The Dallas Stars are set to promote a few employees. Defensemen, in particular.

Even after trading the negotiating rights of blue-liner Alex Goligoski to the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday, the Stars will head into July 1 with another three defensemen set to hit the open market: Jordie Benn, Jason Demers, and trade-deadline acquisition Kris Russell.

That's a lot of minutes to fill. But general manager Jim Nill isn't panicking, because he's relying on some of the kids - Stephen Johns, Esa Lindell, Patrik Nemeth, and Jamie Oleksiak - to step up.

"It's time for them to start grabbing more of the action," Nill told the Stars' website. "If nothing happens, we are comfortable going with what we have right now. If there is somebody out there that is a fit for us, great. They've got to fit for us as a player and fit for us financially. We've got lots of flexibility, and it opens the door for us in other ways."

*UFA

Among the top four Stars defensemen in average ice time - including Russell's small sample size - only John Klingberg is returning. And the Stars may yet sign Russell, Demers, or Benn, but there are certainly holes on the blue line.

Sink or swim, gents.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ken Holland has a lot on his mind these days.

As the Detroit Red Wings' general manager prepares for an announcement Saturday with regards to Pavel Datsyuk's future, he's also contemplating a trade involving Jimmy Howard, who has been supplanted as the starting goalie by Petr Mrazek.

"I can see on the one hand that having two goaltenders, it’s a nice luxury," Holland said, according to Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. "Certainly Jimmy Howard played an important role down the stretch in our team qualifying for the playoffs.

"(A trade) might be good for some careers and good for the organization. I’ve thought about it lots."

Mrazek, 24, is set to become a restricted free agent, and posted better numbers in 2015-16 than the 32-year-old Howard, who's on the books for three more seasons at a cap hit of $5,291,666.

Howard was given the opportunity to start for Detroit to begin the playoffs, but posted a save percentage of .891 in two losses to Tampa Bay before Mrazek entered and allowed four goals over the next three games.

Whether there's a team out there willing to take on Howard's contract and seemingly diminished skills remains to be seen.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL offseason comes quick, especially for the Stanley Cup champions.

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford is in a unique position this summer. He may have to decide between Marc-Andre Fleury, a fan favorite and rock-solid veteran, and Matt Murray, the wunderkind who just put together one of the best rookie postseasons in NHL history.

Though no one knows if Fleury will be dealt, he's already garnered attention from other teams, but Rutherford has no problem with keeping two reliable netminders in Pittsburgh's crease.

"Ideally, we'd like to start next year with both goalies, Fleury and Murray," Rutherford told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. "But we have to look into some things. We have to, first of all, look into what the expansion guidelines are, and talk internally as to how all this works, if both goalies are here.

"We're very fortunate that we have two very good goalies; one a franchise goalie who's done a lot for the Penguins over the years and another up-and-coming young guy that just helped win a Stanley Cup. We have to look at the situation, but it's a good one to be in."

Fleury was enjoying a strong season before injuries derailed it, posting a 35-17-6 record with five shutouts, a 2.29 goals-against average, and a .921 save percentage.

Murray, on the other hand, has only played 13 career regular season games, winning nine of them. In the playoffs, he was 15-6 with a 2.08 GAA and a .923 save clip.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Time may be running out for Loui Eriksson and the Boston Bruins.

While agent J.P. Barry confirmed he and Bruins general manager Don Sweeney have been in regular contact, the ball appears to be in Boston's court at this point.

"We were expecting a new offer from the club at some point but we haven’t received one yet," Barry told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. "I’m sure we will speak again prior to the draft about their intentions."

The NHL Draft is set for June 24, while Eriksson can begin negotiating with other teams on June 25, with the ability to sign elsewhere on July 1.

Eriksson, who will turn 31 in mid-July, is coming off the best of his three seasons with the Bruins, recording 30 goals and 33 assists in 82 games.

The Bruins decided to hold on to Eriksson prior to the trade deadline for what turned out to be an unsuccessful run at a playoff spot. The winger carried a cap hit of $4.25 million over the past six seasons, and will likely be looking for a bump in salary in light of his productive 2015-16 campaign.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Garth Snow doesn't sound like a general manager who'll be able to retain Kyle Okposo's services moving forward.

Speaking Friday on SiriusXM's "Stellick and Simmer" show, the New York Islanders' GM said Okposo has been a terrific player both on and off the ice.

"We're just in a situation with the salary cap that you really have to analyze where you are today and where you're going to be five years from now," Snow said. "There's always tough decisions. We're not the only team that has tough decisions to make and potentially could lose free agents on July 1.

"Kyle is a great person and has been a terrific player for this organization. I wish him nothing but the best."

Snow's comments come on the heels of Okposo's agent saying all signs point to his client hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

Okposo, 28, is coming off a five-year deal that carried a cap hit of $2.8 million, a valuation that will likely rise significantly as early as July 1. The Islanders, meanwhile, have close to $14 million in available cap space (according to General Fanager), with plenty of holes to be filled in the forward ranks this season.

Okposo was drafted seventh overall by the Islanders in 2006, averaging 0.7 points per game in 529 career appearances.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.