Dallas Stars: Ranking Each Of Their Major 2018 Offseason Signings

The Dallas Stars avoided spending big in the 2018 offseason but still made some noteworthy additions. How does each one rank in terms of the significance they could potentially play with the team this year?

It’s tough trying to imagine the Dallas Stars not being at the center of offseason and free agency action.

Ever since Jim Nill took over as general manager in 2013, the Stars have been at the center of the NHL universe when it comes to offseason acquisitions and blockbuster deals. Whether it’s Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Antti Niemi, Patrick Sharp, or Alexander Radulov, Nill has built up an extravagant list of talent over the years.

Those significant changes bring sizably new lineups and outlooks with each passing season. And while that can sometimes result in a significant upside, it can also come with a certain amount of growing pains.

The last few years have brought about an inordinate amount of growing pains. In 2016-17, the Stars had to adjust after losing some of their regular starters and staying quiet on the acquisition front.

In this previous season, Dallas once again had to adjust to a brand new setup. With a new head coach, new starting goaltender, and new players throughout the lineup, another shift occurred. And while it looked promising for a while, it didn’t last. The Stars slipped up in the final month of the season and once again saw their offseason plans bottom out.

So, as they approached the drawing board in the beginning of the 2018 offseason, Nill took a bit of a different turn. Instead of taking the lack of playoffs as a sign to do another overhaul, he sat back and took a deeper look at his team. He added a new head coach in Jim Montgomery that should complement the Dallas lineup rather nicely and spent his first day of free agency in a somewhat conservative manner.

While he did spend close to ten million dollars on free agents, none of them were necessarily “blockbusters.” The Dallas Stars signed forwards Valeri Nichushkin and Blake Comeau, defenseman Roman Polak, and goaltender Anton Khudobin to add to their NHL roster in preparation for the 2018-19 season.

That left a lot of Stars fans confused, especially after the typical trend that the team follows after missing the postseason.

But now that the offseason is just about over and the Dallas Stars don’t seem as though they will be pulling the trigger on any other acquisitions, it puts things into perspective. Was this offseason a way for Nill to show his confidence in his current roster? By only adding minor pieces that should potentially “round out” the roster, is he under the impression that his team is ready to compete as is?

There’s a debate to be had in both directions. But the four major additions in the 2018 offseason might end up playing rather significant roles in terms of determining how successful the Stars are this year.

So, how influential will each signing be to the team ‘s success this season? Let’s try and rank each of the four.

2. Anton Khudobin

Coming in at no. 2 on the list is goaltender Anton Khudobin.

The Dallas Stars have struggled with a lot of things over the past decade. But one of their biggest issues has always been the goaltender’s crease.

From failing to properly develop top goaltending prospects to constantly recycling goalies who were past their primes, Dallas has struggled heavily in recent seasons with getting their goaltending in a good, consistent spot.

That could change this year with the addition of Khudobin.

The acquisition of Ben Bishop last summer worked particularly well for the Dallas Stars for most of the 2017-18 season. He was a solid no. 1 goaltender when healthy and gave Kari Lehtonen a chance to show off his strengths in a more relaxed role as the backup.

The two put together a formidable tandem for the first few months of the year until Bishop went down with an injury in early March. With their starter out for practically the remainder of the year, Lehtonen was forced to assume the role of no. 1 and couldn’t keep the team afloat.

Khudobin should change that. While he’s 32 years old, he’s only competed in 147 NHL games in his career. In other words, he’s played a primary backup role for the majority of his career.

But in that role, he’s also been able to prove his reliability as a starter in times of crisis.

In his few years in the NHL, he’s been through some different situations. He was in Carolina for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons and dealt with a bit of a 1A-1B situation in net, much like the Stars used with Lehtonen and Antti Niemi in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

The last two years, however, he’s served as a backup to Tuukka Rask in Boston. And though Rask is a solid goaltender, he has a bit of an injury history in the recent past. And whenever he was missing from the crease, Khudobin was there to clean the mess up and keep the Bruins in the game.

He finished the 2017-18 season with a 16-6-7 record along with a .913 save percentage and 2.56 goals against average. Those are solid numbers for a backup goaltender, especially one that was forced to step in as a no. 1 at times.

That’s something the Stars needed to plan for when choosing their new backup. With Bishop’s own injury history, there’s no need to risk not being prepared in case something goes awry this season. If Bishop exits the lineup, Dallas needs a reliable option at the no. 2. Khudobin should be that option.

“We had our meetings back and he was one of the top goalies and we thought he was a good fit for us,” Nill said on July 1. “We have some players that had prior experience with him. You always do your background checks. We talked about his work habits and how does he work with another goalie and that. He checked most of the boxes.”

Khudobin could very well end up playing a critical role in the Stars’ success this season and even in their playoff chances. It’s still undetermined whether he will or not, but it’s nice to have a reliable goaltender to fill the void.

