The NHL Draft kicks off tomorrow, Thursday July 7th at 6 PM CDT. Round one will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed online on ESPN+. Rounds two through seven will commence on Friday, July 8th at 10 AM CDT. That will be broadcast on NHL Network. The Dallas Stars are hosting a watch party at The Owner’s Box at the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas if you want to see who they take 18th overall in this year’s draft amongst other Stars fans.
This is when the real offseason begins.
All 32 NHL general managers in a city at the same time means there’s more opportunities to wheel and deal. Using this year’s draft picks as collateral can sometimes allow a team to move on a from a big contract or add an impact player, depending on what the needs of other teams are.
The Dallas Stars could be one of those teams.
As I mentioned on @NHLNetwork earlier this hour, the Dallas Stars want to add a top-six winger this summer and primarily to play with Seguin/Benn. They’ll explore both the trade & free agent markets.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 5, 2022
That’s not exactly a surprise, as finding a linemate for their top two paid forwards has been an ongoing endeavor for a few seasons now. It remains to be seen how they can fit a top six forward into the mix as the roster is currently constructed given salary cap constraints and the need for new contracts for a few key restricted free agents (Jake Oettinger, Jason Robertson, etc.)
So…will Jim Nill be active on the draft floor and in the trade market? How do you feel about the hiring of Pete DeBoer? With free agency opening on July 13th, where does John Klingberg end up next season?
Tell us in this week’s edition of SB Nation Reacts!
SB Nation Reacts is a survey of fans across the NHL. Each week we ask questions of the most plugged-in Dallas Stars fans and fans across the country.
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