As a relatively busy summer nears an end, Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill faces the task of coming to terms with a pair of 23-year-old restricted free agents: center Cody Eakin and defenseman Brenden Dillon.

According to Mike Heika of the Dallas News, "the two sides are having conversations and exchanging ideas," but a resolution to the respective negotiations remains in the distance. One potentially spicy ingredient in the mix is the fact that both players share the same agent.

Heika writes:

Jarrett Bousquet serves as agent for both Eakin and Dillon, and that makes things easier and more complicated at the same time. Bousquet works out of Frisco, so the team has a good relationship with him, and dealing with one familiar agent can makes things easier. However, the Stars are starting to push up against the salary cap, and have to get both contracts in while staying under $69 million (they are currently around $64 million). If both take two-year bridge deals, money shouldn’t be an issue. But if either or both want longer-term deals, then the cap hit goes up. The Stars want Eakin and Dillon in the lineup, and Dillon and Eakin want to play for the Stars. Now, it’s just a matter of finding the right price point and term.

Eakin scored 16 goals and added 19 assists in 81 games, ranking fourth on the team with 217 even strength shot attempts. For his part, Dillon recorded six goals and 17 assists, and ranked second among the club's defensemen with 185 shot attempts in 5-on-5 situations. While Dallas possesses a boatload of star power, players like Eakin and Dillon represent a healthy measure of depth that makes teams truly successful.

Heika adds the duo's only course of action is to hold out of training camp, but it's a risky play on both sides. For one, the Stars can't afford to be without these two key players, and Eakin and Dillon can't risk losing their spot in the lineup to others that impress in camp.

As such, expect negotiations to pick up as camp draws closer.