The 2017 offseason saw a mass of change overtake the Dallas Stars. But even with the strong additions, they still managed to avoid suffering any casualties with their cap space.
There are a lot of good reasons to be a Dallas Stars fan right now.
Hockey season is right around the corner (93 days, people), the game is back on the rise in non-traditional markets including Dallas, the Stars’ core is made up of primarily young talent and looks to be heading in the right direction for years to come, and the expectations are through the roof for the team after an amazing offseason that followed a tragic regular season.
So yeah, there are a lot of reasons to keep your eyes on this team. And once October comes around, they’ll be able to prove it firsthand.
But until then, it’s a game of sitting and waiting. Luckily, the entertainment that comes with an NHL offseason kept fans busy for a large part of the “waiting period.” With things like the expansion draft, entry draft, and the opening of free agency to keep fans busy, there hasn’t really been a dull moment since the Stanley Cup Final ended.
Dallas Stars
And for the Dallas Stars, there hasn’t been a dull moment since their season ended on April 8 in a shootout against the league’s worst team, successfully capping off their second-worst season in franchise history with a glum 34-37-11 record. That doesn’t sound like a quality that would attract or intrigue a lot of fans.
The Stars’ offseason has made up for it, though. In three months, GM Jim Nill has managed to strengthen all of the Stars’ weak points and turn them into what will hopefully be a threatening team in the coming year.
He traded for and signed goaltender Ben Bishop, put together a incredibly strong draft class, traded for defenseman Marc Methot, and signed Martin Hanzal and Alexander Radulov through free agency.
It’s been an impressive showing by Nill, who has quickly made this his strongest offseason to date.
But while the players brought in will prove to be valiant additions that will only strengthen the Dallas Stars for next season, that’s not exactly why everyone is so impressed with this offseason. Nill balancing the Stars’ cap space through the whirlwind of moves was just as shocking and deserves just as much credit.
At the current moment, the Dallas Stars have an estimated $4,718,333 in cap space. After all of the additions and a Jamie Benn extension kicking in, that’s unbelievable. That’s because Nill was able to play the waiting game and patiently add to his roster. He signed players with ultimate care, making sure not to overpay them or give them a longer term than necessary.
After getting Cody Eakin, Patrick Sharp, Antti Niemi, and Ales Hemsky off the books, the Stars opened up a mountain of cap space to work with and used it to its fullest advantage.
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They managed to secure each of their new players at a cap hit lower than $5 million (besides Radulov, though Nill was able to narrow him down from his initial asking price of $7 million to $6.25 million).
And even after bulking up their roster, they still have enough space for future endeavors. The Dallas Stars still need to sign Radek Faksa, Brett Ritchie, and Jamie Oleksiak, who are still qualified RFAs. Dallas should be able to get all three of them signed with the cap space they have remaining.
But if that’s not possible, it’s okay. The Stars still have some more moves that need to be made, including shedding some defensemen and opening up more salary as a result.
At the end of the next offseason, Dallas will be opening up yet another mountain of cap space, with players like Kari Lehtonen, Dan Hamhuis, and Antoine Roussel among those with expiring contracts. Sure some of them will need to be re-signed, but the Stars will have the flexibility to do so.
The biggest offseason priority in 2018 will be negotiations for an extension for Tyler Seguin. The center will be 26 and will not even have entered his prime yet. He’s already a staple in the franchise and will need to be locked down long-term (likely a seven or eight year deal). It will cost a hefty amount, but nothing that the Stars won’t be able to handle. That’s because they’ll have the cap space to get it done.
Next: Are The Stars Done Making Offseason Moves?
Nill’s cap construction this offseason was nothing short of brilliant. Not only did he build the team back into a contender with multiple moves, but he did it all by using his resources and avoiding the cap pitfall.
After all, they don’t call him a wizard for nothing.