Jim Nill Wins GM of the Year
- Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill was named the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year, beating out finalists Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins and Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers. While Nill’s club didn’t make it to the Stanley Cup Final like Zito’s or go on a historic regular season run like Sweeney’s, Nill’s shrewd moves such as acquiring Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov during the season helped propel the club to the Western Conference Final.
Dallas Stars Not Expected To Re-Sign Max Domi, Luke Glendening
- The Dallas Stars don’t have a lot of cap flexibility this offseason, and it was expected they’d only be able to re-sign one or two depth forwards hitting the open market. That’s holding true, as after the Stars signed Evgenii Dadonov to a two-year extension yesterday, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports both Max Domi and Luke Glendening will hit the open market. The Stars have $5.1MM in projected cap space, per CapFriendly, and still need an extension for pending restricted free agent Ty Dellandrea.
Dallas Stars Extend Evgenii Dadonov
The Dallas Stars are bringing back a good piece of forward depth, re-signing Evgenii Dadonov to a two-year contract extension through the 2024-25 season. The deal, worth $4.5MM, carries an average annual value and cap hit of $2.25MM.
Dadonov, 34, played a crucial depth scoring role for the Stars after a late-season trade from the Montreal Canadiens. He notched 15 points in 23 regular-season games and 10 points in 16 playoff games after a rough go of things with the Habs, finishing his tenure there with just 18 points (and just four goals) in 50 games.
Stars general manager Jim Nill expressed his satisfaction with an extension getting done:
Re-signing Evgenii was high on our priority list. He was a key player for us down the stretch, and he elevated his game on the big stage during the playoffs. We’re happy to get a deal done that works for both sides.
It was, unfortunately, a tough end to the season for Dadonov, who missed the final three games of Dallas’ Western Conference Final loss due to a lower-body injury sustained early in Game 3. He’ll get a chance for two more deep playoff runs with the Stars and head coach Pete DeBoer.
Dadonov’s NHL journey spans nine seasons, during which he has accumulated 131 goals and 167 assists for 298 points in 486 regular-season games. He has suited up for five teams, including the Stars, Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers. He’ll hit the 500-game milestone this season, a remarkable feat for a player who also suited up for six seasons and over 300 games in the KHL.
With Dadonov under contract, Dallas’ forward corps for next season already appears close to set. The team still has $5.1MM in projected cap space, per CapFriendly, but they need a new contract for pending RFA Ty Dellandrea. They’ll also need to replace or re-sign Max Domi, Luke Glendening, and Joel Kiviranta, although youngsters Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque could provide cost-effective solutions in those depth roles.
Offseason Checklist: Dallas Stars
The offseason is now fully underway after Vegas took home the Stanley Cup which means that it’s time to examine what each team will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Dallas.
2022-23 was a season of considerable improvement for the Stars. They picked up an extra ten points during the regular season, moving them from a Wild Card seed to having home ice in the first round. In the postseason, they won a pair of series and gave the Golden Knights a decent challenge in the Western Conference Final. As a result, GM Jim Nill doesn’t have a particularly long list of things to try to accomplish this summer but here are some items on their to-do list over the coming weeks.
Add Defensive Help
This is the big one for Dallas this summer. With Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell in the fold, the Stars have quality blueliners in the fold. However, things start to unravel from there. Ryan Suter shouldn’t be logging heavy minutes at this stage of his career but played more than 20 a night in the regular season; that number jumped to more than 23 in the playoffs. The bigger workload was problematic for him but the options behind him on the depth chart weren’t any better.
Colin Miller was brought in as a reclamation piece last summer and while he did well in a limited role, he’s not a top-four option. Neither is the rugged Jani Hakanpaa. Nill paid a high price to acquire Nils Lundkvist from the Rangers but he, too, was only able to hold down a limited role during the regular season but was out of the lineup in the playoffs. Thomas Harley has shown some promise but he’s not ready for top-four duty either while Joel Hanley is more of a seventh defender than an every-game one.
