Speculation: IV. 2014 Stars Offseason Thread: Declaration of Free Agency

[Dr Pepper]

Safe to say Nill has solved our scoring depth issues over the past week or so.

At least it's starting to look that way.

Plus, with Chiasson gone now, that means all the PP time he kept getting will now go to more deserving players. Maybe they'll do what he couldn't, and contribute offensively.

 

[Johno]

Random thoughts I was having tonight: it seemed last year the number 40 was kind of an annoying barrier that pretty much everyone couldnt get to in terms of points. I was waiting all season for guys like Chiasson, Eakin, Whitney, Cole and even Nichushkin to hit 40 and yet none of them did. I know its kind of a stupid thing to think about but looking at Seguin and Benn going 80ish, there is such a massive drop off in terms of point production

...
...

Well if you take away almost any team's second line, they would essentially have a comparable drop off. That's basically what we had, no second line to go with the bros

Now with Spezza and Hemsky, that should be fixed. And optimistic me thinks that next season we could have three 80ish pointers, pair of 60pointers and a few over the 40 mark

 

[Hull Fan]

Random thoughts I was having tonight: it seemed last year the number 40 was kind of an annoying barrier that pretty much everyone couldnt get to in terms of points. I was waiting all season for guys like Chiasson, Eakin, Whitney, Cole and even Nichushkin to hit 40 and yet none of them did. I know its kind of a stupid thing to think about but looking at Seguin and Benn going 80ish, there is such a massive drop off in terms of point production

I was just thinking about how there is a high chance that that drop off is dramatically shortened this year with the arrival of Spezza and Hemsky as well as the development of guys like Nichushkin and Eakin. I'm thinking we could have 8 guys (Benn, Seguin, Spezza, Hemsky, Nichushkin, Eakin, Goligoski, Pevs?) get past that stupid 40 mark that I kept lamenting last year rather than just the 3 who did (Benn, Seguin, Goligoski). I was looking over all the stats from last year and we were far and away the team with the biggest drop off in terms of point producers so I just thought it was an interesting thing to reflect on going into this season.

You know what's really insane about all that. Dallas was still 11th in the league in scoring, despite a terrible power play and pathetic secondary scoring.

Could this team get near 300 goals? No one has done it since Washington in 2008-09 but we were 23rd in the league on the PP. Though Dallas was 4th in the league on PP opportunities and led the league in total minutes on the power play. You'd have to think 20% is doable with Spezza and Hemsky. This could be the most interesting Dallas Stars team to ever take the ice. I can't wait to see what Ruff and co. have in store for us.

 

[Brand New Stars]

By interesting do you mean entertaining?

 

[NukeJukes43]

You know what's really insane about all that. Dallas was still 11th in the league in scoring, despite a terrible power play and pathetic secondary scoring.

Could this team get near 300 goals? No one has done it since Washington in 2008-09 but we were 23rd in the league on the PP. Though Dallas was 4th in the league on PP opportunities and led the league in total minutes on the power play. You'd have to think 20% is doable with Spezza and Hemsky. This could be the most interesting Dallas Stars team to ever take the ice. I can't wait to see what Ruff and co. have in store for us.

I can only imagine how giddy Ruff is with this team he gets to coach. I mean think about it, him facing the Stars in the cup finals and losing, to years of mediocrity after with the Sabres. Then on his way out of Buffalo comes to that same team who beat his in the finals, but they happen to be in a rebuild as well. Now that he's here he gets Benn, Seguin, Spezza, Nichushkin, Hemsky, Horcoff, and Peverley. Along with a crazy deep prospect pool that just won the Calder Cup.

I'd have a life-sized painting if Jim Nill hanging over my fireplace if I were Lindy Ruff.

 

[aloonda*]

I'd have a life-sized painting if Jim Nill hanging over my fireplace if I were Lindy Ruff.

sigline material right there

 

[piqued]

You'd have to think 20% is doable with Spezza and Hemsky.

No way. Breaking 20% this day and age is very hard and can't be done without a PPQB. Spezza and Hemsky are probably worth a couple of percentage points improvement.

 

[Bkennedy*]

Running Benn, Seguin, Spezza, and Hemsky on the #1 unit together would be absolutely stupid. In the good way.

 

[FrailSwan]

I wake up everyday and check twitter hoping to read that Gonchar is a cosmonaut. That would be the cherry on top for this free agency.

