Dallas Stars: Five Questions Facing The Team In 2019 Offseason

1. Have Honka, Ritchie Played Their Last Games With The Stars?

When comparing it to past summers, the Stars’ restricted free agent class in the summer of 2019 is much less extensive. With that being said, though, the decisions that this year’s class will involve make it all the more difficult.

Those decisions revolve around two RFAs in particular, being defenseman Julius Honka and forward Brett Ritchie.

When you think about the Dallas Stars and their 2018-19 campaign, a lot probably comes to mind. Battling adversity, the success of a brand new coaching staff, a disappointing offensive effort countered by a strong defensive game, a career year in the crease for Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin, and fighting to be one of the final six teams standing in the league are probably chief among those thoughts.

Pucks and Pitchforks

One thing that cannot be forgotten, though, is the emergence and development of their young talent. Rookies and young players like Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Jason Dickinson, and Esa Lindell took significant steps forward in their production and became reliable NHL options for the Stars. And in injury-plagued times, rookies like Gavin Bayreuther, Dillon Heatherington, Denis Gurianov, and Joel L’Esperance proved that they are worthy of competing for NHL time.

And while those young faces thrived and earned considerable ice time down the stretch and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, both Honka and Ritchie watched from the press box.

Let’s lay out the two situations really quick.

Honka is a 23-year-old defenseman and was the Stars’ first-round pick in 2014. After working his way through the AHL for a few seasons, he made his NHL debut in Nov. 2016 and looked to be a critical piece of the Stars’ future on the blue line. In the past two seasons, however, he has played in a combined 71 games and has tallied one goal, eight points, and a -3 rating in an average of 13:18 on the ice per game. To top it all off, the last time he played in a game was Jan. 15, 2019, meaning that he spent the final four months of the season as a healthy scratch and practice body.

Ritchie is 25 and will be 26 on the first day of free agency. After putting together a breakout season in his first full year in the league (2016-17) with 16 goals, 24 points, and a +11 rating in 78 games, he earned a two-year bridge deal with the team before the 2017-18 season began.

But after a seven-goal, 14-point effort in 71 games during the 2017-18 campaign and a four-goal, six-point performance this past year, Ritchie looks more like a healthy scratch that can only play in certain situations. He didn’t win a full-time starting spot during the 2018-19 season and was limited to just 53 games, while also playing in the Stars’ final playoff contest of the year.

Causeway Crowd

In the 2018-19 season, a few things were made relevant. For one, Honka could not gain the trust of a third consecutive coaching staff in Dallas. On the other hand, he fell as far as he possibly could on the depth chart without actually being reassigned to the Texas Stars. In Ritchie’s case, the forward couldn’t consistently crack the lineup, was passed up by younger players coming up from the AHL, and averaged 9:36 on the ice per game while once again posting small numbers in the offensive zone.

With both players becoming restricted free agents in the 2019 offseason, the question must be asked: does either have a long-term future in Dallas? Prospects are coming up from the farm system and earning playing time as they become NHL regulars, leaving many to wonder whether it’s time to move past the former Dallas draft picks.

There’s a chance that both could still have respectable NHL careers, but they may have to be in new cities. Ritchie is a big body that combines his physicality and an impressive wrist shot to become a dominant power forward in all three zones. Honka, while a bit undersized at 5-11, 180 lb., is a solid offensive defenseman that can move the puck well and quarterback an offensive rush from the blue line.

Both players can contribute at the NHL level, but neither seems to be fitting in well with the new era that the Dallas Stars are building towards.

With that being said, will Nill sign them to new deals and hope they work out? Or will he trade one or both away and bring about a fresh start for both sides?

2. How Much Is Mats Zuccarello Worth, And Will The Stars Pay?

Will Mats Zuccarello be a member of the Dallas Stars during the 2019-20 season? That seems to be the top question on the mind of every Stars fan (as well as a good chunk of the NHL), and for good reason.

When the Stars acquired Zuccarello at the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline, it was to fill a void that had been growing since the end of the 2015-16 season. That void was in their second line.

After two and a half frustrating seasons of their offensive contributions coming primarily from their top line, Jim Nill decided to make a move. At the time, the Stars’ offense was in the bottom-five of the league standings in terms of production and couldn’t seem to get anything out of their depth forwards. As a result, they were sitting on the playoff bubble in the Western Conference, hoping and praying that their defense and goaltending would be enough to punch their ticket to the postseason.

Gone Puck Wild

But then Zuccarello came in, and all of that changed (well, sort of). After wooing Stars fans for two periods in his Stars debut but unfortunately breaking his arm in the process, the longtime Ranger only got a chance to play in two regular season games with Dallas. In those games, however, he showed incredible speed, fascinating playmaking abilities, tremendous chemistry, and a unique ability to make his line-mates better in almost every facet of their own game. Tack on a goal and three points and you’ve got a pretty impressive debut considering the circumstances.

