Green Machine Musings- GM Jim Builds a Contender!

Fear. His. Mustache.

It’s official!  The Dallas Stars have a second scoring line!

 

But before I tell you about it, watch this classic video game commercial featuring the most prominent new member of the Green Machine (as well as another old friend of the Stars).

 

 

            Somehow, someway, General Manager Jim Nill has done it again!  For the second summer in a row, the GM of the Stars has punched the accelerator on the rebuild in Big D.  The result: in just two off-seasons, the former Detroit Red Wings head of scouting has completely rebuilt the Top Six for the Stars.  Last year it involved a seemingly troubled young center in Boston and an eighteen-year old phenom from the south of Russia.  This time around, the men coming to don the victory green are, shall we say, a bit more experienced.

 

            On Tuesday morning, I received a very excited text from my Stars-loving friend, Tanner.  It was only one word: “YESSSSSS!” but I knew exactly where he was coming from.  In yeoman’s terms, July 1st marked the start of the NHL’s version of open season.  It was, once more, the start of free agent signings across the league, but with an added twist this year.  July 1st was going to be crazier than ever because of a rule change that allowed teams to meet with pending unrestricted free agents before the signing period began.  Thus, when the clock struck 11:00 am CDT on Tuesday, all hell broke loose, with signings going down simultaneously from coast to coast.  So upon seeing that text, I had only to ask myself: who had the Stars acquired?

 

             The answer had come from a multitude of sources an hour or so earlier, so I'll throw the credit to Stars beat writer Mike Heika.

             Jason Spezza (pronounced SPEHT-zuh). Take a minute to let that name sink in.  Here's a brief list of some of the things he's bringing to Big D:

 

           -Second overall draft pick in 2001 Entry Draft

           -687 points (251 goals + 436 assists) in 686 career NHL games

           -4 seasons of 30+ goals

           -4 seasons of 50+ assists

           -2 appearances in NHL All-Star Game

           -52 points in 56 career NHL playoff games

 

            In 2013-14: 23 goals + 43 assists (both stats would have easily placed third on the Stars behind Benn and Seguin)

 

 

            And now he's ours.  And the best part, he doesn't need to be a superstar to have success on this team.  No, he is here to complement our already lethal top line and make them even deadlier.  They will do this by forcing the opposition to pick their poison, that is, the opponent's top pairing will be unable to defend back-to-back assaults from two top-tier scoring lines.  That's the value of a second-line center that can create a true scoring line.  Last year, the Stars did not have one.  Next year, they will have a top line center on their second line.  How Jim Nill pulled this off I will never know.

 

            And the best part of the deal, the Stars got him for an extremely good price.  Now, I have to say, my heart sank a bit when I saw that Alex Chiasson had been included in the package being sent to Ottawa, because the player known as "Toaster" had been a fan favorite ever since he made his debut.  However, upon further analysis, I saw just how good a deal that Nill got for us.

 

 

To Dallas:          C Jason Spezza

                       LW Ludwig Karlsson

 

To Ottawa:     RW Alex Chiasson

                       2nd Round pick in the 2015 draft

                       LW Alex Guptill

                       LW Nick Paul

 

              In acquiring Spezza (and the wrong Karlsson as far as Ottawa is concerned), the Stars parted with an NHL player, a draft pick, and two prospects.  At first, that sounds like a high cost, but it actually is a mega-bargain.  Chiasson has potential to be a top-six NHLer, but it simply isn't guaranteed.  The 2nd-round pick is quite significant, as the 2015 draft is expected to be extremely deep and talented, but it isn't a first-rounder.  As for the prospects, Guptill, a University of Michigan product, was rated as about 9th to 11th overall in the Stars prospect pool by Derek Neumeier and Huw Wales of DefendingBigD.com.  Nick Paul, a player for the OHL's North Bay Battalion, did not make the most recent Top-25 list that those two put together.  Thus, the consensus is that Ottawa, in only getting this much value for their captain and second-biggest superstar, got somewhat hosed by this deal.

 

Here's a link to Neumeier and Wales' prospect rankings on DBD.com.

