Free agency focus: Important decisions and moves await Stars as July 1 approaches

The NHL offseason is laid out in such a perplexing way.

Although the gap between the last game of the Stanley Cup Final and the opening of training camp is somewhere around 90-100 days, the bulk of every team’s offseason work is accomplished in a chaotic 10-day stretch.

Buyout windows open, qualifying offers for restricted free agents are extended, the NHL Entry Draft takes place, and the hosting of development camps all typically occur in the final few days of June. Mixed into the frenzy are a handful of trades (both minor and blockbuster) involving draft picks, top prospects and even seasoned NHL veterans as teams attempt to free up cap space or retool on the fly.

The craziness then reaches a climax on July 1 when the free agency signing period opens. From there, everything gets kind of nutty. Superstars sign long-term deals and commit to new franchises, a few more trades process and every team attempts to plug the holes in their roster while staying under the cap in order to be in the best possible position to contend (or at the very least compete) come October.

It can be a tumultuous time, but that’s what makes it fun. Just ask Stars general manager Jim Nill.

“It’s a busy time, but we’ve got a great staff,” Nill said on Saturday. “We’re organized, we’ve been through this before and there’s a calmness. We actually enjoy this time of year.”

That’s a reassuring thing to hear as the Stars dive into one of the most fascinating summers of Nill’s tenure as GM. With Dallas tight up against the cap, having to find a way to add a few more pieces to round out their NHL lineup and still needing to officially hire a new head coach, there’s a lot to track. But that’s what makes this July 1 such a unique one for the team.

Since bowing out to the Oilers in the Western Conference Final on May 29, the past month has been chock-full of twists and turns. Pete DeBoer was fired a week after the season ended, fresh off leading the Stars to their third straight conference finals. Assistant coaches Steve Spott and Misha Donskov have both moved on to other opportunities in the days since. In a span of 28 hours, the Stars re-signed Matt Duchene, Mavrik Bourque and Nils Lundkvist while also dealing Mason Marchment to the Kraken to unlock some cap space. They used a chunk of it to re-sign Jamie Benn, setting the captain up for his 17^th season in Dallas. To top it all off, Jason Robertson’s name has been floating around in potential trade talks.

So, it’s been hectic.

As a result of all the pre-July work, the Stars have roughly $980,084 in cap space according to CapWages.com. That includes 10 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies currently under contract. The math alone seems to suggest that some sort of movement will be necessary.

Will they find a way to re-sign pending free agent Mikael Granlund and keep the Finnish Mafia intact? Will they circle back and attempt to bring back Cody Ceci as another right-handed option on the blue line? Is there any interest in a reunion with Evgenii Dadonov or Colin Blackwell? These are some of the lingering questions as July 1 comes into focus.

“We’re talking to those players right now,” Nill said. “They’re going to have an opportunity here on July 1, if they want, they have to decide if they want to see what’s out on the market or not. That’s a decision they have to make, knowing that we might do the same thing once July 1 hits and allocate those dollars somewhere else. We keep in touch with them.”

But after adding a franchise-altering superstar in Mikko Rantanen and securing the team’s core on long-term contracts during the 2024-25 eason, there’s a belief that this year’s offseason efforts may not need to be too aggressive.

“It’s not one of those years where we’re going to be chasing a lot of big names,” Nill said. “A lot of our decisions were made during last year a little bit. You add Rantanen, you sign Wyatt Johnston, Jake Oettinger and Esa Lindell. A lot of those decisions were made during the year. Part of the reason was so that we didn’t have to get in this situation where you have to sign certain things, too. A lot of that was taken care of during the year. Now, there are still moves we have to make and we know that. But a lot of that work was done during the season.”

July 1^st brings those “moves we have to make” into a clearer focus. With the NHL’s buyout window now closed, the Stars will likely have to find a way to unlock cap space through a trade avenue of sorts. Matt Dumba (1 year remaining at $3.75 million) and Ilya Lyubushkin (2 years remaining at $3.25 million AAV) seem to be two prime candidates in that discussion. There’s also the continued chatter surrounding Robertson (1 year remaining at $7.5 million). Dallas can begin discussing a contract extension with the 25-year-old forward, who will be a restricted free agent next summer, on Tuesday. But if those talks don’t take on a positive trajectory, there is suspicion that Dallas might investigate a potential deal centered around the winger. But that all remains to be seen in the here and now.

A trade of any kind could net the Stars valuable players and/or cap space to finish retooling their roster, but they’ll need to find a willing trade partner for any of it to work. And so, the dance continues.

But even with all of the unknown to figure out and settle, this July 1 presents the Stars with another unique opportunity to get closer to their ultimate goal. As the back-to-back-to-back Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award winner, Nill has as good of a grip on the chaos as any general manager in the NHL. He knows his team’s current makeup and situation, and also knows the problems that need addressing in order to take the next step towards a Stanley Cup.

During his media availability on June 6, Nill highlighted just how quickly teams can take a step backwards in the NHL as a result of a rash or mistimed decision. As a result, careful consideration and deliberation have to come with each move.

And that should provide a glimmer of hope as the calendar flips and Dallas looks to continue taking positive steps towards success in a busy summer of 2025.

“The roster is coming together maybe a little better than we thought,” Nill said. “Things have fallen into place, so we’re happy that way. Now, I know some things that you guys don’t know, but things have come together pretty good. There will still be some work to do, but we’re going through it methodically here making some decisions. On July 1, you don’t know where things are going to go.”

The NHL hierarchy could shift in any number of different directions tomorrow. But that’s what makes it fun, right?

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Josh Clark is a writer for DallasStars.com. Follow him on X @Josh_Clark02.