On the Dallas Stars …
Dallas Morning News: Looking at the top free agents by position that Stars GM Jim Nill could target this offseason.
Center – Steven Stamkos – will likely want more than the Stars would be willing to pay, and they have other areas that need addressing, but imagine having Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Stamkos in the same lineup.
Left Wing – A Loui Eriksson reunion in Dallas? Another option on the left side could be Milan Lucic, but at $5 to $6 million, it would make them pretty expensive up front.
Right Wing – Kyle Okposo would be the top right winger, with other options in Mikkel Boedker and Troy Brouwer.
Defensemen – Keith Yandle may not be the big defenseman that some fans would like, but he’s a veteran that would help out some of the young defensemen. Other options could include Dan Hamhuis, Roman Polak and Brian Campbell.
Goatenders – There is a chance that both Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen are back, but if they move on from one or both, James Reimer and Cam Ward could be options.
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 960 on the Dallas Stars.
“Dallas – I’ve got to think that Lehtonen is done there, whether he gets traded, or he’s bought out. I’m just not sure how you can come back with that guy. I think that experiment is enough. And he’s got a lot of room on his blueline.
“I’ve had a couple of GMs, that they think – especially if they know there’s an expansion draft next year – they think this is going to be a crazy off-season for moves. And the teams that have cap room are going to have the ability to do some things. I think Dallas is one of those teams. They going to have holes on their blueline. They’re going to have cap room. I think Dallas is going to be in a position where they’re going to do some creative things to make themselves better.
“I think the other thing that Dallas knows they have do is I think they’re going to take a big run at a Jamie Benn extension. They know they can’t go into next year like Tampa did with Stamkos. The whole Tampa-Stamkos thing has been a warning because just as this whole year you’ve heard ‘Stamkos to Toronto’ – if Jamie Benn starts next year as an unrestricted free agent, the ‘Benn to Vancouver’ stuff is going to hang around them all year long.”