 

              The main downside for this deal for Dallas is the fact that Spezza's contract will expire after the 2014-15 season.  If he leaves Dallas after this season, then the Stars will have essentially parted with this package for a one-year rental.  Regardless, Jim Nill did not part with any of Dallas' top prospects to acquire a second-line center with top line capability.  Jack Campbell, Brett Ritchie, Jamie Oleksiak, Devin Shore, Jason Dickinson, and John Klingberg all remain in the system.  That makes this a truly special deal that doesn't come around every day.  On another note, I honestly think that Nill and Company could re-sign Spezza to a multi-year deal here in North Texas.  His current contract, which took him into his prime, pays him $7 million/year.  A new deal would probably require him taking a pay cut to about $6.4-6.5 million over 4-5 years.  The Stars will have plenty of salary cap space open after the upcoming season as the albatross (lousy) contracts of Erik Cole, Sergei Gonchar, and Shawn Horcoff will come off the books, freeing up $15 million to spend elsewhere.  Acquiring Spezza AND signing him to play in Dallas long-term?  This is a Stars fan's dream taking shape right before our eyes.  Enjoy the show fans!

 

             Maybe there was an even better part of this deal... the fact that it wasn't the only great deal that the Stars made.  Stay tuned for another post devoted to the acquisitions the Stars made throughout the rest of the week!

 

Christian Bussler

@c_buss15

Green Machine Musings- It's Draft Day!

               It's a big day in the world of the coolest game.  Tonight, the 2014 NHL Draft gets underway in Philadelphia with coverage of the first round starting at 6:00 CT on NBC Sports Network.  Currently, the draft order is as follows:

 

1. Florida                           11. Nashville                            21. St. Louis

2. Buffalo                           12. Arizona                              22. Pittsburgh

3. Edmonton                      13. Washington                       23. Colorado 

4. Calgary                          14. Dallas                                24. Vancouver

5. NY Islanders                  15. Detroit                               25. Boston

6. Vancouver                     16. Columbus                          26. Montreal

7. Carolina                         17. Philadelphia                      27. Chicago

8. Toronto                          18. Minnesota                         28. Tampa Bay

9. Winnipeg                       19. Tampa Bay                        29. Los Angeles

10. Anaheim                      20. San Jose                           30. New Jersey

                  

NOTE: The #24 Pick was traded by Anaheim to Vancouver earlier today as part of a package for center Ryan Kesler. Do not be surprised if quite a few more trades go down later today.

                                                     

            Now, most of you are probably not all that familiar with the prospects who are draft eligible. That's alright, as this draft system is much more complex than football or basketball. The majority of those drafted tonight will be playing junior hockey in Canada or in a USA Hockey development program.  They are nearly all between the ages of 16 and 18, meaning that most of them will not be ready for the NHL next season (Remember, Valeri Nichushkin was one of the exceptions to the rule last year).  In this post, I'm going to give you the inside scoop on some of the players expected to be drafted high as well as a few that the Dallas Stars might be interested in.

 

             Naturally, I'm not going to give you a profile of each possible draftee, as you probably don't want to read a book chapter on this first round.  For more information on the following and all draft-eligible prospects, visit http://www.mynhldraft.com/NHL-Mock-Draft/.  All stats courtesy of this site.

  

The Fantastic Four

Aaron Ekblad- Defenseman; 6'3, 216 lbs.; Barrie Colts (Ontario Hockey League)

                        

            Ekblad is far and away the best defenseman in this draft and is the favorite to go first overall if Florida decides not to trade the top pick.  He put up 53 points in 58 games with Barrie this past season, yet he has the build and skill set of a shutdown defenseman.  He is the ideal two-way blue liner and whoever gets him will be very happy.
 

Sam Reinhart- Center; 6'1, 178 lbs.; Koontenay Ice (Western Hockey League)

             The youngest of the Reinhart brothers is reputed as being the best of the bunch.  A top line center in the making, he is known for his exceptional hockey IQ and decision-making on the ice.  He could possibly challenge for an NHL spot next season, so he will be a coveted man come 6:00.