He ended up taking it a step further in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Zuccarello played in all 13 games for Dallas (even after being forced to take 3-4 shots in his recovering arm prior to each game to freeze up tendonitis and other lingering issues) and led the team in points with 11 (4G, 7A) while also tacking on a +2 rating in an average of 17:07 on the ice.

It’s clear that Zuccarello had a substantial and lasting impact on the Dallas Stars in his short time with the organization. He made players around him better, created new opportunities for Jim Montgomery‘s offense, and brought the offensive lineup closer to being a legitimate 12-man attack.

But now, the forward is in need of a new contract. The 31-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent and will carry the UFA title for the first time in his career on July 1. That is, unless the Stars get something done.

Dallas has the upper hand in this area because they are the only team that can talk with Zuccarello between now and June 23. Once the 23rd rolls around, however, he can begin conversing with all interested teams.

And that’s why Dallas has to act quickly. But the question isn’t necessarily whether he should be re-signed. After all, his performance helped show the Stars just how dangerous they can be.

“This is my team now. I’m the kind of guy that when someone believes in you and wants you, I usually like that. We’ll see.” – Zuccarello on exit interview day

Instead, the question revolves around how much the forward is worth.

Will the Dallas Stars be willing to give him a five-year extension even if it would mean keeping him under contract until age 37, or should they aim for a four-year deal instead? And would Zuccarello be willing to sign for that, or does he want more security?

And what about salary? Is an AAV of $6 million enough to cover a new deal, or will he charge more? How high would Nill be willing to go in the negotiation?

Both sides said all of the right things on exit interview day and entertained the hope of a long-term reunion for the benefit of Zuccarello and the Stars. But a lot of questions still linger on the table about what his next contract should look like and whether he actually wants to stay in Dallas for what might be the final contract of his NHL career.

Either way, Nill has 23 days before other teams can start lighting up the forward’s phone.

3. How Active Should The Stars Be In Free Agency/Trading?

For many of the past few summers, Jim Nill has not shied away from going after the “big fishes” both in free agency and on the trading block.

In July 2013, he landed Tyler Seguin in a trade with the Boston Bruins (which quickly became one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history). In the summer of 2014, he reeled in Jason Spezza in a blockbuster trade. The 2015 offseason brought Antti Niemi, Patrick Sharp, Stephen Johns and Johnny Oduya to Texas. And in the summer of 2017, he pulled in Ben Bishop, Marc Methot, Martin Hanzal, and Alexander Radulov.

Not to mention that he was also active in the hunt for John Tavares and Erik Karlsson during the 2018 offseason.

As a result, the question on everyone’s minds when the Dallas Stars enter a given offseason is in regards to how active they will be. Will they go on a shopping spree and bring in multiple top talents in an effort to become a Stanley Cup favorite? Or will they play it quiet and stick to in-house solutions?

Predlines

The question has already arisen in the early part of the 2019 offseason and will likely continue to come up until mid-July.

So, how active will the Stars be both in the free agency market and on the trading block this summer?

That will depend on a few things.

For one, they have to sort through their own free agents first. Will they re-sign Mats Zuccarello? If yes, that will take up a sizable piece of their remaining cap space but would eliminate the need to sign a big-name forward to slot in the top six. If they don’t, however, that should push Nill to man the phones going up to July 1 in an attempt to land a superstar scorer and avoid another season of finishing in the bottom-four in terms of offensive production. Names like Gustav Nyquist and Ryan Dzingel could come to mind in this search.

The Stars might be looking for more help on defense as well, considering four of their defenders will be UFAs. Could Anton Stralman or Tyler Myers be a viable target for Nill?

A lot of the Stars’ activity in the summer ahead will be based on what their cap allows them to do. They have the space to make one relatively large move or a handful of small moves if need be, but they also may be ready to trust their in-house solutions and try out some younger names in the open spots.

There’s a lot of routes that Nill could take depending on who he re-signs and what the cap looks like.

But, as we know from years past, you can be assured that he will keep his phone on and do a good amount of homework on the names entering free agency or hitting the trading block. It’s basically a tradition at this point.

So, if you end up seeing the Stars in the race for Artemi Panarin, don’t act surprised.

4. Who Will Line Up Next To Miro Heiskanen In 2019-20?

Out of all of the big surprises from the Stars’ 2018-19 campaign, it’s hard to not pick the emergence of Miro Heiskanen as the most exciting one.

