Dallas Stars Should Be Just Fine After Big Expected Offseason Losses

The Dallas Stars made it to the conference finals for the third consecutive season, but were eliminated again. They are right there and good enough to go all the way, but the Edmonton Oilers beat them quicker than last season. There were a lot of big changes this season and the team looked like they were going to be better, but not everyone is going to stick around through the offseason.

Five of the main UFAs this offseason include Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund, Evgenii Dadonov, and Cody Ceci. Colin Blackwell is also a UFA, but didn't have the same impact as the rest.

Duchene has taken team-friendly deals to win in Dallas and it hasn't resulted in a Stanley Cup yet. There is a chance he continues that, but also a possibility that he looks to another serious Cup contender as well. While he or Wyatt Johnston can play the wing or center and both be in the top-6, the Stars appear bound to get a little worse. I believe they will still be just fine though.

Benn is the most likely to stick around. He has been with the Stars his entire career and accomplished a lot. His AAV is going to go way down, which will be great for the team. He is still impactful, even if he isn't the Art Ross Trophy winner he once was many years ago.

Granlund is going to get plenty of offers, even some where he might be able to play as the top line center. We've seen him be able to do just that during his time with the San Jose Sharks. Even in his mid-30s, Granlund is going to likely demand a good deal of money to sign somewhere because of how good he has been these last two seasons and he's never cashed in like some of the other stars such as Duchene.

Dadonov wasn't in the lineup every game for the Stars, indicating that he likely won't be back. As a 36-year-old, his career is winding down, but he's still good enough to find work in the NHL next season. As for Ceci, his poor numbers suggest that it wasn't the best move to bring him over, even if he didn't cost a whole lot.

So how will the Stars be just fine? The team has players like Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, Johnston, Roope Hintz, Mason Marchment, Tyler Seguin, Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, Mavrik Bourque, and Jake Oettinger. That is a great core group of players, some of which will get more opportunities. There is more than enough cap space to bring players back or dabble in free agency as well. The foundation of the Stars is too good to fail and they will be in the mix again next season. I expect an interesting offseason.