 

Sam Bennett- Center/Left Wing; 6'0, 178 lbs.; Kingston Frontenacs (Ontario Hockey League)

             Bennett was long considered the most likely to challenge Ekblad as the most coveted player in this year's draft.  He remains a very strong candidate to do so as his versatility and work ethic have been on display for a long time.  While he put up 91 points this past season, he also added 118 penalty minutes, meaning that any team looking to score more by establishing a physical presence would be smart to select him.

 

Leon Draisatl- Center; 6'1, 208 lbs.; Prince Albert Raiders (Western Hockey League)

              Known as "The Deutschland Dangler," Draisatl stands to be the highest-drafted German player in NHL history.  A prototypical power forward, he is a playmaking center with the skills make any pair of line-mates better.  He is also not far away from the NHL, so any of the teams picking in the top four of this draft would be wise to take him. 

 

The following players are likely to go in the 5-10 range:

Nick Ritchie- The Stars already have his brother, Brett, and would love to get him too.

Michael Dal Colle- Center/Left Wing; 6'2, 179 lbs.; Oshawa Generals (Ontario Hockey League)

 

Jake Virtanen- Right Wing; Center/Left Wing; 6'1, 190 lbs.; Calgary Hitmen (Western Hockey League)

 

Nick Ritchie- Left Wing; 6'2, 230 lbs.; Peterborough Petes (Ontario Hockey League)

 

            Ritchie is the one player out of this group that I'd love to see fall to the Stars.  Trouble is, he is almost a perfect fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who select 8th overall.  He has huge size and the skills to go along with it in every facet of the game.

 

William Nylander- Right Wing; 5'11; 175 lbs.; Sodertalje (Sweden)

 

The following players could fall to the Stars' position at 14, so keep an eye out for one of them. Trust me, I'm sure Jim Nill would love to get his hands on one of these guys!

 

Nikolaj Ehlers- Left Wing; 5'11, 165 lbs.; Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

 

               Ehlers might just have the best hands in this draft class, and several mock drafts have him going as high as fourth overall.  Most have him landing about 10th-12th.  Besides Ritchie, Ehlers is the player that I would most love see falling to los Stars at pick #14.

 

 

Brenden Perlini- Center; 6'3, 205 lbs.; Niagara IceDogs (Ontario Hockey League)

 

 

Kasperi Kapanen- Right Wing; 6'0, 180 lbs.; KalPa (Finland)

 

              The son of former NHLer, Sami Kapanen, this fast Finn is a bit on the small side, but he makes up for it with his skill set. I figure that he is, of this group of four, the most likely prospect to fall to pick #14.

 

Haydn Fleury- Defenseman; 6'2, 204 lbs.; Red Deer Rebels (Western Hockey League)

  

              In a draft dominated by forwards, Fleury is the second-best blueliner in the class after Aaron Ekblad.  In most mock drafts, he goes at #13, just ahead of the Stars.  Now, if he falls to #14, it will be an interesting choice for GM Jim Nill and Co.  Dallas already has several big, left-handed defensemen in the system, so this pick might or might not be a smart one.  Right-handed and offensive blueliners are in order in Big D.

 

 

Lastly, here are the players that the Stars appear most likely to select:

The man in blue is Mike Heika's pick at #14.

 

 

Robbi Fabbri- Center; 5'10, 166 lbs.; Guelph Storm (Ontario Hockey League)

 

          While playing alongside Stars' prospect Jason Dickinson, Fabbri put up huge numbers (87 points in 58 games) as the Storm won the OHL title and reached the Memorial Cup Final.  While he is a tad small, Fabbri has a very high ceiling for whomever decides to select him.  I believe him to be the Stars' most likely pick in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft.

 

 

Kevin Fiala- Right Wing/Center; 5'10, 194 lbs.; HV71 J20 (Sweden)

 

My friends over at Defending Big D regard Fiala as the safer option at the center position, meaning that he has a higher floor that Fabbri.  That said, Fiala put up good numbers playing against men in the Swedish Hockey League during his limited action in that circuit.  Any teen who can skate with the big boys of Sweden is worth looking at, so I would not be surprised to hear the name of this kid from Switzerland come pick #14.

