Dallas Stars: How Their Cap Space Looks Heading Into 2018-19 Season

After a flurry of offseason moves and frivolous spending, the Dallas Stars look set and ready for the 2018-19 season. Here is how their cap space looks after potentially wrapping up with offseason moves.

The 2018-19 Dallas Stars roster might finally be locked in.

As the month of August gets into full swing, the frequency of hockey news typically grinds to a screeching halt for somewhere between three and four weeks. And when it comes to the Dallas Stars, there’s usually an even more significant lull than there is with other NHL teams. It comes with the “non-traditional market” territory.

But before that lull settles in and you’re forced to go to the ends of the hockey media world to find relevant stories, there are some final news stories to dig through.

On Friday afternoon, the Dallas Stars officially signed forward Gemel Smith to a new contract. Smith, who had filed for arbitration along with two other Stars’ restricted free agents back on July 5, was the only Dallas player that ended up not getting a contract done before his hearing.

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The debate being had between the player and team wasn’t necessarily the term or AAV, but instead had to do primarily with the direction of the contract. Smith was vying for a one-way deal worth around $900K, while the Stars wanted to sign him to a two-way deal. One-way basically means that while Smith can play in any league that the Stars assign him to, he will be paid the same salary. Two-way brings two different salaries to the table, one that specifically serves his time in the majors and the other that is for minor league play.

Smith got his wish, signing a one-year, one-way contract. But the Stars were rewarded in a way as well considering Smith’s AAV is $720K. It’s a small contract that gives Smith another year to prove his deservedness of a longer-term deal with a higher salary.

This deal marks the closing of the Stars’ final in-house negotiations. With Smith locked in, Dallas has successfully signed all of their pending free agents for the 2018-19 season. As a result, their roster looks close to complete.

Now, there’s still no certainty of how the Dallas Stars’ roster will look on opening night. GM Jim Nill isn’t afraid of pulling the trigger on big moves and seems to still be scanning the market for potential trades or signings.

But as of right now, we have our first clear picture of what the Stars’ roster could potentially look like on Oct. 4. In addition, we also have a good look at their current cap space and how that could affect the season ahead. Let’s take a look at it.

According to CapFriendly.com, the Dallas Stars currently own about $5,350,001 in cap space. That includes a roster of 13 forwards, six defensemen, and two goaltenders. That equals out to 21 players, meaning Dallas can tack on two more bodies to complete their 23-man roster before the season begins.

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Now, this roster obviously isn’t finalized yet. The current projection does not include young defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who seems to be a lock for the opening night roster. When you add his entry-level AAV of $894,166 to the Stars’ space, it shrinks down to $4,455,835.

And considering Martin Hanzal will be on the IR to start the season, Dallas will need to call up at least one more forward. Both Jason Dickinson and Remi Elie are not included in this projection, so one (or potentially both) will be on the Dallas Stars roster by the beginning of October.

If they bring up Dickinson, the team will be down to $3,580,835. But if they go with Elie (the cheaper option), the space will shrink to $3,720,835. And if they call up both and have them on the roster, they will be looking at $2,845,835.

There are certain ways that they can maneuver around the cap as well, especially if they put Hanzal on long-term injured reserve.

But at the moment, it looks as though the Stars are in good shape in regards to cap space. Dallas entered the offseason with around $18 million in space. Nill spent around $9,150,000 on the first day of free agency to upgrade his NHL roster. And after signing a handful of restricted free agents to new deals, the team’s cap space should linger somewhere between $2.8 million and $4.5 million by the time opening night rolls around.

That’s not a bad number at all. The Dallas Stars managed their space well in their offseason moves up to this point. The only questions that remain are whether these moves will pay off and if there are any moves yet to be made. Those will be answered in due time.