Dallas Stars: Three Important Free Agent Negotiations In 2019 Offseason

There are a handful of important decisions awaiting the Dallas Stars in the thick of the 2019 offseason. Many of those revolve around their pending free agents. But of those free agents, which ones will provide the most intriguing negotiations?

The free agency period can be a fascinating time for the Dallas Stars.

Whether it’s the summer of 2017 when the Stars made a massive splash and brought on talent like Ben Bishop, Marc Methot, and Alexander Radulov, or the summer of 2016 when they were rather passive in their free agent acquisitions while also parting ways with a lot of talent, there’s never any telling where they might go.

Take the summer of 2018 for example. After missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season and hiring on yet another new coach, the Stars approached July 1 with a seemingly extensive list of needs.

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But instead of going out and landing a “big fish” free agent, GM Jim Nill brought on a few depth pieces (Blake Comeau, Valeri Nichushkin, Roman Polak, and Anton Khudobin) while letting go of a few depth pieces. Meanwhile, players like John Tavares, James Van Riemsdyk, and Paul Stastny signed with other clubs.

Did the Stars make enough moves to fix their lingering problems? It didn’t seem like it at the time.

As we know now, though, those moves paid off. Polak filled a sizable void on defense that had been created by injuries early in the season, while Khudobin saved the Dallas crease when Ben Bishop was hit by various injuries and served as a 1b goalie. On top of that, the Stars made some moves at the Trade Deadline to round out their playoff-caliber roster.

It all ended with the Dallas Stars qualifying for the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and advancing to Game 7 of the second round before falling in double overtime to the St. Louis Blues. And with that, the Stars began their 2019 offseason journey.

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It just goes to show that free agency is an unpredictable animal and can do a lot to a hockey team. A team might go all in on the market and reel in a ton of superstar talent yet still miss the postseason. On the other hand, a team can make some minor moves and still work their way into the final 16. Anything can happen.

And in the offseason ahead, the Dallas Stars have another interesting free agency period to delve through.

For one, the pieces seem to be there for this team to make a run. After all, they were one of the final six teams standing at the end of their 2018-19 campaign.

At the same time, however, their offense struggled to produce at various points in the season and, had it not been for the heroic efforts of their defense and goaltending, they may not have cracked the postseason bracket.

And so, a debate must be sorted through. But it doesn’t solely have to do with signing free agents on the market; it also has to do with the pending free agents already on the roster.

Going into the 2019 summer, the Dallas Stars have six unrestricted free agents and four restricted free agents that ended the season on their roster.

With each pending free agent comes a specific debate. How did they produce in the past season? What kind of contract might they be looking for in terms of salary and term? Are they nearing the end of their NHL career or just getting started? Could they bring significant value to the team next season?

There are a lot of questions that must be answered when going through the negotiation process. And while each of them will require a decision, there are a handful of pending free agents that the Stars will need to be careful with.

Here is a look at three of them in particular.