Dallas Stars: Keeping Up With Central Division Offseason Moves
The Dallas Stars have improved this offseason. But nothing happens in a vacuum. Let’s take a look at what the other teams in the Central Division have been up to this summer.
In the Jim Nill era, the Dallas Stars have been big offseason winners. From Jason Spezza to Tyler Seguin to Alexander Radulov, Nill has consistently made significant moves to acquire big names through free agency and trades.
Despite being linked to big offseason names like John Tavares and Erik Karlsson, neither of whom made sense on the Stars roster, Dallas has only made minor moves, effectively patching leaks instead of bringing in the bulldozer. These moves, while small, should make the Stars better in 2018-19.
But what about the rest of the Central Division? The Dallas Stars finished sixth in the Central in 2017-18, so it’s not like they were the cream of the division. Any moves the Stars make can’t be viewed through a narrow lens and must be seen through the context of the moves their divisional foes have made.
And what of their competition? Everyone knows that in hockey, you’re only as good as the other teams in the division allow you to be. If the Dallas Stars made some small, “hole filling” moves while the Wild and Avalanche made massive enhancements, how will the Stars find a way to gain ground after finishing below those teams in the standings last year.
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There’s a lot that goes into how a division functions and eventually pans out. It all starts with what each team does to better themselves in the offseason and prepare to compete.
And after finishing sixth last season, the Dallas Stars seemingly have a lot of ground to cover if they want to bounce back into the top three or four and get into the playoffs. It’s doable, but will take a lot of success when going up against the toughest division in hockey. But how will their opposition look?
Let’s take at the transactions made by the other Central Division teams this offseason.
Nashville Predators
2017-18 Results: 53-18-11 (1st in Central,115 Points)
Lost/FA: F Mike Fisher, F Scott Hartnell, D Alexei Emelin
Added: None
When you’re on top, you have the luxury of being able to stand pat without making any serious changes. Nashville hasn’t made any moves outside resigning players within their organization; however, they have lost players.
Mike Fisher briefly came out of retirement to play 16 games, accruing four points (2G, 2A). While he initially added a bolt of energy, the return never really took, and Fisher appeared slow and out of his element in his limited action. He re-retired at the end of the season.
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Scott Hartnell is coming off a 1-year, $1 million contract where he scored 24 points (13G, 11A). The deal was Hartnell’s second stint with Nashville, the first being from 2000-07.
The 36-year old showed he still had something left in the tank, but the Predators have decided that his future will be with someone else, choosing not to re-sign him. Hartnell’s production has dropped in each of the last three seasons, but he still has value, and no doubt someone will sign the veteran to another one-year deal.
Like Hartnell, defenseman Alexei Emelin was not re-signed after his contract expired at the end of the season. The 31-year scored 9 points (1G, 8A) in 76 games is not in Nashville’s plans moving forward.
Despite losing a key contributor in Hartnell, the Predators should still be a top-tier team in the Western Conference.
Winnipeg Jets
2017-18 Results: 52-20-10 (2nd in Central, 114 Points)
Lost/FA: C Shawn Matthias, C Paul Stastny, F Joel Armia, C Matt Hendricks, G Steve Mason, D Toby Enstrom
Added: G Laurent Brossoit
Oh, boy. Winnipeg is currently a mind-boggling $27 million under the salary cap after a plethora of offseason moves/inaction; however, when looking at Winnipeg’s cap situation, one must take into account the future. Patrick Laine, Kyle Connor, Blake Wheeler, and Tyler Myers will all be free agents after the 2018-19 season (Laine and Connor will be RFA), so the Jets are opening up space to sign those guys to big deals. With that comes losing critical pieces to a squad that made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2018.
Shawn Matthias spent the last two seasons with Winnipeg after bouncing around for much of his career. A career minus-18 player, he spent much of this past year watching Jets games from the rafters as a healthy scratch, unable to crack Winnipeg’s lineup. Even when playing, Matthias underwhelmed, recording three points in 27 games.
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Jets White Out
Paul Stastny was a mammoth trade deadline acquisition from St. Louis, recording 13 points (4G, 9A) in 19 games with Winnipeg. He was dominant in the playoffs, adding another 15 points (6G, 9A). Stastny was a rental, never intending to be re-signed by the Jets. He inked a three-year, $19.5 million deal with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1.
Joel Armia and Steve Mason were traded on June 30 to the Montreal Canadians for prospect Simon Bourque. Armia was a substantial presence in Winnipeg, piling up 29 points (12G, 17A) in 79 games. Mason never got much of a chance to play while backing up Connor Hellebuyck, appearing in just 13 games last season.
After trading Mason, the Jets signed backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit to a one-year, $650,000 deal. At 25-years old, Brossoit has only played in 28 games in four seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, so he’s still somewhat of an unknown quantity. Hellebuyck appeared in 67 games for Winnipeg in 2017-18, and there’s no reason to assume that quantity changes. The Jets will hope that Brossoit can plug the gaps when Hellebuyck needs a night off, but if he gets injured, Winnipeg could find itself in a heap of goaltending trouble.
