Dallas Stars Free Agency: Examining Their Restricted Free Agent Class

The RFA Forwards

Of the nine restricted free agents in the Dallas system, six of them are forwards. And of those six, five spent a decent amount in Dallas playing at the NHL level this past year. Let’s take a look at all of them.

Mattias Janmark

Age: 25

2017-18 cap hit: $700,000 (one-year deal)

There were a few players that exceeded expectations on the Stars this year. One of those was Tyler Seguin. Another was John Klingberg.

But in terms of depth forwards, one guy stood outright, leaps and bounds ahead of the rest. That guy was Mattias Janmark.

Oil On Whyte

The 25-year-old reached new heights in his second year at the NHL level. Janmark scored a career-high 19 goals and tallied a career-high 34 points in 81 games for Dallas this past year. He finished fifth in points on the Stars, trailing only the “Big Four” (Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, John Klingberg) on that list.

On top of that, he pulled off this performance after missing the entire 2016-17 season with a knee injury that threatened to end his career for good. In other words, it was a stellar bounce back year. And somehow, he still wasn’t chosen as a finalist for the Masterton Trophy.

But after being acquired via trade from Detroit in March 2015, Janmark has quickly made a name for himself in the NHL with his speed and scoring abilities. And to top it all off, he won a gold medal at the World Championships with Sweden in May. It seems as though he can do it all.

Mattias Janmark needs to wear a Dallas Stars uniform for at least the next few years (as long as his potential keeps climbing). What else is there to say?

Bottom line: Re-sign to a bridge deal (two or three years), potentially long-term (more than three years)

Devin Shore

Age: 23

2017-18 cap hit: $870,000 (three-year, entry level deal)

This is an interesting situation.

On the one hand, Shore had an excellent rookie campaign. He played in all 82 games in 2016-17 and tallied 13 goals and 33 points (both career highs). Shore was a reliable option on the second power play unit and proved to be one of the team’s best depth forwards in a rough season.

Oil On Whyte

In 2017-18, things took a different spin. Devin Shore once again proved his durability by playing an 82-game slate and finished with 11 goals and 32 points while averaging 15:26 on the ice (1:18 more than his rookie season). But that came with a -30 rating, the lowest on the team. No Dallas Stars player has even come close to that number in the 25-year history of the franchise.

13 of his 32 points came on special teams and he did take strides in becoming a solid penalty killer. But his stats just didn’t live up to the hype after a really good freshman campaign.

Of course, Shore is still young and there’s still plenty of room to grow. In a new system with a younger coach, he might find a way to reset and bring back the promise that he established in 2016-17.

At the end of the day, he’s still growing into an everyday NHL player. He’s shown that he can play a full slate and is reliable in that regard and can also produce on special teams.

Bottom line: Qualify and sign to a one-year deal and give same opportunity next year in new system

Gemel Smith

Age: 24

2017-18 cap hit: $650,000 (one-year deal)

Gemel Smith wasn’t really given a fair chance to prove his NHL worthiness this past season. But in the opportunities he was given, he made sure to capitalize.

Smith played in 46 games for Dallas this past season but only averaged 9:26 on the ice per game. When he wasn’t playing for the Stars, he was serving as a healthy scratch. But when he was on the ice, he was making the most of it.

By the end of the year, he had six goals and 11 points along with a +5 rating. He served as a depth forward and played a variety of positions on the Dallas offense.

It will be interesting to see if Smith gets an extended opportunity next season. But so far through two years and 63 games, he’s proven to be a valuable depth option for the Stars and fills a hole using his speed and versatility. Not bad for a fourth-round pick.

Bottom line: Qualify and sign to a one-year deal, or maybe sign to bridge deal depending on immediate future plan

Jason Dickinson

Age: 22

2017-18 cap hit: $894,167 (three-year, entry level deal)

Like Smith, Jason Dickinson also fell victim to Ken Hitchcock’s veteran-heavy lineup. By the end of the year, he had only skated in 27 games and finished with two assists and a -2 rating. The 2013 first-round pick only averaged 8:32 on the ice per game, so his opportunities were rather limited as he was confined to the bottom six and low-risk situations.

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Dickinson did, however, play well with the Texas Stars. In 48 regular season games, he tallied 18 goals and 28 points. During their run to the Calder Cup Finals, he notched two goals and 10 points in 22 games.

There is still space for the 22-year-old to grow, but that starts with giving him a larger opportunity at the NHL level. On top of that, he also needs to be put in the right situation.

“We like [Dickinson] a lot,” Hitchcock said about Dickinson back in January. “We haven’t been able to create any room for him, but we like him a lot. He’s exactly what we need. He’s got size, speed, and he’s on top of you quickly. We like what he brings to the table. I think where we have not been fair to him is he’s played center all year [in the AHL], and then he comes up here and plays wing all the time.”

