NHL free agency: 5 teams who should sign Jake Gardiner

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 21: Toronto Maple Leafs Defenceman Jake Gardiner (51) in warmups prior to the regular season NHL game between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs on February 21, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images /

3. Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars could be looking to add a top-four defenseman this offseason. If you remember last summer, they nearly traded for Erik Karlsson. That’s because they really need a right-handed defenseman.

Unfortunately for the Stars, there aren’t many good right-handed defensemen on the market. Anton Stralman could be an option, but he’s coming off one of his worst seasons. Tyler Myers is overrated, plus the Winnipeg Jets are likely going to re-sign him anyway.

According to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic, the Stars will consider signing Gardiner. They would have to deal with the expansion draft in a few years, but that’s a problem they could solve by then.

Another issue with signing Gardiner is that the Stars would have to move either Esa Lindell or Miro Heiskanen to the right side. Gardiner exclusively plays on the left side. Even when he played with Morgan Rielly, a fellow left-handed defenseman, Rielly was the one who played on the right side.

However, the Stars have proven to be aggressive when pursuing what they want. That’s how they got Jim Montgomery as their head coach. It’s how the Stars nearly managed to trade for Karlsson. If Dallas wants to sign Gardiner, they’ll be a very tempting option for Gardiner.

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