With the Dallas Stars’ magical cup run falling short at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning a few weeks ago, the front office wasted no time looking ahead to the next season and making new moves. With that being said, here are the recent acquisitions the Dallas Stars have made thus far.
G Anton Khudobin
This big free agency re-signing pleased many Stars fans who undoubtedly wanted Anton Khudobin in a Stars jersey again. Many believed that Khudobin would allow money to lure him away from the 2020 Western Conference Champions, but he surpassed expectations again. Dallas managed to lock up Dobby to a three-year, $10 million deal. The once backup goalie stole the spotlight during the playoffs and was a huge reason why Dallas made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, to begin with. Khudobin made it clear from the start that he wanted to play with Dallas, which makes sense for the 34-year old, knowing how close his team was to hoisting the cup. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Anton Khudobin and Ben Bishop split starts next season, knowing the success that both these elite goaltenders can bring to the ice.
C Radek Faksa
The once 13th overall pick for the Dallas Stars expressed that he wanted to continue his career in Dallas as well. The Stars managed to re-sign the skilled forward to a five-year, $16.25 million contract. Faksa’s physically has proven well for the Stars, and he is part of the supporting cast that helped the Stars be contenders for the cup in the first place. In the playoffs, Faksa scored 3 goals with 5 assists and recorded 39 hits with 11 blocked shots. He is an integral part of the Stars penalty kill, and his unfortunate absence due to injury in the Cup Final proved deadly. Faksa suffered a broken wrist after a blocked shot against the Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Conference Finals. The Stars expect the 26-year old to be ready for the start of the 2020-2021 season and to continue to provide depth in the center position.
D Andrej Sekera
The 34-year old defenseman earned himself a two-year, $3 million contract after playing exceptionally well in the Stars playoff run. Even though Doc Emrick could never pronounce his name correctly, Sekera provided the veteran experience to this already young and talented defensive core. Sekera was also very important to the success of the Dallas penalty kill. In his first season with the Stars, he blocked 75 shots in 57 regular-season games, and averaged 14:43 of ice time per game. Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill was obviously very pleased with his performance, and Sekera will have another opportunity next season to continue his dominant play on the back end of the ice.
D/F Mark Pysyk
This free-agency acquisition is the only player the Stars have signed outside of the organization so far. The now ex-Florida Panther recently inked a one-year, $750,000 deal with the Stars. Pysyk had an excellent 2019-20 season and will certainly add depth for the Stars, especially with the uncertainty of D Stephen Johns, who decided to sit out the Stanley Cup playoffs after just one game out of precaution for his health. The 28-year old had the best season of his career by recording 18 points and 9 goals in the short season. Pysyk even showed his flexibility last season by playing both forward and defenseman positions. The Stars truly admire his veteran experience that can only help the defensive core. On top of that, his ability to play two positions is a huge bonus.
There are still some decisions to be made in the offseason like whether F Corey Perry will return, the uncertain status of D Stephen Johns, and if the former Stars first round pick, D Julius Honka, will return to the team after demanding a trade before the 2019-2020 season. This Dallas Stars team looks to remain the same, and is still hungry to get back to the Stanley Cup Final so they can hopefully experience what it feels like to finally hold the Stanley Cup again.
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