Dallas Stars Must Address These Needs This Offseason

It is my personal opinion, as I’m sure it is for a lot of people, that the Stars should move heaven and earth to sign this guy. 40-plus goal scorers do not grow on trees, and at 27 years old (on July 22), it’s reasonable to believe that his best days are still ahead of him. Yes, there are aspects of the way the Stars play the game, especially in the postseason, that need to change heading into next season. However, that doesn’t mean the Stars should part ways with one of the best wingers in the NHL.

The Stars are projected to have $13.1 million in cap space this summer, which makes signing Robertson anything but simple. Alex Chauvancy from The Hockey Writers wrote an excellent article last week regarding the ins and outs of the Robertson situation, and I highly recommend you check that out.

Stars Have a Hole at Left Wing

Assuming the Stars keep Robertson and Tyler Seguin comes back healthy, they have a solid top two lines with Wyatt Johnston, Mikko Rantanen, and Roope Hintz. However, in their top six, there is a massive hole at left wing, a hole that was filled with the likes of Sam Steel, Justin Hryckowian, and Mavrik Bourque throughout the regular season and the playoffs.

Steel is best suited as a center but can play the wing just fine, and Hryckowian is going to be a really good and productive player for the Stars for years to come. But neither of them should be in the top six of a Cup contender. Bourque is due for a contract this summer, and in a perfect world, they will find a way to bring him back. However, he is a right-winger, and while he might be able to take a step to get into those top two lines by moving to the left side, having a 20-goal scorer on their third line would certainly contribute to their depth.

It will be interesting to see what Nill does to address this, because it’s not going to be easy. Jamie Benn, Adam Erne, Michael Bunting, Nathan Bastian, and Arttu Hyry all need contracts, and none of them fit particularly well in that spot. Bunting’s grit and physicality are things they would love to keep in the lineup, and Benn is a heart and soul guy on this team who will have a spot for as long as he wants one. However, Bunting is more suited for a bottom-six role, and while Benn can still be an impactful player, his first and second line days are behind him.

Cap-Induced Decisions for Nill

So, how do the Stars keep all of these players and still address needs on the roster? That, my friends, is the question of the summer for Nill and the Stars.

The first, and most obvious contract that the Stars should look to move on from is that of Ilya Lyubushkin. While Lyubushkin has been a serviceable defenseman for the Stars the last couple of seasons, they don’t have much of a need for him anymore, especially with the addition of Tyler Myers at the deadline. Lyubushkin is owed $3.25 million next season, while Myers is much cheaper at $1.5 million. The D-core for the Stars is also pretty deep, although you can never have too many defensemen.

If the Stars have $13.1 million to play with and move on from Lyubushkin, that number grows to $16.35 million, but it’s hard to imagine Robertson signing for anything less than $12 million. Which doesn’t leave a lot of cash left.

Seguin is owed $9.85 million next season, and while he is still a very productive player, his ability to stay healthy has been a concern in recent years. Also, if Nill does decide to move him, it better be for a player that can replace him, because if not, that would just leave another hole in the top-six. He would also have to waive his no-movement clause to make any of that work.

Now, if we want to get really crazy, Jake Oettinger’s no-trade clause kicks in on July 1 and is owed $8.25 million until 2033. Oettinger is one of the best netminders in the NHL, and I don’t think they would move him. At the same time, though, Oettinger does need to take a step next season, and we’ve seen the rise of cheap goaltending. Just look at the goalies who were playing in the conference finals. I don’t know who they would replace him with, but an extra $8.25 million would certainly take the edge off.

Stars Are Still in Good Shape

The Stars are a really good team and will certainly be in the conversation to make another deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs next season. They have a strong bottom-six, and have three really solid pairs on defense if Myers can bounce back from his rough stint with the Stars to finish off the season and the playoffs.

Clearly, however, how they navigate the Robertson situation while still adding to the second line is obviously going to make all of the difference when it comes to their success next season. They also have a first-round pick next summer that they could certainly move on from at the trade deadline if they’re in a position to make a deep run.

So, let’s say that they keep Robertson and find a way to keep Bourque as well. While it would still be a very good roster, they wouldn’t be able to keep much more than that, and it would essentially be the exact same team that was eliminated in the first round a few weeks ago.

Their lack of health was a massive reason for their early exit, but it’s still a gamble to come back with little to no adjustment to the roster. And, as we’ve established, the Stars don’t have a lot of money to gamble with right now.