Free agency opens officially tomorrow at 12:00 PM EDT (11:00 AM CDT), and the Stars have been linked to their first big free agent: Blake Wheeler, who was bought out by the Winnipeg Jets today.
But while multiple media members speculated Dallas as a potential landing spot, one came in with a bit more cold water:
Blake Wheeler’s agent — Matt Keator — indicates the winger prefers the Eastern conference: less travel and a new experience. We will see what evolves
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 30, 2023
The fit is a little understandable. Teams that consider themselves Stanley Cup contenders that finished in the Conference Finals and have the majority of their roster signed for next season would be looking to fill holes they think could put them over the top. With trade deadline acquisition Max Domi anticipated to hit the free agency market (likely because his next contract will be higher than Dallas has cap space for), Wheeler would feel a little like a lateral improvement on the one skillset Domi brought to the lineup that Dallas is lacking: playmaking.
Blake Wheeler, bought out by WPG, is a pure playmaking veteran winger. He can still pass the puck and produces primary assists at a high rate, but the other elements of his game are less effective. #GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/xqusDzmfCo
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 30, 2023
The problem with Wheeler would be age (Dallas already has guys that are this old or older that are surprisingly still effective, but it feels like playing with fire to expect every single signing of an older veteran to pan out the same way) and the term he’d be looking for. One would hope that the defensive structure the Stars employ could overcome some of Wheeler’s deficiencies in that regard, much like they at times seemed to for Domi, and he would be enough of a net-positive on the offensive side to balance that out.
The one thing I do know about Stars general manager Jim Nill is that he’s patient and his moves often aren’t leaked to the media until they’re basically done. For now, I’d place more weight on Friedman’s reporting of what his agent said he desires than other speculation in the media. But things can change very quickly this time of year.
While the free agency crop this year was seen by most to be fairly weak, today’s buyouts did put some interesting names out on the market again. Beyond Wheeler, Matt Duchene (Nashville Predators), Mike Reilly (Boston Bruins), and Kailer Yamamoto (recently acquired via trade by the Detroit Red Wings) were all announced as being put on unconditional waivers today for the purposes of buyout.
The deadline for buyouts is 4 PM CDT today, and the only other buyout window that could open for a team this summer would be triggered by a restricted free agent going to arbitration, which is unlikely for the Stars. Nill told us Wednesday after the first day of the draft that he does not anticipate using a buyout for anyone on his roster, and so far, that seems to still be the case.