Dallas Stars: Five Things To Watch For In Rest Of 2017 Offseason

1. Jamie Oleksiak’s New Contract

It’s anyone’s guess as to when this will happen, but it will likely be in the near future.

Jamie Oleksiak is the sole remaining Dallas Stars RFA that has yet to sign a new deal with the team. Esa Lindell, Patrik Nemeth, Brett Ritchie, Radek Faksa and Gemel Smith have all come to terms with the organization on a new contract and abandoned their qualifying offers, leaving Oleksiak as the lone wolf.

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But Oleksiak’s contract negotiation comes at a bit of a difficult time for the Stars. After their jam-packed offseason, the Dallas Stars now find themselves in a bit of a cap crisis. The team has less than $1 million in cap space after a mass of free agent signings and contract acquisitions, leaving them very little breathing room on the cap front.

In addition to that, the Stars also have any overstocking of defenders and will need to alleviate themselves of one or two (likely through trade) before the season begins. Oleksiak’s name is one of the three in the trade mix, so the Stars might try negotiating the contract with the potential of a trade already in mind.

Oleksiak has been in the league for a few years, so he likely won’t be accepting a “bare minimum” contract. Somewhere in the ballpark of $900K (which is similar to the deal that Patrik Nemeth signed) is a reasonable estimate. While Dallas could handle that without too much grief, it would still force them over the line.

He’s currently qualified with the Stars, giving them the exclusive rights to him until December 1. If the Stars cannot re-sign him by then, he will not be able to play for the rest of the season and will have to wait until 2018-19.

It could happen here over the next few days or it may drag into August. It’s all about finding common ground, and there’s no telling how long that may take.

Oleksiak did not file for arbitration, meaning that he fully expects a new deal to be done without any struggle. So he will very likely be re-signed, but it’s all a matter of when.

2. Will R.J. Umberger Make The Team?

Perhaps the most interesting and unexpected “acquisition” made by the Dallas Stars this offseason was the invitation extended to R.J. Umberger to attend training camp.

This may not be the most exciting move, but it gives the Stars a special look at potentially bringing a veteran to the team.

More From Blackout Dallas: Stars Invite R.J. Umberger To Training Camp

R.J. Umberger hasn’t played NHL hockey since April 2016. Shortly after the end of the 2015-16 season, the Philadelphia Flyers bought out the final year of his contract.

He’s 35 years old and is approaching the end of his career, but has a chance to break back into the league. At the height of his career, he was an offensive weapon, tallying 50-55 points a season while skating 18-19 minutes a game. He has a solid history with coach Ken Hitchcock, and that relationship is the primary reason why Umberger is trying out with Dallas.

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Umberger’s professional tryout contract lasts for the entirety of training camp, and a decision on his future will be made after. If he impresses the coaching staff, the Stars will have to sign him to a contract, which could be difficult considering their current cap crunch.

There is a chance that he could be put in the Dallas Stars’ system, playing the role of a veteran leader on the Texas Stars in the AHL. Another possible result would be another team in the league seeing his progress in training camp and signing him to fill a need of their own.

The Stars don’t necessarily have any open gaps on their offensive roster, but competition is always a good thing, and forwards will now have to give their all in order to earn their spot on the team. It’s always nice to have 100 percent.

3. Which Defenders Will Be Dealt?

This move may not come until after training camp, which is perfectly alright because it will make competition a big factor on the blue line during training camp.

It’s no secret that after trading for Marc Methot and the presumed call-up of Julius Honka for a full-time role, the Stars now have too many defensemen to juggle.

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At the moment, Dallas has nine defenders who are considered NHL-ready and are not fit for an AHL role. But on an NHL team, having nine defensemen is ludicrous. The Stars should be looking to carry seven (or eight, but only if they can’t find a way around it) defenders next season, so there will have to be some adjustments.

John Klingberg, Marc Methot, Esa Lindell, Stephen Johns, Dan Hamhuis, Julius Honka, Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak, and Greg Pateryn. You can only keep seven. Who would you choose?

