Offseason Keys: Dallas Stars

While the playoffs are ongoing, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Dallas Stars.

Things were looking up in Dallas heading into this past season.  They looked to have some stability between the pipes with Ben Bishop as their new starter while they added a top line winger via free agency in Alexander Radulov plus a top-four defender in Marc Methot, among other acquisitions.  Those moves, along with Ken Hitchcock replacing Lindy Ruff behind the bench, didn’t result in a playoff spot and GM Jim Nill has already brought in a new head coach in Jim Montgomery who takes over following Hitchcock’s retirement.  With that big off-ice move done, here are their key on-ice tasks this summer.

Find A New Backup

The era of having the most expensive goaltending tandem has come to an end as Kari Lehtonen’s contract, one that carried a cap hit of $5.9MM, officially comes off the books in July.  Given how he performed when pressed into action late in the year when Bishop went down, it seems likely that they will opt to go in a different direction this summer instead of looking to bring him back.

There are several other backups to choose from so if that’s the route they choose to go, Nill will have quite a few options to choose from.  However, is that the best way for them to look to fill the position?

Dallas doesn’t have anyone at the minor league level that is pushing for NHL time.  (Jake Oettinger, a first-round pick last June, is still in college and is several years away from being ready.)  That means they’ll be forced to turn to the free agent market a few times (or hand out a long-term contract this summer) to find Bishop’s backup.

With that in mind, they may be better off pursuing a younger understudy, one that may be blocked in their current organization or is deemed expendable with another player pushing for NHL time.  While the risk factor is higher here, there’s also the potential for a greater reward which might outweigh the benefits of signing a run-of-the-mill veteran in free agency.

Add Defensive Help

The Stars have struggled in their own end for a little while now despite their efforts to bring in capable veterans to steady the ship.  Methot battled injury issues all season long while Dan Hamhuis, their veteran addition back in 2016, is eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.  Even if they bring him back, another impact defenseman would be a huge help.

John Klingberg has established himself as a legitimate top pairing player but the supporting cast is a work in progress.  Esa Lindell took some big strides forward in his development but he’s better served in a secondary role.  Miro Heiskanen, the third-overall pick in 2017, is expected to become a core part of their back end down the road but even if he makes the jump to the NHL in 2018-19 as expected, he will need some time to develop before he ascends to that top spot.

Unfortunately for Dallas, the UFA market isn’t ripe with top defenders and the one that is a top pairing player, Washington’s John Carlson, plays the same side as Klingberg.  As a result, Nill may be forced to resort to more patchwork by trying to shore up the depth but with Hamhuis and Greg Pateryn both unrestricted, adding a couple of defenders this summer would be a wise move.

Decision On Spezza

Saying that center Jason Spezza struggled in 2017-18 would be a pretty big understatement.  He went from being a quality top-six forward to someone who struggled considerably and wound up seeing his ice time cut to just 13 minutes a night, his lowest since his rookie year back in 2002-03.  Needless to say, he didn’t provide good value for his $7.5MM cap hit.

Things didn’t go well with Hitchcock behind the bench but will Montgomery’s new system give him a chance to rebound or do they believe Spezza’s days as a top-six forward are numbered?  If it’s the latter, then they will need to pursue a trade or examine a buyout, a move that would free up $5MM in cap room for 2018-19 (but would add $2.5MM on the books for 2019-20 when Tyler Seguin is in need of a new deal).  It’s believed that the team intends to make this call by the end of the month.  Spezza can help control his own future as well as he has a ten-team no-trade list plus a no-move clause in his contract.

What will make this a more difficult call to make is Martin Hanzal’s situation.  He battled multiple injuries in his first year with the Stars and underwent back surgery that has his availability for the start of the season in jeopardy.  Dallas was hoping Hanzal could be their second line center (and even tried moving Spezza to the wing to accommodate that) but if it appears that his recovery will be towards the longer end of the six-to-nine-month timeframe, that could force their hand towards keeping him.

Given his sizable contract, this isn’t going to be an easy decision, especially since his trade value will be a lot lower now than it would have been a year ago and they would likely have to take on a pricey contract as part of a return.  With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them decide to keep Spezza around in the hopes that a new system will help him rebound for 2018-19.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.