Dallas Stars: Cap Space A Potential Issue Heading Into Opening Night

The preseason is over and it’s time for the Dallas Stars to set their roster for opening night. But before anything, they have to make sure their cap space is in order.

It is almost time for Dallas Stars hockey.

With the arrival of the month of October comes one of the best times of year for the typical sports fan. College and pro football are in full swing, the MLB is kicking off their playoff slate, and the NHL and NBA are setting up for their respective regular seasons.

It’s a fun time around the sporting world, especially if you are a Dallas Stars fan.

The Stars closed out their preseason slate last night with an ugly 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild. But it’s called the “preseason” for a reason, and it’s time to look past it and focus on the interesting 2017-18 season that lays ahead.

Dallas Stars

Before the regular season begins, however, the Dallas Stars and every other team in the league have some housekeeping tasks to take care of. One of those is getting their roster down to 23 players.

But one thing that the Stars specifically have to do is get their cap space in order. In fact, only them and five other teams have to be weary when creating their final roster.

According to CapFriendly.com, the Dallas Stars are currently $503,645 away from the cap wall. Luckily, they are on the correct side of the wall. While others are in the red and in need of some readjusting, the Stars still have some (though it’s very small) wiggle room to work with.

A full NHL roster consists of 23 players. 19 of those are starters along with one substitute goaltender and three scratches. The roster CapFriendly used includes a full 23-player lineup, meaning the Stars are in the green at the moment.

But their roster is not necessarily the one that will be used by Dallas on opening night. There are still plenty of moving pieces in the Stars’ arsenal, and nothing will be set in stone until likely tomorrow or Tuesday.

As the final evaluation process moves along for Ken Hitchcock and the Stars’ front office staff, the cap will play a part in rendering a final judgment.

After an offseason filled with big-name additions, Dallas quickly moved from somewhere around $20 million in cap space to less than $1 million. At one point, the projections even had them over the wall.

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It seems as though they are back in the clear as of now, but nothing is assured. With that being said, the Stars must be careful.

The biggest movement will likely come on defense. In the CapFriendly projection, the forwards and goaltending seem correct and in line. The 13 forwards are the group that is presumed to start the year with Dallas and the two goaltenders have long since been known.

But what about on defense? The Dallas Stars have a defensive conundrum to deal with that has followed them since the acquisition of Marc Methot in early June. That decision revolves around which six defensemen get the start on opening night.

Dallas arguably has nine NHL-ready defenders in their system, but only six spots to work with. Even if they decide to go with two healthy scratches and carry eight defensemen, one player still has to go.

The projection didn’t included eight defenders, leaving out Julius Honka. He owns the lowest salary of the nine defenders, making just $863,333 a year.

Including him would put the Stars over the limit. But luckily, Dallas already has a full roster in this projection. So even if Honka makes the roster, another player will be removed and the Stars will still be in the green zone. No matter how Dallas shapes their roster internally between now and opening night, they won’t have a problem. That’s good news for GM Jim Nill and Co.

But this will be something to keep a close eye on as we delve into the regular season. With call-ups, trades, and acquisitions always being potential factors, it’s nice to have as much wiggle room as possible. It’s always good to expect the unexpected in the NHL and be prepared for a worst-case scenario.

Next: Which Stars Group Will Be Most Fun To Watch This Year?

At the moment, the Dallas Stars don’t have much wiggle room to work with. That’s what happens when you spend big in the offseason in an effort to rebound strongly. The Stars went all in this summer and are now at risk for potential problems down the road. But sometimes it’s necessary to take a big risk in order to make a big payoff.

Will their risks pay off? We’ll find out starting this Friday.