July 1st is a National Holiday for both Canada and NHL fans as Free Agency begins. Most players sign their deals on July 1st, joining their new teams when the season starts. The Dallas Stars completed moves on their own Tuesday with several signings. Former Stars are returning while Jim Nill refrains from big-time moves. Nill completed moves on the safe side to start Free Agency. More moves are certain as the Stars currently sit over the Salary Cap.
Trades Coming with More Moves
The Stars currently sit at $1,794,916 over the Salary Cap. Teams cannot exceed the cap because the NHL can enforce strict penalties. Matt Dumba is almost certainly on the trading block after missing the entire playoffs from healthy scratches. His $3.75 million cap hit will come off the books for a low-level draft pick. Ilya Lyubushkin is also a name being thrown around with his $3.25 million cap hit. Reports are that Nill is looking to make more moves over the next several days, unlikely anything major.
Previous Rumors and Departures
Jason Robertson is a restricted free agent after next season. Reports indicated a possible trade revolving around receiving Mitch Marner. Those rumors fizzled out into a sign-and-trade sending Marner to Vegas. Logan Stankoven received the bag in Carolina, signing an 8-year, $6 million AAV deal. Cody Ceci departed for Los Angeles at three years, $12 million. Mikael Granland made the paycheck he deserves, increasing to three years, $21 million. Evgenii Dadanov is heading to New Jersey on a one-year deal. Reports are that Cody Ceci wanted to stay in Dallas but the cap situation made such a deal impossible.
Getting the Band Back Together
One major objective for this Free Agency is re-signing several players from last year. Matt Duchene is becoming an important offensive piece, returning on a 4-year, $4.5 million AAV deal. Captain Jamie Benn returns on a 1-year, $1 million deal, taking a major pay cut to remain on the Stars. Benn’s contract includes performance bonuses that will take away from next year’s cap if achieved. Colin Blackwell makes his return on a 2-year, $775,000 AAV contract. Mason Marchment heads to Seattle after a cap-dump trade. Radek Faksa makes his return to Dallas on a 3-year deal worth $2 million per year. The Stars are possibly making another depth move while the roster is mostly set for now.
Moving to Next Season
That extra cap space must bleed off before the season starts. Jim Nill had his hands full this week, hiring former Stars coach Glen Gulutzan to lead the team behind the bench. Gulutzan coached the Stars from 2011-2013. The Stars are better now than when he first coached the team. The ultimate goal next season is to finally end on the winning side of the Western Conference Final. Chances of a major move in the next few weeks are unlikely but still possible. The roster now is the likely one on Opening Night with one or two changes.
Photo Credit: Dallas Stars X
Tags: Cody Ceci Evgenii Dadanov Jason Robertson Mikael Granlund
Categorized:Stars