Dallas Stars are Stanley Cup contenders again, and it will cost them

Two months ago, the Dallas Stars ended their 2016-17 season with nothing but disappointment, questions to answer and glaring holes to fill.

Two months later, the Dallas Stars end the first three days of the NHL free agency period with plenty of hope and every single one of those holes filled.

The questions remain.

But for now, it’s hard to pick a team (other than the Vegas Golden Knights, duh) who has had a more successful offseason than the Dallas Stars. Their crown jewel and top target, Alexander Radulov, signed on Monday for five years and $31.25 million.

The former Canadiens winger ostensibly replaces the middling production of departed wingers Patrick Sharp and Ales Hemsky while giving the Stars’ power play a significant boost. It needed one, too; Dallas had the 20th-ranked power play last season. Hole filled.

This moves comes days after Dallas splurged for Martin Hanzal on July 1 on a three-year contract. He won’t be asked to do more than what he’s known for: be a net-front guy on the power play and kill penalties. Dallas had one of the worst penalty kills in modern NHL history last year. Hole filled.

The struggles of John Klingberg last year meant the Stars needed a solid defense-first defenseman to solidify their blueline. They paid a measly sum to Vegas for Marc Methot. Hole filled.

Lost in all of this were other moves meant to bandage the Stars’ worst qualities. Dallas traded for goalie Ben Bishop, signed him long-term and then parted ways with Antti Niemi. Hole filled. The Stars injected life into a depleted farm system by drafting Miro Heiskanen (arguably the draft’s best defenseman) and Jake Oettinger (arguably the draft’s best goalie) in the first round.

Hole(s) filled.

All of these changes will be tended to by a new coach, Ken Hitchcock, who was brought in to provide structure the Stars have so badly lacked lately. Hole filled.

If there’s a master whiteboard in Dallas’ front office, it should be littered with check-marks. They’ve accomplished everything they needed to do to get the Stars right back into Stanley Cup contention.

But at what price?

It’s hard to ignore the cost and term of the three major players they brought in this summer:

That’s a lot of money and time for players on the wrong side of 30 years old. Keep in mind that Dallas needs to re-sign Tyler Seguin in two seasons. Considering the extension money handed out to similar players this week, he’s due for a massive raise.

Losing Jason Spezza’s $7.5 million cap hit next summer (or bringing him back at a massively reduced price) will help a little. As will losing Lehtonen and Methot’s cap hits. But factor in these signings and Seguin’s expiration date and you’ve got a clock ticking on the Stars’ Stanley Cup hopes for the next two seasons. Especially if they get nothing out of this.

They either win the Cup in that time or they don’t. No matter how it plays out, a big name or two are going to be moved from this roster in 24 months. They can’t afford to keep everyone, just like they can’t afford to not maximize the spent money and talent accrued this offseason with a championship.

A reckoning will come for this roster soon. Dallas knows it. I’m sure Hanzal, Radulov, and Seguin know it. One of those three might not be a Dallas Star in two years, depending on how deep the team goes in the playoffs.

But there’s a decent chance now they’ll leave with a Stanley Cup win on their record. That makes checking off those whiteboard boxes, for that chance, worth every penny for the Stars.