After being drafted third overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and spending the 2017-18 season in Finland, Heiskanen made the trek over to North America during the 2018 offseason and prepared for his rookie season in the NHL level. And, at the time, many didn’t know what to think.

The reviews and highlight footage of the young defender over in Finland were nothing short of impressive, and it was clear that he had the potential to be a generational talent.

Sports Dallas Fort-Worth

On the other hand, the Stars’ defense didn’t necessarily need “saving” and there were questions revolving around how long it might take the rookie to adapt to the NHL style of play.

After a handful of games in October, though, it was clear that Heiskanen was not just a player that the Dallas Stars needed, but a player that every other NHL team wanted.

Heiskanen wasted no time in leaving a sizable footprint on the league and catching the eye of every opposing player, coach, and GM in the process. His mixture of speed, poise, and focus made him an intriguing asset to the Dallas blue line. He was just as disciplined and structured in the defensive zone as he was overbearing and dominant in the offensive zone, and it showed.

The rookie played in all 82 regular season games, scoring 12 goals and posting 33 points in an average of 23:07 on the ice. He was also named to the 2019 NHL All-Star Game for his efforts and was the lone representative for the Stars.

And when the playoffs rolled around, he didn’t stop. In 13 starts, Heiskanen scored two goals and tallied four total points while averaging 25:31 on the ice.

Whether it was at even strength, on the power play, on the penalty kill, or in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, no stage was too big for the 19-year-old.

But before the 2019-20 season begins, the Dallas Stars will need to find a partner to skate alongside no. 4.

Heiskanen skated with Roman Polak for a majority of the 2018-19 season and through the playoffs, and the duo managed to generate chemistry with each other. But with Polak becoming a free agent this summer and the Stars not showing a ton of interest in bringing the gritty defender back, Heiskanen will be in need of a new partner.

Is the free agent or trade market the solution in this case? As mentioned in the previous slide, names like Stralman and Myers may come up as respectable right-handed shots that could mesh well and complement Heiskanen’s style.

Or what about finding a solution that’s already under the Stars’ roof? What if Stephen Johns feels good and is medically cleared for the 2019-20 season? Or could another rookie fill the void?

There’s a fair amount of questioning and research that must go into finding a new partner for the defensive phenom. And if the Stars want their rookie to continue budding and their defense to turn in another strong performance in 2019-20, it will require that they make the right decision when choosing the puzzle piece to complete their top four.

5. Is There A Need To Address The Depth Scoring?

One of the more prominent issues within the Stars’ system over the past few seasons has been their lack of quality depth scoring.

In 2017-18, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov combined for 54 percent of the goals scored by Stars forwards that skated in at least 70 games. In other words, the bottom nine forwards combined for 46 percent. And while every team will be a little top-heavy when it comes to offensive production, the Stars were much too top heavy.

And for much of the 2018-19 season, the same issues came up. Although scoring as a whole was down significantly from the year before, it was still Benn, Seguin, and Radulov doing the majority of the heavy lifting.

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But then Mats Zuccarello came around, and everything seemed to take a turn for the better. Jason Dickinson and Roope Hintz became legitimate threats in the offensive zone, the lineup evened out, and the contributions from outside of the “big three” became more consistent.

Even so, there still may be a need for help on offense.

When looking at the production from Dallas depth forwards during the past season, there’s a lot left to be desired. Radek Faksa led the depth scoring charge with 15 goals. Roope Hintz had nine. Jason Spezza and Tyler Pitlick each netted eight. Blake Comeau chipped in seven. Mattias Janmark and Jason Dickinson posted six apiece. Brett Ritchie and Andrew Cogliano combined for seven. And finally, Valeri Nichushkin couldn’t find the back of the net at all in 57 games played.

In other words, it was another relatively dry year for the Dallas depth scorers as the Stars finished 28th overall in league scoring at 2.55 goals per game. And when three of your top seven scorers are defensemen, it’s obvious that something isn’t working in the offensive end.

And so, the question remains: should the Stars make a move to help their depth scoring out?

There’s a few ways this could play out. On the one hand, signing Zuccarello would greatly boost their second line but also leave them with less cap space to make a significant move. The potential for a trade is also there, though, with a handful of players currently on the roster presumably being “available.”

Finally, the Stars may end up sticking to their guns in hopes that players like Hintz, Dickinson, Faksa, Janmark, Gurianov and others can step up and provide a scoring punch. After all, with a healthy Zuccarello potentially in the fold for the entire year, the entire offense should take a step forward.

These are just a handful of the questions facing the Dallas Stars in the offseason ahead. The answers to these questions will not only help in determining what the Stars’ next step looks like, but could also play a major role in determining the long-term success of the franchise.

That’s what the offseason is all about. No pressure, though.