RE: Joe Nieuwendyk and the Dallas Stars' plans.
The problem with so many teams right now is the one that Nieuwendyk is facing: A projected payroll that is just above the floor in the NHL's new salary-cap structure. Even though he doesn't have a lot of unmanageable contracts, it's hard for Nieuwendyk to add the defenceman that he needs without subtracting somewhere else. As much as the Stars like Brad Richards, his bounce-back season this past year (91 points in 80 games) will make him harder to sign after next year when his current contract expires.
The Stars will try to stay the course as long as they can without dumping salary, in the hopes that once their ownership issues are resolved, the purse strings will be loosened.
Speaking of Stars - or ex-Stars - goaltender Marty Turco's future is the object of much speculation here. In the same way that the San Jose Sharks told goaltender Evgeni Nabokov that they won't bring him back last week, the Stars did the same with Turco soon after the season ended. Turco was looking for a contract with a minimum of four years; at the age of 34, it is understandable why he wants multiple years on an extension; it is equally unlikely that few NHL teams will give him a tumble.
The most likely landing for Turco might be San Jose, if he goes on a two-year deal for medium dollars. Turco has always played well in the Shark Tank, so they will have a different perspective on him than say, Steve Yzerman, the new Tampa manager, has. Turco never played well in his visits to Detroit, even if he starred there in college. The expectation is that Yzerman will make an inquiry for the Bruins' Tim Thomas (overpriced at $5 million per year) to solve Tampa's goaltending position, but only if the Bruins take one of his heavy-duty contracts back (say Ryan Malone's). If not for the salary burden, Thomas would also a possibility for the Sharks.