Expect Anton Khudobin to have a sizable role in keeping Dallas up and running this season.

3. Blake Comeau

When the announcement first broke that the Dallas Stars had signed Blake Comeau to a three-year deal, it came with a fair amount of skepticism.

For one, the expectation was for Dallas to bring in a big name as they always seem to do. Comeau’s known more as a depth forward that can use his size and scoring instincts to serve as a solid option for the bottom nine.

In addition, it was also weird seeing the team sign him for three years. At the age of 32, Comeau isn’t necessarily in the prime of his career. But he still earned the longest term of any of the Stars’ free agent additions.

And finally, seeing Comeau on the roster for the next three years raises some question marks about the Stars’ prospect pool. After all, if Dallas keeps filling their holes with veteran free agents, how will the young players ever get a chance to break into the lineup and earn a full-time spot?

But there’s a good reason why the Dallas Stars signed Comeau. The Stars brought Comeau in to give them two things that they lack in their offensive depth: leadership and flexibility.

When looking at the projected starting offense for Dallas, one thing stands out about their bottom six: it’s a predominantly young group. Not many of their starters have more than two or three full years of NHL experience and that brings a bit of a learning curve with it.

That’s one area where Comeau will be able to step in. Being a veteran leader and depth player for the Dallas offense should give them a sizable advantage when trying to flex all four lines in a game.

But he should also give the team a fair amount of flexibility when crafting the offensive attack. Comeau can play both wing positions on offense, is a talented penalty killer, and can play both as a scorer or as a grinder, depending on the situation.

That should give Jim Montgomery a fair amount of flexibility when crafting his lineup. He could virtually stick Comeau on either wing on any of the four lines. Whether he needs Comeau scoring in the top six or playing a physical, “wear down” style in the bottom six, he can check most of the boxes. That level of flexibility could be a major key in generating and balancing out the offense.

“He’s a great veteran presence,” Nill said of Comeau on July 1. “He’s had a strong career and has done a good job in Colorado the past couple years and played well against us. He’s a very versatile player. You can play him first line, play him on third line, left side or right side. I like the veteran presence in the dressing room.”

Comeau may not seem like the most necessary option for the Dallas Stars to bring in, but his presence should benefit both their offense and special teams.

4. Roman Polak

And finally, we have defenseman Roman Polak. But just because he’s ranked fourth on the list doesn’t mean he won’t turn into a worthwhile addition.

Of all of the Dallas Stars’ 2018 offseason additions, the signing of Roman Polak definitely raised the most eyebrows.

After putting together a impressive turnaround in the 2017-18 season and turning into one of the best groups in the NHL, the Dallas defense looked set for the future. A young core brimming with talent mixed with financial stability had the Stars blue line looking bright for 2018-19 and the many years to follow.

But then they brought in 32-year-old Roman Polak. And while the move wasn’t a burden on their cap space considering he’s only signed for one year at $1.3 million, it was still uncertain as to why they made the move.

With Esa Lindell, John Klingberg, Miro Heiskanen, Stephen Johns, Marc Methot, Julius Honka, and Dillon Heatherington as a seventh option, the Dallas defense looked set and ready for the season ahead as they entered the 2018 offseason.

So why add a big-bodied, veteran depth defender to the mix? Well, because he’s a big-bodied, veteran depth defender.

While it is promising to see all of the skill and talent that the Dallas defense possesses, it’s important to remember that they are still young. And whether you know it or not, veteran leadership in the locker room and on the ice pays dividends in hockey.

Polak will be the second-oldest member of the Stars defense this season and will therefore have an opportunity to leave a lasting impact on the group around him.

In his 12-year NHL career, Polak has thrived on being a stay-at-home style of defender, using his size and smarts to disrupt offensive attacks and turn the play back around. He’s a big body at 6-2, 235 lb. and can be a physical presence when prompted. He’s not known for being an offensive asset and has a bit of an injury history. But he plays with confidence and intelligence, and that usually gets him far.

His value to the Dallas Stars lineup is that he can fill in for certain situations on a game-by-game basis. If the Stars need a bigger guy to give them an extra dose of physicality in a contest, Polak can be that guy. In addition, they also have him to use as a blue line leader in the locker room.

At the same time, though, he’s also projected to be the seventh defender throughout the season. He’ll likely only play in a handful of games for Dallas this year, but should be an asset whenever the Stars call on him.

“You look at our defense,” said Nill on July 1. “We’ve got the Honkas, the Heiskanens, the Klingbergs. It’s nice that he’s a big, heavy body and he’s got great experience and just brings another veteran presence to our dressing room.”

The Dallas Stars made a handful of seemingly insignificant additions to their roster in the 2018 offseason. In all actuality, however, the moves should benefit the Stars lineup and help them further round out their roster.

We’ll see how things pan out by the time October rolls around.