 

 

Julius Honka- Defenseman; 5'10, 178 lbs.; Swift Current Broncos (Western Hockey League)

 

Stars beat writer Mike Heika of Sports Day DFW picked Honka as the Stars' selection in his mock draft.  Their are two reasons for his decision.  One, Honka is the best offensive defenseman in the draft, a position that the Stars' prospect pool is lacking in beyond John Klingberg, who might be called up next year.  Picking Honka at #14 could be a bit of a reach though, so I would expect Jim Nill and his staff to trade down in the order if this is the man they want.

 

 

Okay folks, that's all for now.  I'll have a recap of all the Stars' draft picks up sometime early next week. Enjoy the draft and Go Stars!

Green Machine Musings- One Last Look Back (Part I)

 

                 Hey Stars fans!  In this edition of Green Machine Musings, we will take a look at the story of the Dallas Stars away from the ice in 2013-14.  I promise, after this post there will be little looking back and a ton of looking forward in my column.  Alas, we should do justice to the men who built this team and examine how well they did their jobs this season.

 

Owner Tom Gaglardi, President Jim Lites and Company       A-        Simply put, from 2008 to 2011, the Dallas Stars were one of the most poorly run organizations in hockey.  Now, they are a top class organization with the resources and personnel required to compete for the Stanley Cup.  The turnaround began at the top and started working its way down in November of 2011, when Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi bought the team.  A man with deep roots in hockey and a personal connection to North Texas, this man was precisely what the organization needed after floundering through three years of bankruptcy after the bottom dropped out of the economy (and owner Tom Hicks' wallet) in 2008.  2013-14 was essentially Gaglardi's first full year as owner of the club because he purchased the Stars midseason in 2011-12 and 2012-13 was a season cut in half by hockey's third lockout in two decades.  With a full season to work with, he set out to leave his mark on the organization this year.  He overwhelmingly succeeded in doing so, and we could not be happier with the results.

              What I think makes Gaglardi the ideal owner is his willingness to allocate authority to individuals that he sees as fit (go ahead and be envious, Cowboys fans).  When Gaglardi took over the team back in 2011, one of his first moves was to re-hire Jim Lites as Team President.  Lites, who had held the position previously on two separate occasions (1993-2002 and 2003-2007), is a master of promoting the team and maintaining positive relationships with the fan base and the DFW community.  Together, these two individuals and their front office staff have rebuilt the image of the Dallas Stars, both figuratively and literally.  In regards to the latter, this team went from having some of the most drab uniforms in the NHL to being instant eye candy for all who watched them, as the club's new "victory green" uniforms were unveiled on June 4th.  According to everyone involved, the process of creating the new uniform was neither quick nor easy, but it appears that Tom Gaglardi was spot on when he said, just prior to the release, that he thought that the new jerseys and logo created "a look to stand the test of time."  I could not agree more, as the shade of green was adopted by the DFW community at a breakneck pace. A Dallas Stars jersey is once again something to be shown off by all who don it.

 

 

               At the same time, Tom Gaglardi and his crew have been working very hard to make going to Stars games a prominent part of the Dallas entertainment scene once again.  Unfortunately, attendance fell off so rapidly after 2008 that it both has been and remains a long road back at the turnstiles for this team.  Charts like this won't go away overnight:

 

 RK        TEAM              TOTAL            AVG            PCT

  1          Chicago            927,545           22,623          117.6

  2          Detroit              908,131           22,149          110.4

  3          Los Angeles     779,734           19,017          107.6

  4          Vancouver       810,594           19,770           107.2

  5          Toronto            797,310           19,446           103.3

  6          Minnesota        758,729           18,505           103.1

 ....

 25         New Jersey       625,570          15,257            88.7

 26         Florida              581,286          14,177            83.2

 27         Carolina            634,832          15,483            82.9

 28         Columbus         602,619          14,698            81.0

 29         Phoenix            564,798          13,775            80.4

 30         Dallas               601,008          14,658            79.1

This chart was published by ESPN.  For numbers 6-24, visit espn.com/NHL.

