Defending Big D Mailbag, Volume 1: Zach Parise, Financial Futures & Dirty Jobs

About a week ago, we here at Defending Big D announced the creation of the DBD Mailbag. The purpose of this new venture is to allow our readers to send us direct questions or suggestions for what you'd like to see us write about. You ask it, and we'll answer it right here for all to read.

All you need on your end is an email address or a twitter handle. We can be reached on the following accounts:

Email - dbdmailbag@gmail.com
Twitter - @dbdmailbag

We only got a handful of questions on this first go-round, but it's enough to get the ball rolling. After the jump, I'll touch on which free agents the Dallas Stars need to pursue this summer, just how quickly we can expect to see a raise in payroll, and give you some insight into what the writers here at Defending Big D do for a paycheck.

"The Stars have been hamstrung financially, but I am curious if the new owner will allow Joe to go out and build the team that he wants. Since the team is still losing money at a pretty solid clip, does that play into the invest now to get fans in the AAC or wait until the fans start coming back before we start spending philosophy?

Cheers!"

I personally think Tom Gaglardi has said all the right things since taking over the helm as Dallas Stars owner. He understands the situation very well. He knows that this team isn't the success that it once was. He knows that there is no reason why it can't regain it's position as one of the most profitable organizations in the sport, and he knows what needs to be done to make that happen.

Gaglardi knows that if the Stars are going to compete with the Cowboys, Rangers, and Mavericks for a share in the public consciousness, they're going to have to be competitive. He knows that to be competitive, he's going to have to make money available for Joe Nieuwendyk to spend.

Gaglardi is going to spend money, but he's going to spend it smartly. He knows that this team has a solid young core, and he is dedicated to building on it. This isn't going to be a scenario where the Stars go out and spend money on players in-or-after their prime. When the Stars added veterans like Hull, Verbeek, and Belfour in the 90's, they were fitting in to an already veteran lineup.

The Stars are going to target players that can grow with Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson, Philip Larsen, Brenden Dillon, and the like... and still be relevant when Jack Campbell, Jamie Oleksiak, and the teenage crop of future Stars are mainstays.

Basically, Gaglardi is going to spend money. There is no doubting that. This is a situation where he is going to have to spend money to make money, simply because that is what the market dictates. It's up to him and Nieuwendyk to spend it wisely, however. Luckily, I have faith in their abilities to do so.

"Between Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, and Shea Weber, which of the NHL's upcoming crop of free agents do you think would make the best fit on the Stars?

Thomas"

Can I pick more than one? The situation gets a little easier when you consider that Nashville is unlikely to let both of their stud defensemen walk. You can't go wrong with either player, but I'd be surprised if both of them reach July 1st without being tied down to a long term deal in the Music City.

That said, either one of them would be a huge upgrade to our defense, and I think the Stars would be one of countless other clubs throwing money at them to make it happen. That said, I really think Parise would make the biggest impact here.

Parise brings a lot of what the Stars lack. He is a strong leader with offensive talent and a work ethic you'd expect to see on the captain of the New Jersey Devils. He would slide into a the Stars Top 6 forwards and immediately pay dividends, playing with either Jamie Benn or Mike Ribeiro.

He'll be 28 years old at the start of next season, which puts him right in line with the Trevor Daleys and Kari Lehtonens of the team, as an experienced veteran that still has all kinds of gas left in the tank.

Parise might even help us get into one of those Winter Classic games. He's got the name recognition, the credibility as a star for Team USA, and a ready-made story line for any Dallas/Minnesota Winter Classic. His father, J.P. Parise, starred for the Minnesota North Stars from 1967 to 1975.

Maybe Jake Dowell would give up the #11 sweater so Zach can wear his dad's number? I doubt he'd be keeping the #9 if he trades in the Devils red and black for Dallas green and gold.

"You all put in so much time to creating content for Defending Big D.

Just curious - what do you all do for a living?

Mike"

I work graveyard shift in 911/dispatch/communications for a small southern Dallas police department. It gives me a lot of interesting stories to tell friends and keeps me on my feet on busy nights. On slow nights, it allows me to read everything the internet has to offer about the Dallas Stars, and write a couple articles a week for you lovely people to read.

That seems to be a common thread amongst the writers here. When I took this question to the other writers, I heard a lot about taking advantage of their work situations to be the best bloggers they could be.

"You can just tell them that Brad is a computer programmer that sits in a room with literally 7 different computers all day, so he can usually find one to use for blogging." -- Brad Gardner

"And you can tell them I work for a newspaper in Missouri where I have an nontraditional schedule that allows me to be up in the wee hours of the morning to gather the links." -- Erin Bolen

Josh and Taylor were both short and sweet with their answers, which I think seems pretty appropriate given their job descriptions.

"I'm a Sr. Project Manager for an online market research company for my job that pays the bills." -- Taylor Baird

Josh, who seemed unsure of exactly how specific he should get in his answer, finally decided on "Data Research Analyst" (big surprise, eh?), despite calls from his peers to admit that he's also a ninja.

Brandon on the other hand, founder of this great blog and community, is a "Subsea Engineer." I have no idea what that means, but maybe we can get him to elaborate on it in the next edition of the DBD Mailbag.

Editor's Note by Brandon - "During my time with the blog I have served in the US Navy as a Navigation Electronics Technician, and as a Subsea Engineer with Transocean, working offshore on the oil rigs. Recently I worked as an Oil & Gas Title Agent in Ohio. Currently I am a full-time student, working a Finance degree at the University of Houston."