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Stars free agent targets: The perfect fit, one of the top defensemen on the market and more

The Stars will have to navigate around the $81.5 million salary cap neatly.

The Stars have some holes to fill.

With the loss of Jamie Oleksiak to the Seattle Kraken and the ever-present need for a top-nine forward to help build depth in the lineup, Dallas needs additions when free agency opens Wednesday morning.

But they’ll have to navigate the $81.5 million salary cap neatly.

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After re-signing Miro Heiskanen to a massive eight-year extension with a $8.45 million cap hit, the Stars have limited money to work with. The projected roster leaves $7.334 million in cap space, and that is before the Stars re-sign Joel Kiviranta and fill a forward spot with another player with a sub-$1 million cap hit (players on entry-level contracts or organizational depth pieces such as Rhett Gardner, Tanner Kero or Joel L’Esperance).

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So the dreams of free agent hauls of the past (remember 2017 and 2019?) are gone. If things line up correctly, the Stars can still make a splash, but a splurge in one area would mean sacrifice in another.

Here are some players the Stars could pursue if they choose to spend big on either a forward or a defenseman, since they cannot do both without moving money off the roster.

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Blake Coleman

Tampa Bay Lightning center Blake Coleman (20) warms up before Game 1 of the NHL hockey...
Tampa Bay Lightning center Blake Coleman (20) warms up before Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals series against the Montreal Canadiens, Monday, June 28, 2021, in Tampa, Fla.(Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)

The Plano native would be a perfect fit in Dallas in the top nine but may cost too much after playing a key role in winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay. With the Lightning, Coleman brought physicality to the team’s checking line, but he has also been a consistent scorer in his career, eclipsing 30 points in each of the last three seasons, including both shortened years.

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Coleman will likely fetch at least $4 million on the open market, given a similar contract Los Angeles signed Alex Iafallo to and the fact that former linemate Barclay Goodrow received a six-year contract with a $3.6 million cap hit.

Coleman, a winger, is versatile and can be moved up and down the lineup. A return to Texas would be nice, but he may cost too much.

Alex Wennberg

Florida Panthers center Alex Wennberg (21) celebrates center Frank Vatrano's overtime goal...
Florida Panthers center Alex Wennberg (21) celebrates center Frank Vatrano's overtime goal on Dallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin (35) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Tuesday, April 13, 2021. The Stars lost, 3-2. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

Wennberg is a two-way center who spent last season in Florida after being bought out by Columbus. He scored a career-high 17 goals with the Panthers (on a 20.7% shooting percentage), though he has typically been more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer.

Wennberg kills penalties and plays on the power play, and Florida coach Joel Quenneville trusted him with more 5-on-5 ice time than any forward on the Panthers’ roster, including Aleksander Barkov. Wennberg carries the puck on entries rather than dumping it in, but he also does not forecheck as well as some of the current Stars forwards.

Wennberg played last season on a contract worth $2.25 million and will receive $891,667 from the Blue Jackets as part of his buyout.

Mike Hoffman

St. Louis Blues' Mike Hoffman (68) flips the puck past Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprizov (97)...
St. Louis Blues' Mike Hoffman (68) flips the puck past Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprizov (97) in the third period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, May 12, 2021 in St. Louis. The Blues beat the Wild 4-0.(Tom Gannam / AP)
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The Blues winger has perhaps the best shot in the league but does not bring much else to the table. He is a left-handed shot who lines up in the right circle on the power play to rip one-timers (think Denis Gurianov), and he can give the Stars the finishing touch they have sorely lacked in recent years.

He does not drive play at 5-on-5 and can be a liability in the defensive zone, especially against active defensemen such as Cale Makar. Hoffman was a victim of the flat cap last year, signing a one-year contract with St. Louis that paid him $4 million.

Ryan Suter

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The veteran is one of the top defensemen on the market after he was bought out by Minnesota earlier this month. The 36-year-old is left-handed and is one of the most reliable players in the NHL, having missed just four games in the past six regular seasons.

The Stars have been linked to Suter, who reportedly wants a multiyear contract in free agency. He could be a natural fit with Heiskanen now that Oleksiak is in Seattle.

Mike Reilly

Boston Bruins' Mike Reilly (6) during the second period of Game 6 during an NHL hockey...
Boston Bruins' Mike Reilly (6) during the second period of Game 6 during an NHL hockey second-round playoff series against the New York Islanders Wednesday, June 9, 2021, in Uniondale, N.Y.(Frank Franklin II / AP)
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Reilly is an offensive defenseman that just posted a career-high 27 points last season in a year split between Ottawa and Boston. The 28-year-old made $1.5 million last season and is an unrestricted free agent for the first time. Perhaps the Stars don’t need another offensive defenseman with Heiskanen and John Klingberg on the roster and Thomas Harley in the pipeline, though.

Cody Ceci

Pittsburgh Penguins' Cody Ceci, left, reacts as the New York Islanders celebrate a goal by...
Pittsburgh Penguins' Cody Ceci, left, reacts as the New York Islanders celebrate a goal by Jordan Eberle during the third period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Saturday, May 22, 2021, in Uniondale, N.Y. The Islanders won 4-1.(Frank Franklin II / AP)

Ceci had a resurgence last year in Pittsburgh, when he had 17 points for the Penguins and was second on the team with a plus-18 rating. Ceci hits the market after playing for $1.25 million last year. He was fortunate the Penguins shot 10.49% when he was on the ice, leading to his stellar plus/minus.

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