Hey Heika: Which prospect has best chance of cracking Stars' roster?

Hi there, Stars fans.
We are going to be asking for your questions throughout the summer and then during the season and hopefully providing some good answers. Here is the first "chat" with you guys. If you have any questions for me, just send them out on Twitter with the hashtag #HeyHeika or e-mail them to me here.
Let's get started:

The Spezza question is a delicate one. He is motivated, new coach Jim Montgomery likes him, and there is the thought he can be sheltered at even strength and given top power play time to get the most out of him. However, there is the chance that Spezza does not bounce back. Combine that thought with the fact Martin Hanzal might be only sorta healthy and you have two of your main centers who are question marks. Can you go into next season with that hanging over your head? If either are hurt or can't play, you have some young players who can step in, but what if both are healthy and just not that good? Can you give a healthy scratch to Spezza or Hanzal? Can you limit their minutes on the fourth line? To me, you have to at least discuss trading Spezza (who is entering the final year of his contract with a cap hit of $7.5 million) and getting a younger upgrade as your No. 2 center…I think there is a good group of UFA goalies, so the upgrade you could get with a trade might not be worth the value of your draft pick. That said, if you have a trade that a team might do to give you an accomplished young goalie ready for a backup role, I'd definitely listen. I think the back-up goalie is that important next season…Janmark can play left wing, so I would keep him. The knee issue will always be there, but he is a very good depth forward, and the Stars need as many of those as they can get.

If I was running it, I would allow the top prospects the chance to make the team out of camp, and then have them set to be the depth players while playing in the AHL. Waivers will come into some decisions (Dillon Heatherington needs waivers next year, I believe), but if you can have Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov playing in the AHL and ready for a call-up in case of an injury, I think that would be great. Same with Gavin Bayreuther. It just seems to me that too many teams get veterans for their seventh defenseman or 14th forward, and that creates a contract situation that blocks a prospect. If Dallas is confident in its depth in the minors, allow those players to be your seventh defenseman or 14th forward. If that plan doesn't work, there typically are players available in October and November on waivers or in trades.

I think they keep the 13th pick. I would love it if they could find a way to move up and make a big splash, but to really get the player they want, I think they would need to get into the top four. That would be expensive in terms of assets.

It's so hard to say. They are being led by veterans and mostly by goalie Mike McKenna, who just turned 35. That makes it difficult to draw any conclusions for how they are building in the minors. But I will say this, the timing of this run is perfect. With Miro Heiskanen and Valeri Nichushkin possibly coming into the NHL team next season, and players like Jason Dickinson, Roope Hintz, Gavin Bayreuther and Denis Gurianov getting this experience in the AHL playoffs, the Stars should have a good push in the youth movement. Mix in Esa Lindell, Julius Honka and Radek Faksa hopefully finding their stride, and this could be a team that has the younger players needed to match-up in today's fast, high-energy NHL.
Tweet from @brycingthepuck: #HeyHeika I���m hearing there���s possibly a chance of us getting Mike Hoffman in as a top 6 winger. Any thoughts on how he���d fit in our lineup, or any other options we could be pursuing?
I haven't heard anything on Mike Hoffman, but I think there are a lot of forwards out there who could help the Stars if they want to pursue them in trade. The question becomes how much room do they leave for players like Val Nichushkin, Jason Dickinson, and Roope Hintz, and also how much money do they have to spend on forwards with Jamie Benn, Jason Spezza, Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov and Martin Hanzal carrying bigger deals. It would also cost something in trade, and that means you have to start talking about key young players or high draft picks going the other way. I think they might only have the assets and room to add one key forward in trade, and they might not even do that.

I was blown away when he was named the best defenseman in the Finnish Elite League while playing in just 30 games. That tells you what his potential is. Still, the NHL is a tough league, and there will be the need for a transition period. Everyone is going to have to be calm during his rookie season, but it sure seems like the coach and the organization will give him a real opportunity to be successful in the NHL this upcoming season.

I think they will probably move on from Antoine Roussel…I definitely think Jim Montgomery will play the younger players. I also think GM Jim Nill could give him a younger roster as well.

I really like Curtis McKenzie as a player and a person, but the numbers seem to be stacking up against a potential return. The 27-year-old can become a UFA this summer, and it seems his play in the AHL playoffs could get him a one-way contract offer from some team. With all of the younger forwards ready to make a run at the NHL, it would seem the Stars would try to offer him a two-way deal (more if he plays in the NHL, less if he plays in the minors). McKenzie has made $700,000 in each of the past two seasons on one-way deals for the Stars and played a combined 60 games in the NHL during that span (including just seven this season), so the guess is his best chance for a good deal are with another team.

The Stars would definitely like to sign Michigan defenseman Joseph Cecconi (drafted in the fifth round in 2015) and get him into their system, as the 21-year-old defenseman can become a UFA next summer if he chooses to not sign in Dallas. However, Cecconi has the ability to return to the University of Michigan and play there and then can test free agency if he likes. The Stars know the rules, and they will maintain contact with Cecconi and see how things go. From everything I have seen, Dallas is very good at being patient with its players and maintaining positive relationships, so that will be their approach here. This is one of the risks with drafting college players.

My guess is they will not re-sign Kari Lehtonen or Antoine Roussel and they might sign one of Dan Hamhuis or Greg Pateryn. The guess is the chances are better for Hamhuis, as Pateryn might get a pretty good offer on the open market. All of the RFAs should return, it's just a matter of contract term. A player like Stephen Johns, who is one year away from UFA status, might get an offer for three or four years. A player like Mattias Janmark, who still has to prove himself after knee surgery, might get a one-year deal. The two interesting negotiations will be with Val Nichushkin and Devin Shore, but all of the RFAs should be back in the system.

It would be an outstanding combination, but I just don't see how it could work financially. John Tavares might be able to get $11 million-plus as a free agent this summer, and that just wouldn't work with Jamie Benn making $9.5 million and Tyler Seguin expected to get a contract extension somewhere in that price range this summer.

Be prepared and be genuine. The NHL is a tough league, so a rookie coach is going to have some challenges. Jim Montgomery can earn instant respect from his players and the opposition if he has done everything he can to be ready. He can then get some leeway for any mistakes he might make if he has earned the trust of the players by being himself.

I agree that they are probably going to move past Kari Lehtonen. There are some good potential free agents as back-up goalies, with Carter Hutton, Andrew Hammond and Anton Khudobin among the top targets. I do not see them starting with Mike McKenna, Philippe Desrosiers or Landon Bow at the NHL level as a backup.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.
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