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The Dallas Stars were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second season in a row by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference final, bringing to an end a postseason run that began with an exciting seven-game series victory over the Colorado Avalanche, followed by a series win over the Winnipeg Jets.
The Stars then faced the Oilers in the Western Conference Final and earned victory in the opening game by a 6-3 final score, only to have the Oilers storm back and win four straight to advance to the Stanley Cup Final; meanwhile, the Stars are left picking up the pieces and wondering where it all went wrong.
Stars general manager Jim Nill put on a masterclass this season, acquiring both Cody Ceci and Mikael Granlund from the San Jose Sharks before pulling off a major coup by acquiring Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes and then immediately signing him to an eight-year contract extension; he's been nominated for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year yet again, having already won the award in back to back campaigns.
Nill has work to do this summer, as several players who made an impact for Dallas in the postseason are up for new contracts. It's now going to be up to Nill to begin the negotiation process with the players he feels most should remain with the team moving forward.
The Stars' offense will take a hit if they lose their valuable depth
A major reason why the Stars once again returned to the Western Conference Final was the incredible depth all throughout their lineup. In their first season after the retirement of Joe Pavelski, Nill supplemented his loss not only with the Rantanen acquisition and signing but by picking Granlund as part of the aforementioned trade with the Sharks.
Granlund was an instant fit with Dallas and brought his offensive punch with him to the Stars, with several key goals in the postseason, including a hat trick against the Winnipeg Jets. The Stars also greatly benefited from the offensive touch of veteran Matt Duchene, who scored 30 goals with 52 assists during the regular season.
The Stars can't afford to lose either player in free agency, and it would be the right move for Nill to find common ground with them both on contracts for next season and beyond.
Duchene has already said that he wants to return to Dallas, where he's found a home after having his contract with the Nashville Predators bought out. He also said that he would like a deal longer than just one season, the length of the last two contracts he's signed with the Stars, via NHL.com.
“If I end up somewhere else, it would be hard,” he said. “I’m a relationship person. That’s who I am. I’ve made a lot of great relationships here with the guys. … I think at this point as a family, my kids are getting to the point where you’re looking for some stability, so one-year deals are tough.
“I don’t know what’s going to transpire. I’ll have to wait and see what’s out there. I feel like hopefully I’ve put myself in a good position. I’ve really enjoyed being here and I think I’ve gotten great feedback about things, so hopefully we can continue to move forward.”
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If the Stars lose one or both of Granlund and Duchene, their scoring will be affected in a negative way.
Will Stars team captain Jamie Benn return?
It's going to be a tough question for Nill to have to consider this offseason, as Stars team captain Jamie Benn is also up for a new contract. Benn didn't factor much into the Stars' scoring during the postseason, scoring a single goal.
While Benn's offensive output may have been down in the postseason, he still remains a valuable member of the Stars' leadership core, and the club as a whole would be worse off. Not only has Benn played his entire career with the Stars, but he has also been their team captain for the last several years and has earned the opportunity to try and win the Stanley Cup with the club that he's battled for over the last several years.
Duchene, Benn's teammate for the last two seasons, believes that Benn will eventually have a statue outside of their venue, via NHL.com.
“You want to talk about immortal, statue-out-front-of-the-rink type person and player and leader, that’s Jamie Benn,” Duchene said. “That’s probably the best way to put it. I think it would be a crime if he’s not a Dallas Star for life. He bleeds green and he’s going to go down as one of the greatest Dallas Stars to ever play for a long, long time.”
If the Stars are to remain contenders in the Western Conference with realistic Stanley Cup aspirations, they need to run it back with as close to their current roster as possible.