 

[SolidusAKA]

Is this the thread to rosterbate (I may have spammed the 2014 contract thread with my bs haha)? I am trying to make a potential 2015-2016 roster with all of our RFA's signed and maybe an FA pick up of MSL for 1 year

FORWARDS = $36,339,000
Jamie Benn ($5.250m) / Tyler Seguin ($5.750m) / Martin St. Louis ($5.500m/1yr)
Valeri Nichushkin ($0.925m) / Jason Spezza ($6.000m) / Brett Ritchie ($0.814m)
Antoine Roussel ($1.250m) / Cody Eakin ($2.500m) / Ales Hemsky ($4.000m)
Ryan Garbutt ($1.800m) / Vernon Fiddler ($1.250m) / Colton Sceviour ($0.650m)
Scott Glennie ($0.650m) /

DEFENSEMEN = $17,050,000
Brenden Dillon ($2.750m) / Trevor Daley ($3.300m)
Patrik Nemeth ($2.000m) / John Klingberg ($1.800m)
Alex Goligoski ($4.600m) / Jamie Oleksiak ($1.900m)
Jordie Benn ($0.700m) /

GOALTENDERS = $7,050,000
Kari Lehtonen ($5.900m)
Jack Campbell ($1.150m)

ROSTER = $60,439,000
CAP SPACE = $8,561,000

Does the cap go up every year? MSL would come off the books that season anyways and we would have about 14 million for contracts

 

[ginblossoms]

the last truly scary power play i remember is pittsburgh with mario, jagr, francis, and a young zubov.

looked it up... 25.95% in 1995-1996... dayam...

 

[Hull Fan]

MSL fled Tampa to go to NYR. He's not going to turn around and come here and Dallas isn't going to give him the contract he'll demand either.

 

[glovesave_35]

I was hoping we could just let that one slide by and not address it. No way he comes here and I honestly don't want the guy.

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

I was hoping we could just let that one slide by and not address it. No way he comes here and I honestly don't want the guy.

Agreed and agreed.

 

[SolidusAKA]

I was just looking at potential high-profile UFA's for 2015 that we could put into a slot for a 1-year contract when I decided to throw in MSL. How much would he even look for? He spent his prime around 6million. Do you guys think hes done in terms of production?

...

How do you guys feel about Bobby Ryan in 2015? Or is UFA the wrong way to build a team? Our prospects are pretty sweet so I can see the benefit of waiting and letting the team grow naturally.

 

[ElGuapo]

Well, at wing we're going to have

Benn
Hemsky
Nichushkin

likely in the top six.

Then they'll probably want to give Ritchie a shot in the remaining slot unless his year is a distaster and if he hasn't already claimed the spot.

Don't see them looking for a top six winger.

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

Agreed we improved the 10th ranked offense via trade and UFA, and Ritchie looks to be Neal II. If any big deals go down, I tend to think it would be for a stud D that Nil mentioned everyone wants, hard to get, etc. I wouldn't mind seeing a list of that type player posted for anyone who knows.

I just don't see overloading with UFA for offense unless this years plans go way off base. That does happen, as in Audette/Turgeon, or the legions of talented FW EDM collects which don't improve the team.......but hopefully, it won't happen here and now to the Stars.

 

[BigG44]

Heika had an interesting point about Del Zotto ... he's too much like Goligoski and Klingberg. They seem committed to Goligoski, and they don't want to block Klingberg.

I still hope a guy like McBain can get on a two-way deal. Although ... let's say they actually go with Gonchar and Connauton as the 6/7 ... Heika suggest that's a possibility. The AHL with McBain would look like:

Oleksiak-McBain
Gaunce-Klingberg
Jyrkipakka-Fortunus
Vance

 

[TrillMike]

Well, Chicago just committed $22mil a year to Toews and Kane.

 

[Bkennedy*]

#TradeRitchieForDMan

 

[Starry Knight]

Look, Seabrook or Keith will be available next summer

 

[Satan]

I don't think Chicago will be desperate enough to move anyone within their division.

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

Well, Chicago just committed $22mil a year to Toews and Kane.

So...much...money.

 

[Satan]

I really don't see the problem with it. If the cap continues to increase each year like it's projected, you'll see these big contracts.

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

If the cap continues to increase each year like it's projected

Like it was suppose to go up this year?