With the offseason underway for a number of teams and the remainder to join them in a few weeks, we're looking at what's in store for each club in the coming months.
2016-17 Grade: F
The Dallas Stars failed to build on a 2015-16 campaign in which they finished with 109 points, second to only the Washington Capitals. The Stars crashed down to 79 points this season, as the team's young blue line and shaky goaltending put it on the wrong side of the scoreboard on too many nights.
Free Agents
The Stars have several players who need contracts come July 1, including veteran forwards Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky, and Jiri Hudler, who all dealt with a host of injuries this season. Moving on from all three will free up plenty of cap space and allow general manager Jim Nill to bring in some new blood among the forward ranks.
| Player (Position) | 2017-18 Status | Age | 2016-17 Cap Hit | '16-17 Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Sharp (F) | UFA | 35 | $5.9M | 18 |
| Ales Hemsky (F) | UFA | 33 | $4M | 7 |
| Jiri Hudler (F) | UFA | 33 | $2M | 11 |
| Brett Ritchie (F) | RFA | 23 | $875K | 24 |
| Radek Faksa (F) | RFA | 23 | $863K | 33 |
| Jamie Oleksiak (D) | RFA | 24 | $919K | 7 |
| Patrik Nemeth (D) | RFA | 25 | $900K | 3 |
| Esa Lindell (D) | RFA | 22 | $746K | 18 |
2017 Draft Picks
The Stars have eight picks in the coming draft, including an extra first-rounder from the deal that sent Patrick Eaves to the Anaheim Ducks.
Dallas was originally slotted to pick at No. 8, but will now select third overall after winning one of three draws at the draft lottery.
| Round | Picks |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 (Own & Ducks) |
| 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 1 |
| 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 1 |
| 6 | 1 |
| 7 | 1 |
Summer Priorities
Build out from Bishop
Nothing hurt the Stars more this season than the shoddy goaltending duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi, as the two combined for an NHL-worst .893 save percentage. Lehtonen (.902) outdueled the latter (.892), though neither netminder was worth writing home about.
That left Nill to look elsewhere, and the Stars began their offseason with a bang by acquiring the rights to goaltender Ben Bishop from the Los Angeles Kings. Dallas wasted little time in getting Bishop's name on an extension, as he's since signed a six-year deal with the club.
Add a veteran blue-liner
The Stars have a promising defensive core with several youngsters in tow, like John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, and Stephen Johns, but the team could use a greybeard to shepherd in the next wave on the back end.
Dallas added 34-year-old Dan Hamhuis last offseason, but lost key veteran voices in Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers, and Kris Russell. Most importantly, some added experience should shore up the Stars' porous penalty killing unit, which finished dead last at 73.9 percent.
Adjust to Ken Hitchcock's defensive style
Lindy Ruff is out and Ken Hitchcock is in. The veteran bench boss won the Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and returns to Texas with much of the same philosophy he used in guiding Dallas to its only championship.
Related: Seguin 'giddy' about Hitchcock's plan to turn him into true No. 1 center
Hitchcock preaches details in the defensive zone, an area where the Stars struggled last season. Those issues will be far easier to tackle with Bishop between the pipes and some added veteran presence on the blue line.
2017-18 Outlook
The offense is there, and the playoffs can be as well, if the Stars can fix their ailing defensive game.
The dynamic duo of Tyler Seguin and captain Jamie Benn leads the scoring charge up front, but it will be up to the Stars' young blue line to take the next steps in order to climb the ranks in the Central Division.
Klingberg took a step back this season, as despite appearing in four more games than in 2015-16, he finished with nine fewer points, while his plus-minus plummeted by 20. He'll be looked upon to lead a youthful defensive core that should play with more confidence next season with Bishop defending the cage.
If the club can shore up its back end, the Stars' postseason drought should end after a modest one season miss.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
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