The Dallas Stars are busy bees today as day one of NHL free agency began. With the little amount of cap space they have, they were making some difficult choices on who to bring back while letting some familiar names go. Cody Ceci, Mikael Granlund, and Evgenii Dadonov are all moving on as they announced they were signing with other teams today. However, the Stars are bringing back a familiar name that loves to clean the gravy bowl. Here's more on the moves and transactions that happened during day 1 of free agency.
First, before we get to the players who are moving on to other teams, it became official that Glen Gulutzan is the new head coach of the Dallas Stars. We talked about it on Sunday, as they began negotiating and discussing his contract. While the coaching hire underwhelms some fans, he has a more talented team at his helm this time around. He could have a different outcome this time as the Stars' head coach. Someone from the minor leagues also received a promotion to the coaching staff, and fans will be happy about it.
Neil Graham is joining the Dallas Stars Bench as an assistant coach. He is responsible for a significant portion of the developed talent that has emerged from Cedar Park. He has produced players like Thomas Harley, Logan Stankoven, and Mavrik Bourque, so the Stars don't have to sign numerous free agents every season. His promotion is well-deserved for all the hard work he's done in Cedar Park. I'm eager to see what Graham can develop at the NHL level next season.
Here are the players leaving the Stars in free agency after day one. Granlund, Dadonov, and Ceci will not be returning to the Stars next season. All decided to sign with other teams around the league. The challenging part about the business is being salary cap-strapped due to the huge signing like the Mikko Rantanen contract. I wish all three players nothing but the best for the rest of their careers and the memories they created with the Stars' organization.
However, the Stars are bringing back Colin Blackwell on a two-year contract worth less than a million dollars. That is a valuable signing due to what he did during the postseason and the aggressiveness he brought to the fourth line last season. I can't wait to see what he brings to the lineup. The Stars also wrapped up day one today by bringing back a familiar name to the lineup, which some people are happy to see in a Stars uniform again.
Radek Faksa is returning to Dallas on a three-year contract worth 2 million. This is a great value signing because he's a veteran presence that will be welcomed back on the penalty kill. Even Jim Nill mentioned during the press conference that his presence was missed in the lineup last season. Yes, the Stars traded him to St. Louis a year ago because of his previous contract. However, the Stars have him on a cheaper contract this time around. This will be a better value for what he brings to the lineup this time around.