In a year where Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill will look to reload, two of the best pick-ups could already be in the house.
To get the Dallas Stars back to firing on all cylinders, general manager Jim Nill will need yet another year of offseason wizardry. Freeing the Stars of any lingering issues from the Lindy Ruff regime and transitioning to head coach Ken Hitchcock will require new personnel.
With that, Nill could potentially seek out a goaltender in the off-season, such as Scott Darling, Marc-Andre Fleury, or Philipp Grubauer. The defense could use another veteran presence after the successful signing of Dan Hamhuis, such as Andrei Markov or Karl Alzner.
However, the biggest hole will be at the winger positions; there are a plethora of unrestricted free agents in that department. But, unfortunately, the biggest names are either far past their physical prime (Patrick Marleau, Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla), or will accrue a hefty off-season paycheck (Patrick Eaves, Alexander Radulov, T.J. Oshie).
The Dallas Stars have minimal depth at the winger spots, given the loss of the aforementioned Eaves, and expiring contracts belonging to other players. What can fix this? Well, Jim Nill will have to put on his Sunday’s bests, but re-signing aging wingers Ales Hemsky and Patrick Sharp will pay dividends going forward.
More from Free Agency
- RD Market Reset: Karlsson trade fallout and impact on Dallas Stars
- Missing ‘Pesce’: The who, what, and why of a Stars trade for Brett Pesce
- Strategy Surrounding Stars Signing Sam Steel: Low Risk, High Reward
- Dallas Stars Free Agents: Who won’t return?
- Dallas Stars Free Agents: Who will return to the Stars next season?
Sharp will be a toss-up, but there may not be another place for him to go contractually, as the three-time Stanley Cup champion will have to fully recover from the hip surgery that ended his season early to make a difference. Nevertheless, the Winnipeg native has been an effective player on the scoresheet and in possession metrics since pulling on a green sweater.
While playing only 48 games and battling concussions, shoulder injuries, and previously mentioned hip ailments, Sharp netted eight goals and added ten assists, both 11th on the team in 2016-17. Sharp was 9th in Corsi For Percentage (51.5%) and 6th in Fenwick For Percentage/Unblocked Shot Attempts For (52.6%).
Given his 56.5% defensive zone start percentage, having an impact in possession metrics indicates his reliability in transition and forechecking, something new head coach Ken Hitchcock adores.
Ales Hemsky can’t generate shooting chances as well as Sharp can, but as far as bottom-six finishers go, he’s one of the best in the NHL. Despite playing just 15 games this year, the Czech forward scored three goals and four assists, good for a 0.46 points per game rating. At that pace, Hemsky would have tallied 21 goals and 16 assists oved 82 games.
The 33-year-old was injured when participating in the World Cup of Hockey, and missed almost all of the season, however he should be healthy entering the newest season and can contribute in a third of fourth line role with a speedy, defensively-responsible center like Radek Faksa or Devin Shore.
Both players will have to take major pay cuts (Hemsky earned $4 million, Sharp earned $5 million last season), but with the team on the rise and getting a new coaching staff, they could be willing to shed some cash and come along for the ride.
Sharp is eligible for a 35+ contract under the National Hockey League’s collective bargaining agreement, and comparable players have signed contracts such as that for under $3 million. Since the majority of GMs in hockey look to comparable contracts prior to negotiating their own, that will likely come into play.
Next: Consistency Within Stars' Lines Will Increase Under Hitchcock
Hemsky is a tad younger, but given his past injury timeline, the Dallas Stars might be the only team to give him a shot. He could, and if all falls into play well, be signed to a Jiri Hudler-esque one-year, $2-million contract.