All but Hanley are signed for next season but while this group was good enough to have some success, the playoffs showed that another top-four option is needed for them to take that next step. Fitting one in cap-wise could be a challenge as they have around $7MM to work with, per CapFriendly, and several forward spots to try to fill. It might take some creativity to fill this opening as a result but one more impact defender would put the Stars in much better shape for next season.
Re-Sign Or Replace Domi
Dallas wasn’t overly active at the trade deadline but they did make a late move to add Max Domi as a rental from Chicago. There weren’t immediate dividends as he managed just seven points in 20 games down the stretch but was more productive in the playoffs, picking up 13 points in 19 contests. The lineup was deeper with Domi in there and finding a way to keep him would extend that boost over a full season.
Of course, this is again easier said than done, especially if they opt to prioritize adding on the back end. On top of that, Domi is set to benefit from what is a very thin free agent center market. Taking out Boston’s two veterans that are likely to either re-sign or retire, Domi is one of the top few middlemen available. In a position that is always in short supply and high demand, the 28-year-old is well-positioned to land a raise on the $3MM he made this past season. Perhaps more importantly, Domi should finally be able to land some long-desired stability; he hasn’t signed a contract longer than two seasons since his entry-level deal.
It will take more than half of Dallas’ existing cap space to get something done. But if they can’t land a defenseman and shore up a weakness, shoring up a strong spot is the next best thing. Keeping Domi around to deepen the attack – or signing someone else to take that spot – is certainly a workable Plan B.
Bridge Deal For Dellandrea
Dallas only has one regular player set to reach restricted free agency this summer, forward Ty Dellandrea. The 22-year-old played his first full NHL campaign in 2022-23 and acquitted himself well, picking up 28 points in 82 games while getting into 15 of their playoff contests where he notched three goals. Certainly not a bad first taste of full-time action for the 2018 first-round pick.
However, with his games this past season comprising the bulk of his experience thus far, Dellandrea certainly isn’t in a position to command a long-term contract. Nor should the Stars be inclined to hand him one. As a result, he’s a lock to sign a short-term bridge deal.
Dellandrea isn’t eligible for salary arbitration and it’s post-entry-level players that often take time to sign but he shouldn’t be in that situation. Instead, a two-year deal around $1.5MM should be workable for both sides. Getting that deal done sooner than later would also be beneficial, allowing Nill to know exactly what he’ll have to work with this summer rather than working off a range estimate. It’s not a top priority necessarily but it’d help if they could get this done over the next week or so.
Rebuild Forward Depth
On top of Domi, Dallas has three more forwards heading for unrestricted free agency – wingers Evgenii Dadonov and Joel Kiviranta plus center Luke Glendening. If those players aren’t re-signed, they’re going to have to be replaced which is also going to cut into that $7MM in cap flexibility.
If the Stars want to fill internally, they could look to wingers Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven. Bourque, a 2020 first-round pick, was actually up with Dallas late in the playoffs although he didn’t see any game action. The 21-year-old had 47 points in 70 games with AHL Texas and could hold down a bottom-six spot next season. As for Stankoven, a 2021 second-rounder, he averaged more than two points per game during the regular season with WHL Kamloops (and somehow bested that in the playoffs). If he’s ready to make the jump like Wyatt Johnston was this past season, he could give the offense a boost and perhaps fill the role Domi held. Most importantly, Bourque and Stankoven have cap hits under $900K; their presence on the opening roster would give Nill a bit more wiggle room to work with.
While Glendening doesn’t provide much offensively, he can kill penalties and win faceoffs at a well above-average rate so Dallas will need to find a player to fill that role while Kiviranta provided some physicality from the fourth line. These are spots that can be filled in free agency but they’ll be shopping at the bargain bin like many other teams. With that many veterans possibly leaving on the open market, Nill will be rebuilding the bottom end of his forward group over the next few weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Stars Unlikely To Bring Back Both Domi And Dadonov
Saad Yousuf of The Athletic wrote today that the Dallas Stars will be hard pressed to bring back both Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov. Both forwards are unrestricted free agents who came over to the Stars in trade deadline moves and they were able to fit in well in their new environment. Dadonov had three goals and 12 assists in 23 games after coming over in a trade from the Montreal Canadiens while Domi had two goals and five assists in 20 games after the trade from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Both players had a similar journey to end up in Dallas, albeit at much different points in their careers. The 34-year-old Dadonov spent six seasons in Florida where he was quite productive putting up 202 points in 280 games before he signed with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent. He was traded three times in the span of a year before ending up in Dallas where he played quite well down the stretch.
