The Stars were active-ish on the first day of free agency. On day one the Stars added four new players: goalie Andrew Raycroft, center Adam Burish, and defenders Severin Blindenbacher and Jace Coyle.
Raycroft was the primary backup to Roberto Luongo in Vancouver last season. The 30 year old got into 20 games for the Canucks last year posting a 2.42 GAA and a .911 save percentage. He played around replacement level last year, and his contract stipulates that he will receive 700,000 and 600,000 in the two years of the deal he signed. The signing is what it is: the Stars goaltending situation should be taken care of for two years while Jack Campbell develops. Raycroft's contract is small enough that, if he doesn't perform, replacing him shouldn't be an issue.
Also added today was center Adam Burish. Burish picked up a two year deal which will pay him $1,000,000 in year one, and $1,300,000 in year two. This isn't a sexy signing by any means, but this is the type of under the radar move that can really help the Stars. The Stars forward defense was mediocre in 2009/10. A healthy Tom Wandell and a full year of Adam Burish could make a big difference.
Adam Burish was a solid contributor to the Hawks last year while only around 8 minutes a game in the 13 games he played. If he gets more ice time in Dallas there is no reason to think he can't be a solid third liner for the Stars, and there is no reason to think he can't have a very meaningful impact on the 2010/11 Stars.
The Stars also signed two defenders today. They picked up Jace Coyle from the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL. The 20 year old contributed 46 points in 68 games for the Tigers. The Stars are basically taking a flyer on a guy who put up solid numbers from the blueline in a league they heavily scout.
Also signed today was defender Severin Blindenbacher of the Swedish Elite League. He was drafted in the 9th round out of Switzerland by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2001. He was considered a solid sleeper pick by Red Line Report before the 2001 draft. He is a skilled smooth-skating defender who will be making his North American debut.
Blindenbacher has apparently improved signifcantly since joining the SEL. His improvement has evoked Mark Streit comparisons, but that isn't fair for several reasons. For one, no one should expect him to step in and nearly as valuable as Streit. He's a project who will need some time to develop, if he does at all. Also, Severin is very defensively sound. He is characterized as a player who can skate and make sound decisions in his defensive zone. The scouting report sounds similar to that of Patrik Nemeth from the draft.
So, was today a franchise altering coup? Absolutely not. However, the Stars did improve somewhat today. They still have significant work to do, but today was a good start.
Next on the agenda: James Neal.
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