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Stars still negotiating with RFAs James Neal and Matt Niskanen

James Neal

Dallas Stars left winger James Neal (18) celebrates a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers, Friday, April 2, 2010, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

AP

While other teams are getting the last of their restricted free agents into camp, the Dallas Stars continue to plod along with negotiations of their own. There are just four restricted free agents left to be signed this off-season and Dallas has two of them in James Neal and Matt Niskanen (the others are Bobby Ryan of Anaheim and New York’s Marc Staal).

Stars fans are likely getting nervous about things but Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News says that negotiations are ongoing with both players.

The agent for Niskanen, Neil Sheehy, said he expects to meet with the Stars Tuesday in Traverse City, Mich., where the Stars prospects are participating in an eight-team tournament. The agent for Neal, Pat Morris, said he continues to have talks with the Stars.

“We will continue to negotiate with the goal to getting a deal done that is representative of James’ progress and stature as the 2nd leading goal scorer for Dallas last year and over the last 2 seasons,” Morris wrote in an e-mail.

The Stars are swimming in cap space, but it’s apparent that their internal budget is what’s slowing things down in a big way to get both of these players signed. Other restricted free agents haven’t had budget-busting deals made for them this year, and the handful that did score big contracts did so to get some of their unrestricted free agent years bought out.

We don’t know what the specifics are with both Neal and Niskanen’s negotiations are, but if the quibbles are over incremental amounts of money, that’s enough to make anyone in Dallas nervous about the state of the franchise while they wait for a new owner to step up.