28-year-old Domi on the other hand spent three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes where he posted 135 points in 222 games before he was dealt to Montreal, then the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Carolina Hurricanes. He signed a one year contract this past offseason with the Chicago Blackhawks before he was traded to Dallas at the deadline.
Yousuf writes in the article that Dallas general manager Jim Nill would love to have both players back, but cap space will likely be an issue. Dallas has just $7.4MM available for next season and based on the projections of Evolving Hockey Domi figures to get a contract around $4.4MM per year while Dadonov is projected to get $2.7MM. Those numbers would leave Nill with $300K to fill out two roster sports, not something that would be possible.
Yousuf sums up his article by saying that he expects Dadonov to be the likelier or the two to return to the club but doesn’t dive too deep into his logic. While cost is always a factor, Dadonov has struggled to fit in with previous clubs and really thrived under head coach Pete DeBoer. Given that close relationship between player and coach it is possible that Dadonov will select comfort level over money on his next contract. Especially after he was dealt four times during his previous deal.
Latest On Alex DeBrincat
The trade market will only heat up over the next few weeks, and Ottawa Senators winger Alex DeBrincat is expected to be high on the list of most trade bait boards. Reports late last week suggested Ottawa will want to get a move in place by next week’s draft, as the 25-year-old sniper isn’t willing to sign a long-term extension with the Sens after heading to the Canadian capital via trade at this time last year. Today, we have some more clarity on where DeBrincat could end up by the end of the month: the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Detroit Red Wings are on his preferred list of teams where he’d sign a long-term extension, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports.
Ottawa acquired DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks just before the first round of last year’s draft, conceding the seventh overall pick (used on Kevin Korchinski), the 39th overall pick (used on Paul Ludwinski), and a third-round pick in 2024. How much of that value Ottawa can recoup in a secondary trade remains to be seen.
Garrioch mentioned last year’s Kevin Fiala trade between the Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings as a comparable, with the Kings sending high-end defense prospect Brock Faber and the 19th overall pick in the 2022 draft in return for Fiala’s RFA rights (he then signed a long-term extension). Garrioch argues that Senators general manager Pierre Dorion should be in a position to get a better return, given DeBrincat is a two-time 40-goal scorer at the time of the deal.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli seemed to pour cold water on that today, however, suggesting an offer from the Detroit Red Wings of winger Filip Zadina (whose time to develop into a full-time NHLer is quickly running out) and futures as a likely return in terms of value for DeBrincat. What does seem clear is that Ottawa likely won’t be receiving a significant roster player in this deal – nor will they be getting the value of picks they gave up for DeBrincat in the first place.
If Ottawa is able to get a prospect closer to Faber’s caliber in return for DeBrincat, though, they should be aiming for a winger who could replace DeBrincat’s spot long-term. The team’s gamble on Tyler Boucher at 10th overall in 2021 doesn’t look like it will pay off, and the team is quickly running out of forward prospects with top-six ceilings with Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig graduating to full-time NHL roles. That could be someone like Mavrik Bourque from Dallas, Fedor Svechkov from Nashville, Mackie Samoskevich from Florida, or Brendan Brisson from Vegas.
Expecting a first-round pick along with Brisson from Vegas may be too much to ask, but the team is slated to pick with the last selection of the first round after winning the Stanley Cup, so it doesn’t quite hold as much value. Dallas and Florida do not have their first-round picks in this year’s draft, while Detroit holds the ninth overall selection, and Nashville holds the 15th and 24th overall picks.
Dallas Stars Re-Sign Matt Murray
The Dallas Stars have secured goaltender Matt Murray on a one-year, two-way contract for the 2023-24 campaign, the team announced today. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Not to be confused with the Stanley Cup-winning netminder of the same name, the younger 25-year-old Murray made three appearances for the Dallas Stars in 2022-23. During his call-ups, Murray posted a record of 1-2-0 with a 3.39 goals-against average and a .844 save percentage.
