With the offseason fast approaching, the Dallas Stars have quite the extensive list of free agents to deal with, specifically in the RFA category.
With every offseason comes inevitable change for each and every team in the National Hockey League. That change is simply a part of the game.
While changes can come in a wide variety of fashions (trades, hirings and firings, call-ups, etc.), but the typical avenue is through free agency. Each year, teams have to make decisions on who to re-sign, who to let go, and who to bring in from the market.
It’s never an easy task, but the goal is to somehow upgrade the team and take it a step further than the year before.
But before they can go out and search for new players in the free agency pool, they first have to make their in-house decisions. That means that all of their pending UFAs and RFAs must either receive a qualifying offer, a completely new contract, or not come to terms with the team and enter free agency.
And for the Dallas Stars, they will have plenty of decisions to make, both on the UFA and RFA front.
Earlier this morning, we took a look at the Dallas Stars’ three primary unrestricted free agents and what the team might decide to do with them during the offseason.
While there isn’t a substantially large UFA group for the Stars as there has been in years past, their restricted free agent pool is something to keep an eye on.
The main difference between an RFA and UFA is that the Stars will not have to negotiate a new contract with an RFA, at least not immediately. A team can either negotiate a new, long term deal with the RFA or send them a qualifying offer, which is essentially a one-year deal that gives the team negotiating rights over the player.
Just yesterday, the Stars signed Mattias Janmark to a one-year extension instead of going the qualifying offer route, essentially taking one more forward off of the RFA list.
Overall, the Dallas Stars have 13 RFA’s that must be attended to this offseason. They are Radek Faksa, Esa Lindell, Brett Ritchie, Jamie Oleksiak, Patrik Nemeth, Gemel Smith, Ludwig Bystrom, Mattias Backman, Maxime Lagace, Matej Stransky, Mark McNeill, Henri Kiviaho, and Justin Hache.
While a decision will have to be made on each one of these 13 players, we’re going to primarily focus on the players that have spent extensive time in Dallas.
Restricted Free Agents
Radek Faksa
Radek Faksa has easily been one of the Dallas Stars’ biggest surprises over the past two seasons. Since making his debut in Oct. 2015, the 23-year-old has been one of the most consistent and dynamic young players in the system.
This past season, he scored 12 goals and tallied 33 points in 80 games. This was primarily done on the third line at an average of 16:10 per game.
He can play anywhere in the lineup and provide powerful depth scoring as a center. He wins about half of his face-offs, can play on the power play and put in big minutes on the penalty kill, and is arguably the Stars’ best defensive forward. Faksa is strong on the forecheck and constantly hounds the puck. Matching him with Antoine Roussel at any point is a recipe for havoc, which the Stars can use to their advantage.
He’s only making $863,333 on his current contract. Considering his value, it’s likely that the Stars are already trying to get him signed to a new contract. But if that doesn’t work, you can definitely expect at least a qualifying offer.
Esa Lindell
Esa Lindell is a very similar case to Faksa. 2016-17 was his first season at the NHL level, and the 22-year-old did not disappoint. He’s got an impressive shot and knows how to move the puck around both at even strength and on the power play
It was exciting to see Lindell improve as the year went on while playing next to John Klingberg. By the middle of the season, he and Klingberg were the solidified first pairing, giving Lindell a chance to play big minutes.
His current contract has him making $745,883, and he can definitely expect a raise as one of the Stars’ brightest young defensemen. Whether it’s a qualifying offer or new contract, expect Lindell to be back next year on the starting roster.
Brett Ritchie
Brett Ritchie is just another young and talented forward for the Stars. He’s a skilled right winger and helps fill a void for Dallas on the right side both at even strength and on the man advantage.
He set career highs this year in his third season at the NHL level, scoring 16 goals, eight assists, and 24 points. He also finished at an impressive +11 rating.
Ritchie kind of flew under the radar for Dallas this year, but his contributions cannot go unnoticed.
With the expansion draft coming up in late June, the Dallas Stars can protect seven forwards. After factoring out the obvious choices, Dallas has quite the predicament on their hands. With two spots remaining on the protection list, it seems as though the Stars will have four forwards to choose from: Ritchie, Curtis McKenzie, Antoine Roussel, and Cody Eakin.
What they do with those spots is still up in the air, but Ritchie has a pretty decent chance at claiming a spot.
Jamie Oleksiak
Jamie Oleksiak will be one of a few Dallas Stars defenders to watch closely this summer. With the expansion draft looming, the Stars have more decisions to make on the defensive side. Assuming that Klingberg and Lindell are protected, Dallas only has one more spot to use among Oleksiak, Patrik Nemeth, Stephen Johns, and Greg Pateryn.
The odds of Dallas losing a defender in the expansion draft are pretty good. There’s plenty of young talent to choose from, including Oleksiak.
The 24-year-old defender has been rotating in and out of the Stars’ lineup for five years now, but has never solidified himself as a full-time starter.
His play is encouraging and he is a big-bodied defender who can pack a punch in the hit column, but his defensive skills still need some polishing. With the stock of young talent already on the blue line, he might be on the short end of the stick.
Patrik Nemeth
Patrik Nemeth’s situation is very similar to Oleksiak’s in the fact that he has been in Dallas for a few years but has never fully developed.
He’s a puck-moving defender that can be physical when necessary, but his inability to lock down a starting spot over the past four seasons could jeopardize his future with the team. The expansion draft could very well be calling Nemeth’s name as well. If Vegas is going after one of them, then it might be best for the Stars to at least qualify one of the defenders to make them more appealing.
Gemel Smith
Gemel Smith is the last forward on the RFA board that has spent a significant amount of time with the Dallas Stars. He’s only played 17 games at the NHL level, but all were from this season and he put up decent numbers. Smith notched three goals and six total points while skating third and fourth line minutes.
He’s a promising center, but has a lot of talent in front of him that he has to hop (Faksa, Devin Shore, Jason Spezza, Tyler Seguin, Cody Eakin) in order to be a full time starter.
Still, expect Smith to get a new contract or at least a qualifying offer. But keep an eye on the fact that Smith needs protection from the draft and will not be one of the Stars’ seven under the protection blanket.
Next: Stars' 2017 Rookie Class Was Arguably The Best Ever
As you can see, there’s an extensive list with a lot of moving pieces on the Stars’ free agent list. What do you think Jim Nill is planning on doing?
One thing is for sure: it’s going to be an intriguing offseason.