This decision will likely be made after training camp. The Dallas management and coaching staff will assess the blue line in September, and might even take a few preseason games before making their final decisions. But one or two defenders will have to be moved, likely through trade.

There also has to be a market for the one or two guys that are put on the block. The Stars will have to find a trading partner before anything else can happen, and they have to make sure there is somewhat of a decent return.

The preseason is where teams can become desperate for help, whether their team isn’t gelling or an unexpected injury comes up. That may be the best time for Dallas to find a dance partner.

Until then, it’s all just speculation.

4. Will The Young Forwards Make The Opening Night Roster?

Jim Nill’s “win now” style of managing is what has gotten the Dallas Stars this far over the past few years. It’s a gritty style, but can have a major payoff if done properly. So far, he’s on the right path.

But the biggest problem with “winning now” is that sometimes, that’s the only thing on the brain. When that happens, a group can be somewhat forgotten about. That group is the young prospects that are pushing hard for a roster spot in the big leagues.

This is the problem that the Stars have been dealing with over the past few years. As new free agent talent is recruited to Dallas on a yearly basis, the veterans from the market are immediately inheriting the roster spots, leaving the younger players that are ready for NHL action on the ouside.

Dallas Stars

And you can make the argument that the prospects should simply buck up and fight harder for position, but it’s hard to do that when they are trying to outperform some of the best players in the league. They are definitely ready for the NHL, but if they don’t have a spot, it’s hard to prove that.

The 2017 offseason saw the Stars bring in a mass of veteran talent. While the moves are definitely going to bolster the Dallas roster next season, the younger players in the system are going to have some trouble making the 23-man roster.

If the Stars carry two goaltenders and seven defenders, that leaves 14 spots for the forwards. They have their projected starting 12, which can be found below.

Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov

Mattias Janmark – Martin Hanzal – Jason Spezza

Antoine Roussel – Radek Faksa – Brett Ritchie

Curtis McKenzie – Devin Shore – Adam Cracknell

Then they have the presumed 13th forward in Tyler Pitlick, who they signed to a three-year deal on July 1. That leaves one spot open and plenty of young forwards ready to take the position.

Remi Elie, Jason Dickinson, Gemel Smith, and Justin Dowling seem to be the four at the top of the list. All are young, spent a decent amount of time at the NHL level last season, and proved to be reliable additions to the Stars.

If Dallas only has one spot available, they may just leave all four prospects with the Texas Stars to stay fresh while keeping more cap space and call on one of them only when it is direly necessary.

But the Stars must also make sure to not leave them down there too long. That could do much more harm long term than a strong run at the championship could ever fix.

5. Naming A New Alternate Captain

The Dallas Stars have had some trouble keeping their alternate captains around over the past few years, though that isn’t necessarily their fault.

Names like Alex Goligoski, Vernon Fiddler, Trevor Daley, Shawn Horcoff, and Patrick Sharp have all worn the “A” for Dallas over the past few years, but have departed the team rather quickly after being appointed.

That is simply a testament to the kind of player that serves in the role of alternate captain for Dallas. It’s typically a veteran who is a natural leader and plays a particularly important role on the team. Those players can be valuable on the trade market as well as being in the final year or two of their contract when they are serving as the alternate captain.

This offseason, the Stars lost one of their two alternates in Patrick Sharp, leaving Jason Spezza as the only alternate backing up Jamie Benn.

So now the hunt for a new alternate captain is on, and there are plenty of good candidates on the Dallas Stars roster.

Is this the year that Tyler Seguin is finally given an A after four years with the team? Or even though he’s new, does Martin Hanzal’s background as an alternate in Arizona make him a solid candidate for the job?

Or does Nill go back to the defensive route and assign it to Dan Hamhuis (who might only be here for one more season)? What about John Klingberg? Is he ready for the role?

There are plenty of options for Dallas to choose from, and there’s no doubt that Nill and Co. will make the right choice.

Next: Stars May Have Trouble Bringing Valeri Nichushkin Back

So all in all, there is a lot left to keep an eye out for before the season begins on October 6. It seems like a long way away, but just like every other hockey season, it will be here before you know it.

Until then, keep your eyes peeled.