Murray’s NHL debut came this season as well, successfully stopping 19 out of 21 shots in a March 2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. His debut win on the road made him the first rookie goaltender for the Stars to achieve such a feat since Mike Smith in the 2006-06 campaign.
An undrafted free agent signing last summer out of the University of Massachusetts, Murray recorded an 18-10-5 record and three shutouts in 34 games for the AHL’s Texas Stars this year in his first full professional campaign. His 2.37 goals-against average ranked first among AHL rookie netminders, and he ranked second with a .911 save percentage and shared fourth place with 18 victories. During the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Alberta-born goalie tallied a 5-3-0 record in eight appearances, with a solid 2.79 GAA and .909 SV%.
With Scott Wedgewood still under contract to backup starter Jake Oettinger, Murray is likely again destined for a starting role in Texas for the 2023-24 campaign. While Wedgewood is a capable backup, he’s entering his 30s and could end up going elsewhere on the free agent market in 2024. Murray could very well take over the backup role in Dallas at that time.
Murray joins 21-year-old Remi Poirier as goalies under NHL contract with Dallas destined for the minors next season.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire, Extend Fredrik Olofsson
The Dallas Stars have dealt the rights to pending unrestricted free agent forward Fredrik Olofsson to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for future considerations, the team announced today. The Avalanche then immediately announced a one-year extension for Olofsson, with CapFriendly reporting a two-way deal worth $775,000 in the NHL and $300,000 in the AHL with $350,000 guaranteed.
Olofsson’s 2022-23 campaign was his first in North America after he signed with Dallas as a free agent. He wasn’t undrafted, though – the Chicago Blackhawks selected him with the 98th overall pick in 2014 but never signed him to an entry-level contract.
He showed flashes of solid fundamentals at points with the Stars but never made much of an impact at the scoresheet, even at the AHL level, where he recorded 14 points in 37 games with the Texas Stars. That low production was likely influenced by an extreme lack of stability, however. Olofsson was one of Dallas’ top call-up options throughout the year and was sent up and down more than 20 times, given he didn’t need to clear waivers to head up and down between leagues. After one season under contract, though, he will now require waivers if Colorado wants to send him to the AHL Eagles.
Olofsson, 27, is a marginal but much-needed depth add for the Avalanche, whose bottom six looks absolutely barren right now with many veterans on expiring deals. Depth scoring was easily the team’s biggest weakness last season, and they’ll likely need a by-committee approach to fix it in 2023-24. Olofsson will likely come in as a cost-effective option with more NHL (and professional experience) than others looking for NHL time in the organization.
Nill Hoping To Keep More Cap Space Open To Start Next Season
- When he met with the media earlier this week (video link), Stars GM Jim Nill indicated that he’s hoping to leave himself some more cap flexibility to start next season. Dallas was among the teams that shuffled players to and from the minors to bank a few extra thousand dollars in cap room here and there which didn’t leave them much flexibility to work with at the trade deadline. Acknowledging that free agency isn’t the deepest this summer, Nill feels that a trade is their best chance at making an impact addition which would require them to bank a lot more cap room in-season than they have been. That said, it’s a lofty goal as they have a little over $7MM in space at the moment per CapFriendly with likely five forward spots to fill including RFA Ty Dellandrea.
"No Timeline" On Jim Nill Extension Discussions
The Dallas Stars are one of the most well-positioned teams in the NHL, made up of nearly the perfect mix of veteran talent, developing stars, and promising prospects. Behind all that is general manager Jim Nill, who is one of this year’s nominees for the Jim Gregory Award for GM of the year.
Next season is the last one on Nill’s current contract, though, and there is currently no timeline for extension discussions to begin, Dallas Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine said today. While speaking to reporters this morning, Nill did say he’d “like to be [in Dallas] for a few more years.” Nill has been Dallas’ GM since 2013, his first NHL GM job after nearly two decades of service in the Detroit Red Wings front office. In that time, Nill’s assembled one of the best prospect pools in the league while keeping the team in a position to contend, reaching the Conference Final twice in the last four seasons.