On the Dallas Stars …
Craig Custance of ESPN: Looking at three areas that Stars GM should focus on this offseason.
1. Upgrade their goaltending – Kari Lethonen and Antti Niemi had a combine save percentage in the playoffs under .900. The Penguins and Ducks could be looking to move a goalie with the threat of an expansion draft. The Red Wings are likely to shop Jimmy Howard, who Stars GM Jim Nill is familiar with.
2. Re-sign two of their four UFA defensemen – Alex Goligoski, Kris Russell, Jordie Benn and Jason Demers. Best scenario would be to re-sign Goligoski and Demers. If they re-sign Demers, it would give them three right-handed defensemen. Goligoski could use Matt Niskanen’s seven-year, $42.25 million deal as a comparable.
3. Sign Jamie Benn to a max-term contract – Benn can sign an extension after July 1st and the Stars probably don’t want a situation like Steven Stamkos and the Lightning had this year. Benn could be looking in the $10 million per year range.
James Mirtle: The Stars should consider buying out both Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, say “my bad” and eat the $3+ million cap hit for the next few years. No team trades for bad goalies with huge contracts.
CapFriendly Buyout Calculator: An Antti Niemi (two-years left at $4.5 million per) buyout would cost the Stars $1.5 million for the next four years.
CapFriendly Buyout Calculator: A Kari Lehtonen (two-years left at $5.9 million per) buyout would cost the Stars a cap hit of $1.733 million in years one, three and four, $2.733 in the second year.
On the Winnipeg Jets …
Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun: Jets pending RFA Mark Scheifele is playing for Team Canada at the World Championship, and isn’t really sure what is going on with regards to an extension.
“I don’t even know what’s going on with (the negotiations with the Jets). That’s not my job. My job is to play hockey and I’m over here to win a gold medal. My agent can take care of the rest,” Scheifele said in a telephone interview from Russia on Wednesday. “Obviously my goal is to be with Winnipeg for a long time. We’ll see what all transpires this summer. But I’m going to be the same guy that I am.”