Matt Hendricks is a role player. While these types of players are valuable, they’re a dime-a-dozen. Hendricks appeared in 60 games, had 13 points, and a minus-1 rating in 2017-18. The oft-injured forward signed a one-year, $700,000 deal with the Minnesota Wild this offseason.
Toby Enstrom has spent his entire 11-year career with Atlanta/Winnipeg. During that time, he’s been a valuable asset, totaling 308 points (54G, 254A). Enstrom announced on June 10 that he would not be returning to Winnipeg this offseason. He is currently a free agent.
Winnipeg has a deep roster, so they should be able to overcome these losses. They were already one of the best teams in the West without Stastny, but it remains to be seen who will fill the roles opened by the departure of Armia and Hendricks.
Minnesota Wild
2017-18 Results: 45-26-11 (3rd in Central, 101 Points)
Lost/FA: C Matt Cullen, C Tyler Ennis, F Zack Mitchell, D Kyle Quincey, F Daniel Winnik
Added: F J.T. Brown, C Eric Fehr, C Matt Hendricks, D Greg Pateryn
The Wild lost several role players and added several more. Center Matt Cullen was not re-signed in the offseason. The 41-year old is headed back to Pittsburgh, where he won two Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
Despite his age, Cullen was a healthy role player, scoring 22 points (11G, 11A). The caveat is that it was his lowest offensive output since the 2003-04 season. The Wild also lost another center in Tyler Ennis, who recently signed with Toronto. Ennis had a nearly identical production to Cullen, notching 22 points (8G, 14A) in 2017-18.
Minnesota has brought in Eric Fehr and the aforementioned Matt Hendricks to fill the void left at center, although it’s not one-hundred percent certain the two will be fill-in replacements. There’s a chance neither could see time on the roster to open the season.
Fehr’s signing is hopeful at best. He’s bounced around for the last two seasons and only played in 18 NHL games in 2017-18. Hendricks is a fourth-line center who can eat ten minutes per game.
There are no big offensive signees that come close to jumping off the page; however, Minnesota bolstered their defense by signing former Stars defenseman Greg Pateryn. The 28-year old should step in and immediately see minutes on Minnesota’s third defense pairing.
Colorado Avalanche
2017-18 Results: 43-30-9 (4th in Central, 95 Points)
Lost/FA: F Blake Comeau, D Nail Yakupov, F Joe Colborne
Added: F Matt Calvert, D Ian Cole, G Philipp Grubauer
Out with Blake Comeau, in with Matt Calvert. When graphed, Comeau’s career looks like a rollercoaster. A solid third-line right wing, Comeau scored 34 points (13G, 21A) for the Avs in 2017-18. This number is up from 20 in 2016-17, but down from 2015-16 when he had 36 points. The past three seasons are an amalgamation of Comeau’s career.
The 32-year old and alternate captain signed with the division rival Stars during the offseason, where he will likely step into Antoine Roussel’s role.
With that, Colorado went out and signed Calvert. A left wing who will likely play on the Avs fourth line, he had a middling career in Columbus that is trending slightly upward; he tied his career high in points last season with 24 (9G, 15A).
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Mile High Sticking
Former first-overall pick Nail Yakupov is headed back to the KHL after a disappointing six-year stint in the NHL. It’s difficult to live up to being the first pick in the NHL Draft, but Yakupov has had an especially difficult time, being outshined by fellow 2012 draft picks Filip Forsberg and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
He was the third consecutive first-overall selection by Edmonton (Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were the other two).
Yakupov’s spot will be filled by Ian Cole, a highly-capable defenseman who should provide an upgrade at the position. Cole will play solid third defensive pairing minutes while adding 20-30 points from the blue line.
The most significant addition for Colorado this offseason is netminder Philipp Grubauer. A backup in Washington for the last six years, Grubauer has seen his playing time grow in each of the previous three, and his play down the stretch last season led Washington to allow him to start the playoffs over regular starter Braden Holtby.
The 26-year old has posted phenomenal stats in the backup role, with a career .923 SV% and 2.29 GAA. His new three-year, $10 million deal (and the hasty buyout of also-acquired Brooks Orpik) makes him one of the highest paid backups in the NHL. He’ll initially backup entrenched starter Semyon Varlamov, but the door is open for him to move into the starting role when Varlamov’s contract expires in 2019.
St. Louis Blues
2017-18 Results: 44-32-6 (5th in Central, 94 Points)
Lost/FA: F Patrik Berglund, C Kyle Brodziak, G Carter Hutton, C Vladimir Sobotka, F Tage Thompson, F Scottie Upshall
Added: C Tyler Bozak, G Chad Johnson, F David Perron, C Ryan O’Reilly
The Blues have made all the moves. Significant departures and even more considerable signings have made St. Louis one of the biggest movers-and-shakers of free agency, the two big signings being prized free agents David Perron and Tyler Bozak.
