Roster a juggling act for DeBoer, Stars as preseason winds down

Preseason: Stars at Avalanche

FRISCO, Texas --The balance between getting his team ready and sorting out the players who are on the bubble between the NHL and AHL is a challenging one for new Stars coach Pete DeBoer.
So he will first allow the combatants who need to prove something to first show themselves and then will focus his attention on the potentially final roster later in the week.
Among the players expected to suit up in Denver on Wednesday in the Stars' sixth preseason game are: Fredrik Olofsson, Oskar Back, Fredrik Karlstrom, Riley Damiani, Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven. Any one of those players could make the NHL roster out of camp, but they can't all. That means this will be a huge opportunity for the players to make an impression.
"Yeah, I think so," DeBoer said. "That whole group. A couple of them might get in that last game but I don't think you can bank on that. They are smart guys. The one thing everybody has had here is opportunity. Everybody that's still here has played multiple games for the most part and gotten a chance to play with all different types of people. Another chance tonight but we are getting to the end of the runway."

Dallas plays at Minnesota on Saturday in the final preseason game and then has to ready itself for the season opener Oct. 13 at Nashville. Because of that, DeBoer and the coaching staff are making some tough decisions early.
Among the variables DeBoer has to juggle is the fact that Jason Robertson is a restricted free agent who has yet to sign a new contract. If the Stars and Robertson get a deal done, then it will likely be for a fairly high cap number and could force Dallas to possibly play with just 22 players on the NHL roster. If he doesn't, that could mean that DeBoer not only has to use a player who will take Robertson's place in the lineup, but also an extra forward who could provide depth.
"Obviously, your cap chances whether he's signed or isn't signed," DeBoer said. "That changes the number of bodies we have available here. We can carry as many extra forwards as we want going into the season if he doesn't sign, so my options are totally different. If he does sign, then you're up against the cap."
And so the forwards are fighting for attention right now. They have to do that in a team setting where they could actually be helping a player they are competing against, but the players have said they're all friends and they all want to win together. There's also a good chance that if a player doesn't make the opening night roster, he can still get NHL games this year. So, he can go to the AHL and keep working there.

"Someone is always watching," said Stars general manager Jim Nill. "We tell them that whether it's a scrimmage, a game or practice, you are always being watched and you are always making an impression."
That makes Wednesday's game a key for several players, but DeBoer believes the competition is helping make everyone better.
"I know we have a lot of depth," he said. "Whatever group we start the season with, I'm comfortable we're going to have four lines that can play the way we want to play."
Scott Wedgewood is expected to get the start in goal, while Anton Khudobin could get some playing time in relief.

Stars projected lineup

Jacob Peterson - Tyler Seguin - Logan Stankoven
Fredrik Olofsson - Radek Faksa - Denis Gurianov
Joel Kiviranta - Riley Damiani - Luke Glendening
Fredrik Karlstrom - Oskar Back - Mavrik Bourque
Esa Lindell - Nils Lundkvist
Thomas Harley - Colin Miller
Joel Hanley - Ryan Shea
Scott Wedgewood
Anton Khudobin
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.