Focus on depth

Depth was the buzzword as Stars GM Jim Nill plunged into day one of NHL free agency Saturday. Nill bolstered his center depth with the addition of Martin Hanzal, added more forward depth with Tyler Pitlick and Brian Flynn and then added some depth in the goaltending ranks with Mike McKenna.
Hanzal was the big prize of the day for the Stars, who signed the 6-6, 226-pound center to a three-year, $14.25 million contract. The Stars were already deep at center with Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, and Radek Faksa, but got deeper with Hanzal, who plays both sides of special teams, is one of the league's best faceoff guys, can play a shutdown role and score some goals. He tallied 20 last season in 71 games while playing for both Arizona and Minnesota.
"Anytime you can be strong down the middle, it is important for your team," Nill said. "We've been fortunate that area has gotten stronger for us as we've moved along. We've got different types of players, too. We've got some speed, some scoring, some big heavy bodies, some good checkers. We've got a good mix, and I think we can match up against anybody in the league down the middle now. And we've got a lot of depth in that position."

Devin Shore and Adam Cracknell played center for the Stars last season, and both can play wing as well. So can prospects such as Jason Dickinson and Gemel Smith.
"These young guys can all play various positions," Nill said. "We've got flexibility in that Seguin, Spezza and these guys have played wing. It gives the coaching staff a lot of different options."
The Stars added more depth in the forward ranks with Pitlick and Flynn. The Stars signed the 25-year-old Pitlick to a three-year, $3 million deal. The 6-2, 202-pound forward, who shoots right-handed and brings some size and speed, recorded eleven points (eight goals, three assists) in 31 games with Edmonton last season before going out with a season-ending knee injury in December. In 2014-15 he missed 41 games with a lacerated spleen. The Stars see growth potential in Pitlick if he can stay healthy.
"He's just starting to get his feet wet in the NHL now, but he's had some tough luck with injuries," Nill said. "Between myself and our scouting staff, we think there is a lot of upside potential there. He was really having a good year until he got hurt. We're excited about the potential, and it's just a matter of him staying healthy and becoming an everyday player for us."
Flynn, who signed a one-year, two-way deal that pays $700,000 at the NHL level, tallied ten points (six goals, four assists) in 51 games for Montreal last season. The 28-year-old, who shoots right-handed, can play center or wing, is a strong penalty killer and has 275 games of NHL experience.
"We wanted to add depth to our organization," Nill said of signing Flynn. "As we saw last year, we got devastated with injuries. You can never have enough depth. He was an important signing. Another versatile player. He can play all forward positions, he skates well, and he's strong on the puck. He's a good addition."
Saturday's three forward signings could push the Stars to 13 likely NHL forwards. Nill said he was still talking to players on the market but added he is fine with where his team was as of late Saturday afternoon.
"If we have to start the season where we are, we are comfortable with that," Nill said. "We have a lot of players that are versatile that we can put on the wings with our strength down the middle. We are satisfied there. We're still in the market looking at some players. If they happen great, it's a bonus for us. If it doesn't, we are happy starting the way we are."
Happy where they are when you factor in earlier moves to address the goaltending issue and beef up the blue line.
"To get Ben Bishop really solidified the goaltending. We added Marc] Methot to our backend. He brings some experience that we were looking to add," said Nill. "And getting Martin signed was big for us. We're happy where we are this offseason."
**Goaltending depth**
The Stars added some goaltending depth in the minors with the signing of McKenna to a one-year, two-way deal. The 34-year-old McKenna played with both Springfield and Syracuse of the AHL last season and helped lead Syracuse to the Calder Cup Final. He's played in 429 AHL games in his career and 22 NHL games with Tampa Bay, New Jersey, Columbus, and Arizona.
He'll provide some insurance if the Stars have injury issues at the goaltending position in the NHL.
"We wanted to add some depth in our goaltending," Nill said. "If we happened to get an injury to one of our two guys, the other guys in our organization are pretty young. We wanted to have a third guy that could come up and play some games for us if there were injuries. We just wanted to bring depth, and it's going to bring good competition to our organization."
The Stars also signed defenseman Brent Regner to a one-year, two-way contract. Regner, 28, played with Springfield of the AHL last season and has 481 games of AHL experience. He played seven NHL games with Florida in 2015-16.
**Nemeth re-signs**
The Stars re-signed defenseman Patrik Nemeth to a one-year, $945,000 contract. Nemeth, who was a restricted free agent, had three assists in 40 games last season. The signing of Nemeth gives the Stars eight defensemen under contract for next season and restricted free agent Jamie Oleksiak still to sign. The Stars can't carry nine defensemen, and Nill said the Stars will sort out the issue eventually, perhaps in training camp.
"We'll let that evolve," Nill said. "We're still looking to make some more moves. If we don't, we know we are coming to camp probably with nine defensemen, and it's going to be good competition. We want to come into camp, and there are spots open. Let's see where the competition takes us and then we'll make decisions moving forward from there."
This story was not subject to approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club. Mark Stepneski is an independent writer whose posts on DallasStars.com reflect his own opinions and do not represent official statements from the Dallas Stars. You can follow Mark on Twitter [@StarsInsideEdge.