This will be Perron’s third stint with the Blues, this time on a four-year contract with a healthy salary increase. Perron has had two consecutive good years. In 2016-17 with St. Louis, he totaled 46 points (18G, 28A) and was picked by Vegas in the expansion draft. Things only got better from there. At age 29, Perron posted 66 points (16G, 50A) with the Golden Knights last season.
He’s a big, bludgeoning forward who is a great facilitator, accumulating 17 power-play assists. Stars fans were glad to see him leave St. Louis for the Pacific Division, but now he’s returned to the Gateway City to wreak havoc on the Central.
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Bleedin' Blue
Bozak is a player that Blackout Dallas was high on going into the offseason and can shift seamlessly between playing center on the second or third line for the Blues. Despite not posting the numbers at the level of Perron last season, Bozak inked a three-year, $15 million deal, which was higher than anticipated. Still, Blues fans should expect to see a hard worker put up 45-55 points per season for the next three years.
Oh, and what about adding another quality center? The Blues acquired Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly as part of Sabres General Manager Jason Botterill’s organizational renovation for Patrik Berglund and Tage Thompson. The veteran has scored 55+ points each of the last five seasons and is only 27 years old. He’ll likely center the second line, creating one of the NHL’s most formidable middles of Brayden Schenn, O’Reilly, and Bozak, immediately making the Blues contenders in the West (health permitting).
The biggest loss for the Blues isn’t even a starter. Carter Hutton, the best backup goaltender in the NHL, departed this offseason for the chance to start in Buffalo. Hutton appeared in 32 games last season for St. Louis, posting an absurd .932 SV% and 2.09 GAA. He was arguably better than the starter Jake Allen. The move is well-deserved for Hutton, who has excelled as a backup in both Nashville and St. Louis.
With Hutton’s departure to Buffalo, the Blues reciprocated by signing Buffalo’s backup goaltender Chad Johnson. Johnson is a backup’s backup, meaning that he saw significant playing time during his tenure in Buffalo, appearing in 36+ games in each of the previous three seasons (two with Buffalo with Calgary sandwiched in-between). His stats have oscillated, but it’s worth noting the terrible teams he’s played for aren’t helping out much in front of him. He projects to be an effective backup in St. Louis.
Chicago Blackhawks
2017-18 Results: 33-39-10 (7th in Central, 76 Points)
Lost/FA: F Lance Bouma, D Cody Franson, G Jeff Glass, F Tomas Jurco, D Michal Rozsival, F Patrick Sharp
Added: F Chris Kunitz, D Brandon Manning, G Cam Ward
In Joseph Conrad’s 1899 classic Heart of Darkness, Charles Marlow travels deep into the bowels of the Congo Free State in an attempt to save the mythical “Kurtz”. The deeper Marlow travels into the jungle, the more he loses his grip on reality, leaving him on the verge of insanity. The novella is incredibly depressing and has a lot of nuanced things to say about Imperialism, but I digress.
This is the Chicago Blackhawks franchise right now: a once-powerful franchise lost deep in a jungle that’s sinking its tendrils around the souls of all who play there. They have no cap space, a bottom-ten defense in the NHL, and will probably be worse than their last-place finish in 2017-18. The deeper one dives into the state of their franchise, the more hopeless it all seems. This wasn’t always the case.
The Blackhawks’ fall to the cellar of the Central Division was quick and unanticipated; however, now that they’re there, it doesn’t look like they’ll emerge any time soon. A series of underwhelming signings won’t change much going into 2018-19.
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Da Windy City
Chris Kunitz, Brandon Manning, and Cam Ward all inked deals with the Blackhawks on July 1. Kunitz is a shell of his former self. Once a near-70 point player, he’s failed to crack 30 points in each of the last two seasons, and he’ll likely be third-line fodder for the Blackhawks. The 38-year old signed a one year, $1 million deal.
Manning projects to be a third-pair defenseman. He’ll get $2 million per year for two years. While he’s serviceable, he in no way plugs Chicago’s glaring defensive deficiencies.
At this point in his career, Ward is several years out of his prime. He’ll be relegated to backing up Corey Crawford and hasn’t posted a save percentage above .910 since 2012-13. Despite this, he somehow managed to suck a one year, $3 million deal out of Chicago. With that, he’s likely an improvement over previous backup Jeff Glass, whose .898 SV% prompted Chicago to let the KHL veteran go.
The Blackhawks have also parted ways with defensemen Cody Franson and Michal Rozsival, neither of whom contributed much to the team last season. Roszival, like many things involved with the Blackhawks, was a great player many years ago. But he hasn’t played more than 65 games since 2009-10, and his point production has bottomed out. Franson was once thought of as a burgeoning defensive star, but that star has faded. He scored just seven points last season.
Next: Who To Trade For? Potential Targets For Stars
Fan favorite and heartthrob Patrick Sharp retired this offseason after returning to Chicago for one last hurrah. Sharp and his perfect jawline struggled during his final two seasons with Dallas and Chicago. His production over the previous two years was the worst of his career.