Stars must sell off depth players with expiring deals at deadline
There are times the Dallas Stars seem to have all the right pieces. Two of the best scorers in the game, plenty of offensive depth behind them, and a few exceptionally talented defenders on the blue-line.
And then comes the horrid goaltending, of course. The downfall of the club over the past couple seasons.
Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi have undoubtedly been a problem for the Stars. But at this point, they're simply one of many - the forward corps ranks in the middle of the pack in goals per game, and the blue-line has a similarly mediocre ranking in terms of the number of shots they're allowing each night.
The formula in Dallas needs to change, and selling off peripheral pieces that aren't crucial to the club's immediate future is Step 1 in that process.
A quick look at the team's contract situation paints a pretty clear picture of who might have their name called on deadline day. Only six of the Stars' current forwards are signed past 2016-17, a group that includes three offensive heavy hitters in Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, as well as Cody Eakin, Antoine Roussel, and Devin Shore.
And then there's the slew of Stars forwards earning hefty paychecks while contributing little, either due to injury or simply being a poor fit.
Here's a look at Dallas' soon-to-be unrestricted free agents up front:
| Player | Cap Hit | Production |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Sharp | $5.9 million | 13 Points/33 Games Played |
| Ales Hemsky | $4 million | 0 Points/1 Game Played |
| Jiri Hudler | $2 million | 7 Points/24 Games Played |
| Patrick Eaves | $1 million | 36 Points/58 Games Played |
| Lauri Korpikoski | $1 million | 19 Points/56 Games Played |
| Adam Cracknell | $600k | 10 Points/51 Games Played |
Needless to say, the Stars haven't exactly been getting their money's worth this season. Veteran Patrick Eaves is the only forward on the above list who's earned a shot at remaining with the club, and he's putting one of the smallest dents in the team's wallet.
As for the rest - particularly Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky, and Jiri Hudler - the Stars need to do what they can to flip their expiring contracts for assets, rather than potentially losing them for nothing this summer.
Of course, Dallas' perspective on its chances this season will be the determining factor here. The Stars aren't completely out of the playoff picture, with their 54 points currently putting them seven points out of a wild-card slot.
But given how tumultuous their goaltending has been dating back to last season, it's hard to believe they could climb back into the postseason, let alone make it past the first round if they get there.
And with that goaltending costing them over $10 million per year until after next season, the need to create room by moving out expiring contracts like Sharp's becomes even more pertinent.
Unless general manager Jim Nill believes the former Chicago Blackhawk is going to be a key contributor down the line - Sharp will be 36 years old next season - offering the veteran up for deadline assets seems the appropriate route.
Hemsky isn't going to garner much interest given his injury status, but Hudler might just be able to net the Stars something interesting.
With changes clearly coming in Dallas, now seems as good a time as any to begin the restructuring. It's not going to get any easier in 2016-17, so it's time for Nill to sell as many expensive expiring pieces as possible to create room to rebuild the periphery around the still-solid core of Benn, Seguin, Spezza, and John Klingberg.