Bottom line: Qualify and sign to a one-year deal, then give extended NHL opportunity next year

Remi Elie

Age: 23

2017-18 cap hit: $728,333 (three-year, entry level deal)

The Dallas Stars spent their pick following Jason Dickinson on forward Remi Elie back in 2013. The second-round pick made his NHL debut towards the tail end of the 2016-17 season and made an immediate impact for the Stars, scoring a goal and tallying seven points in 18 games.

But, as it happened with Dickinson and Smith, Elie’s opportunities also took a hit when Hitchcock stepped behind the bench. He did skate in 72 games, posting six goals and 14 points along with a +5 rating. But he only skated an average of 10:15 per game, which is down from his average of 15:38 in 2016-17.

Elie is more of a spark plug than a scorer in the Dallas lineup, but he still knows how to capitalize. He is quick and aggressive in the offensive zone (he finished the year with 101 hits) and uses his energy to generate chances in the bottom six. In that regard, he had a pretty good year.

He played in 19 games for the Texas Stars during their playoff run, scoring two goals and tallying nine points. Bring him back and give him a try in a new system as a depth option once again.

Bottom line: Qualify and sign to a one-year deal, seeing how he does in a new system next season

Cole Ully

Age: 23

2017-18 cap hit: $646,667 (three-year, entry level deal)

There’s not much to say about Cole Ully this season in terms of play in the state of Texas. He played in just 16 games for the Texas Stars, tallying three assists and a -4 rating. Other than that, he spent the rest of his 2017-18 season playing for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. There, Ully was a dominant force, scoring 19 goals and tallying 40 points in 39 games.

As a fifth-round pick from 2013, he’s not necessarily expected to be the next Jamie Benn or John Klingberg (who are fellow fifth-round picks). But he is developing nicely and is still young, so it’s likely that the Stars will give him some more time.

Bottom line: Qualify and sign to a one-year deal

The RFA Defenders And RFA Goalie

Things aren’t as crowded in the back end in terms of Dallas Stars’ RFAs. But there are still a few and each one needs to be broken down.

Stephen Johns

Age: 26

2017-18 cap hit: $725,000 (two-year deal)

Stephen Johns turned a lot of heads in his third year at the NHL level. And unlike in 2016-17, the head turns were for good things.

After an abysmal 2016-17 where Johns finished with just four goals and 10 points along with a -10 rating in 61 games. He turned into a healthy scratch option and just couldn’t find his footing in the Stars lineup.

But under Ken Hitchcock, the big-bodied defender took new strides. Johns found a new level under Hitchcock and showed off his effectiveness as a shutdown option in 2017-18. The defensive defender not only used his size and skills efficiently in the defensive zone, but also stepped in to help in the offensive zone. In 75 games, Johns rang up eight goals and 15 points (both career highs) along with a +10 rating. It was his first time to finish with a positive rating in his career.

Johns is a solid depth option on the right side that can provide physicality but can also aid on offense with his booming slap shot. He’s proving to be a valuable investment for the Stars after trading for him in the summer of 2015.

Bottom line: Sign to a bridge deal (two or three years) and let him continue progressing

Dillon Heatherington

Age: 23

2017-18 cap hit: $770,833 (three-year, entry level deal)

The Dallas Stars got a small sampling size of defenseman Dillon Heatherington in 2017-18. After trading for him at the 2017 deadline, the left-handed defender filled in at the AHL level to close out the season.

He played a big role for Texas this past season, serving as a shutdown option using his 6-4, 215 lb. frame. Heatherington skated on the top pairing for a large part of the 2017-18 season and provided the Stars with balance on the blue line.

In his six games with Dallas, Heatherington was exactly what the Stars wanted him to be: a physical depth option that could throw down when needed. He totaled one assist and two fights during his NHL debut season along with a +3 rating.

Heatherington could play a big part in the Dallas Stars future and serve as a physical depth option on the left side. Only time will tell for the 23-year-old.

Bottom line: Qualify and sign to a one or two-year deal, giving him a chance to earn a full-time NHL spot

Philippe Desrosiers

Age: 22

2017-18 cap hit: $661,667 (three-year, entry level deal)

Yet another 2013 draft pick is up for a new contract. Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers was picked by Dallas in round two and has spent the past few years bouncing around various leagues.

Since the 2015-16 season, he’s split time between the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL), Norfolk Admirals (ECHL), and Texas Stars (AHL). But he’s only played in 20 games at the AHL level over that span. In other words, he hasn’t been able to break through and take the next step just yet.

In this past season with the Steelheads, Desrosiers went 23-9-1 along with a .913 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average. It was a decent year, but he still hasn’t proven himself to be a consistent option in the AHL.

And with younger options like Jake Oettinger and Colton Point coming up through the ranks, Desrosiers’ time to make an influential impact in the organization might be running slim.

But he still has time to prove his worth and possesses potential. He simply has to prove it.

Bottom line: Qualify and sign to a one-year deal to let him prove his worth to the franchise

Next: Potential Backup Goaltender Solutions For The Stars

There you have it. The Dallas Stars have an intriguing class of restricted free agents, with each one boasting their own particular situation. The days are running short and these announcements should be made in the near future. So keep your eyes peeled. The high time of the offseason is right around the corner.