December 11, 2024 | 11:58am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

STARS TO EXPLORE ALL OPTIONS TO STRENGTHEN ROSTER

Stars GM Jim Nill

The Dallas Stars were dealt a tough blow last week when it was announced that Tyler Seguin would be out several months due to another required hip surgery.

With Seguin out of action for the rest of the regular-season, the Stars may have an opportunity to utilize his $9.85 million salary cap hit by placing him on LTIR later in the season.

As of Wednesday morning, the Stars have just over $2.1 million in current cap space, as per PuckPedia. They will continue to accrue cap space as the days go on, and can then exceed the cap by Seguin’s full $9.85 million hit, if they choose to do so.

Stars GM Jim Nill is already exploring and weighing his options and it is believed Dallas will look to add at both ends of the ice this season – one to replace Seguin’s position in the forward group, and another to add a top-four defenceman to the roster, as reported Monday morning by TFP’s David Pagnotta on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.

Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek also reported on Monday afternoon that the Stars will be looking to add to their roster, noting the team may wait until later in the season, possibly after the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

The Stars have shown interest in Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Marcus Pettersson in the past and could circle back on him this season – however, he will be a hot commodity leading up to the trade deadline.

In addition to Pettersson, the Stars could pursue the likes of Montreal’s David Savard or Mike Matheson, Columbus’ Ivan Provorov, and Anaheim’s Cam Fowler, all of whom are believed to be available this season.

Up front, the Stars will have a variety of forwards to ponder, such as Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri of the New York Islanders, Gustav Nyquist of the Nashville Predators, and even Taylor Hall of the Chicago Blackhawks, among others.