Dallas Stars: Three Things To Watch For On Day One Of Free Agency

It’s time for things to get crazy across the NHL. With the free agency market officially open for business, here are three things that the Dallas Stars might get involved in during the first day.

“It’s finally here.”

I’ve used this phrase a lot over the past few weeks. From the expansion draft protected list submissions, to the expansion draft night itself, to the NHL entry draft, and finally to the qualifying offers and buyout period, there’s been a lot of high times in the month of June.

And now the last monumental moment in the 2017 NHL offseason has arrived: the opening of the free agency market.

It’s an annual tradition on July 1 in the hockey world, and is the prime opportunity for NHL teams to pick up players from the outside that will help make their team better. The Dallas Stars have been no stranger to this event over the past few years.

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In 2014, they traded for Jason Spezza and signed Ales Hemsky. In 2015, they re-signed Patrick Eaves. Two days earlier, they signed Antti Niemi, and a few days after, they traded for Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns and signed Johnny Oduya. In the most recent offseason, they signed Dan Hamhuis and re-signed Eaves yet again.

Nill seems to enjoy the day. He is willing to push the limits and do what it takes to make his team better. This year needs to be no different. The Dallas Stars are in need of a few tweaks come 11 a.m. today, specifically on offense. They have their goaltending and defense rounded out, but have some voids on the right wing that need filling.

Now is their last prime chance to get that done. Nill will have to be aggressive and act quickly, but could come out with a top-notch roster by the end of it. It all depends on how he handles things.

Here are three things that all Stars fans should watch out for once the clock hits 11 a.m. today.

3. New Faces Coming In

This will be the most exciting part of the day for sure.

That’s because there’s a world of opportunity in terms of potential new additions that the Dallas Stars could be in on.

When they started their offseason, the Stars had an extensive to-do list to filter through. Jim Nill made quick work of it though, hiring Ken Hitchcock and trading for goaltender Ben Bishop and defenseman Marc Methot before the free agency window even opened.

Now the Stars have one thing left on their list: offense, specifically on the right wing. They only have two natural right wingers on their roster and need some help in the top six. In other words, they need a RW that can fly up and down the ice with Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Jason Spezza.

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That might be a difficult find for Nill, but it’s not impossible. And with the amount of RW talent available, it can definitely be done.

Over the past few days, the Dallas Stars have been linked to names like Justin Williams and Alexander Radulov, two veteran right wingers that can still pack a punch in the scoring department. Each put up over 45 points last season (Williams: 48, Radulov: 54) and could slide in nicely in the top six.

Williams is expected to be signed at a great value (around two-year, $3.0 mil. AAV), while Radulov is expected to command top-dollar (six-year, $7 mil. AAV). But with reports that Williams may be staying in the Eastern Conference with one of his other suitors, Radulov may be the more likely option at this point.

There’s also the fun idea of bringing in a weathered veteran like the 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr or even Jussi Jokinen. Both could fill the right wing void, could potentially provide Dallas with quality depth scoring (considering they still surprisingly have years left on them), and would be two nice reunion stories as former Stars.

There are plenty of other names floating around the free agency pool, and a lot of the deals are expected to drop right at 11 a.m. CT when the market opens. It will be interesting to see how involved the Stars are in those first few minutes. Let’s just say that their offensive efficiency next year could depend on it.

Either way, Dallas needs a right wing or two. Make it happen, Nill.

2. Old Faces On Their Way Out

This always seems to be the toughest part of a given offseason for fans, regardless of the loyalty.

The Dallas Stars always seem to have the most lovable players up for a new contract each offseason that they don’t end up re-signing. Jason Demers, Alex Goligoski, Vernon Fiddler, and Colton Sceviour were just a few of the names on last year’s chopping block that really seemed to have an impression on Stars fans.

Dallas Stars

And this offseason is looking to be no different. Going into this morning, the Dallas Stars have three pending UFAs that they have yet to re-sign. Those three are Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky, and Jiri Hudler.

Hudler has only been here for one season and had an atrocious year, so his departure likely will not be met with much remorse.

But Sharp and Hemsky, on the other hand, are completely different stories. Hemsky has spent the past three years with Dallas, while Sharp has been here the past two, and both have left a lasting impression on the Dallas Stars community.

While both were plagued by injuries in 2016-17, their performances when healthy paired with their energy and vibrance on the ice made them fan favorites.

The Stars could definitely use both of their services next year and had talks with both sides this past week, but nothing seems to have come to fruition. Dallas had all of this past week to arrange a new deal with either player, but that does not seem to have happened.

That being said, it can only be assumed that both players will test the market. There was confirmation coming out of Chicago late last night that Patrick Sharp will sign a one-year deal with his former team, so he is likely gone for good (sorry to all who purchased a Sharp jersey over the past two years).

There are no significant rumors on Hemsky yet, but it’s likely that he will have a few suitors as well.

It might be time to accept the fact that these two wingers have played their last games in Victory Green. But nothing is official until the clock strikes 11 later this morning. Hemsky could still be a viable option for Dallas going forward.