Dallas Stars Free Agency: Five Realistic Options For Offensive Depth

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TORONTO, ON – MARCH 28: James van Riemsdyk #25 of the Toronto Maple Leafs salutes the crowd after being named one of the game’s stars against the Florida Panthers at the Air Canada Centre on March 28, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /

2. James van Riemsdyk

This one is a bit of a no-brainer, especially if you watched the Dallas Stars square off with the Toronto Maple Leafs in March.

On March 14, 2018, James van Riemsdyk helped lift the Leafs over Dallas in overtime with a hat trick. He had a huge performance and only further built his argument for being a legitimate top UFA forward going into this offseason.

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At the age of 29, he’s spent all but three years of his career with Toronto and has seen the club go from its inconsistent status to where it stands now as a legitimate challenger. But after scoring 36 goals and tallying 54 points in 2017-18, he’s due for a decent pay raise. That might be a pay raise that Toronto does not (or cannot) afford to give him.

van Riemsdyk owned a cap hit of $4.25 million this past season and proved to be worth every dollar. After serving as a top-line option from 2012-13 to 2014-15, he’s slowly been slipping down the Toronto depth chart. This past season, 14:54 on the ice per game (his lowest since his sophomore season in 2010-11).

He’s got solid size as a left winger at 6-3, 217 lb. and can play in a variety of situations. Not only is he effective at even strength, but tallied 20 of his 54 points on the power play this past season. van Riemsdyk boasts an accurate shot and knows how to use his size and reach to score the dirty goal in front of the net.

It seems like a perfect fit both for van Riemsdyk and Dallas. At 29, he’s got extensive experience in the NHL and brings playoff experience to the table as well. He can provide a significant counter attack from the first line, using his size and scoring abilities to create the one-two punch that the Stars need on offense.

There’s significant interest in van Riemsdyk on the market and he will likely sign a long-term deal (at least four years) worth upwards of $5.5 million. The implications that could have on the Dallas cap might come into play, but it’s hard to pass up the positives that van Riemsdyk would bring to the table on the Dallas second line and special teams.

He’s exactly the kind of second-line player that Dallas needed all of last season.

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