (submitted by @jtraviss09)

Answer: The rules of the expansion draft allow every team to protect one of the following: a) seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie or b) any combination of eight skaters and one goalie.

All players with no-movement clauses by the time the expansion draft rolls around will stay with their team and will count towards the team’s total skaters/goalie.

All first and second year professionals will be exempt from the draft, which I believe means that if they have played two or less years in the NHL, they are not up for the draft. Mike Heika of SportsDay DFW reported that he believed the entry level contract signing date plays a role in determining who a first and second year pro is and who is not.

The Dallas Stars have the majority of their prospects covered up. But considering they have used some rookies over the past few years to fill voids and gain playing time, they will definitely have to make some sacrifices.

I’m assuming that even if you participate in only one NHL game and then go immediately back to the minors, you are still considered a pro. That means that your entry-level contract signing date plays a role in your professional status length.

Some names that the Stars have to worry about are Esa Lindell, Brett Ritchie, Curtis McKenzie, and possibly Radek Faksa. I am not a guru with the expansion draft rules just yet, but will definitely be pumping out articles about the Dallas Stars’ situation in the draft once I know more on the subject.

Question #5: Could the Stars afford to give up a center if a trade comes along? 5 on the roster if you count Janmark and one good prospect. (submitted by @shiekofarabie)

Answer: They definitely could, but only if the right trade (*cough* Bishop *cough*) came along. We all know that Tyler Seguin will more than likely be a Dallas Star for life. Trading away Spezza does not seem like a smart idea, at least as of yet. The Stars love what Cody Eakin is doing for the team and hs flexibility throughout the lineup. Radek Faksa is growing into an elite power forward, so trading him is not the best idea either.

Janmark played well in both positions this year, so using him as a flexible forward is a big plus. There is an opportunity to trade a center since there is an overstocking, but each center has a valid and strong reason to stick around. Good question though. And anything is possible after all.

Question #6: Any prediction for what player(s) might have a breakout season? (submitted by @Spezzaroni)

Answer: Can I say all of them? No? Okay then I’ll just pick one.

There are a few names that come to mind off the bat. Of course it is time for both goalies to stand up or shut up (considering only one can stick around once the expansion draft comes into play). So you would expect Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi to put up some significant numbers.

Then you have Johnny Oduya as the lone veteran defenseman that has already been on the team a year. He will need to step up and be a valiant leader on the blue line while Dan Hamhuis gets his feet wet. But what about the younglings? Radek Faksa, Mattias Janmark, and Stephen Johns could all use some big sophomore seasons.

While all of these players need to have breakout seasons, the one in particular I think will be going big is Patrick Sharp. The 34-year old forward skated the better part of this past year on a line with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Logging 76 games, he scored 20 goals and tallied 55 points. That’s a 12-point increase from his last season in Chicago.

If Sharp is looking to stay on the Dallas Stars until potentially the end of his career, he will need to make a case. Considering the Stars can only protect seven forwards and Sharp will be a pending UFA, he will need to make some noise this coming year. Something tells me he is already aiming to.

Wow, what a mailbag. Those were some excellent questions. Thanks to all the Stars fans who submitted and I’m glad I could hopefully help clear the air! If you did not ask your question this time, look for another mailbag tweet in the next few weeks as we will get ready to bear the burden that is August.

Next: Stars Could Be Out Of Luck On Ben Bishop

Until then, keep a sharp eye out. It’s only a matter of time before something completely unexpected happens.