 

              Yep, that chart shows the Dallas Stars as being dead last in the NHL in terms of the percentage of seats in the arena sold for each regular season home game (although I tend to believe that Florida and Phoenix fudged the numbers a bit).  However, such an unsightly ranking is not indicative of the efforts of the Stars' marketing board and ticketing staff.  In addition, the new owner has both allocated funds to advertise the team in all forms of media and remains committed to keeping tickets affordable for the average fan.  Stars tickets remain the cheapest in hockey and there is no indication that a price hike is imminent despite the team's appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  And to top it all off, this team works very hard to establish and maintain good relationships with customers like myself.  My ticketing representative, Travis Gafford, made the process of getting my partial season tickets extremely easy and I highly recommend him to anyone interested in getting a package deal of any sort.  In short, filling the AAC on a consistent basis is a lengthy process, but we're getting there.  Pretty soon, crowds like those we saw on Modano night and during the series against Anaheim will be making our barn loud and proud more often than not.

 

              Now, I can talk about upper management, new uniforms and ticket sales all I want, but none of these things contributed to the immediate success of the team on the ice this season.  Not to worry, Tom Gaglardi didn't neglect to leave his mark on the on-ice product as well.  In buying this team two years earlier, he was taking over a rebuild that was years in the making, but had yet to really get underway.  The owner accelerated it in a big way at the end of the lockout-shortened 2013 season.  See Part II of this post for the rest of the ongoing saga behind the scenes for the Dallas Stars.

 

Christian Bussler

@c_buss15

Green Machine Musings- Grading the Goalies

              Howdy Stars fans!  The Buss is finally back in motion after my Maymester course made me put the blog on the back burner.  In this post, we will wrap up the process of looking back on what was the 2013-2014 season for the Dallas Stars.  From here on, we will be focused on analyzing the club's current needs and trying to predict the moves that the upper management will make to help the Green Machine take the next step toward becoming a bona fide contender in the NHL's Western Conference.  But for now, the task at hand: it's time to finish grading the roster.  On to the men in the crease!

#32 Kari Lehtonen     B+     Dallas came into this season knowing that the Big Finn would really have to take his game to the next level if this club was to see significant improvement.  That thought was spot on; for as Kari went, so went the Dallas Stars.  Lehtonen made 64 regular season starts, a mark that left him tied with Marc-Andre Fleury and Antti Niemi for most in the NHL.  This is a double-edged sword, as it means that A) he was both durable and dependable all year long, and B) he received little help from his various backups.  His GAA of 2.41 was good for 13th in the league amongst goaltenders with at least 49 starts, and his save percentage was a respectable .919.  As you can see in my chart below, I rank Lehtonen just outside the top ten of NHL goaltenders.  This clearly does not make him elite, but it does represent a significant surge in his play as of late and places him in good company.  I could have placed him at #9, but playoff experience and long-term level of play forced me to place Niemi and Miller just above him.  I think that with a better defense in place in front of him, Lehtonen could easily pass these two.  Whether he can move higher up the rankings to become a truly elite goaltender is a question that only he will be able to answer.  A lengthy playoff run is the one credential that he does not have.  Can the Big Finn stand on his head and backstop the Stars to a string of series victories sometime in the years to come?  Only time will tell.
 

Sorry folks, there can be only one King.

             Here's my list of the top netminders in the NHL.  I threw out nearly all goalies who are used in tandem on a specific team because, in order for a goalie to be considered elite, they must be the starter that their organization turns to at a moment's notice.

 

 Additional factors considered included:

  -recent success (past 2-3 years, a.k.a. what have you done for me lately?)

  -postseason success overall

  -quality of team in front of him

  

                                       THE TOP ELEVEN

                                    1.) Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)

                                    2.) Tuukka Rask (BOS)

                                    3.) Carey Price (MTL)

                                    4.) Jonathan Quick (LA)

                                    5.) Corey Crawford (CHI)

                                    6.) Semyon Varlamov (COL)

                                    7.) Mike Smith (PHX)

                                    8.) Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ)

                                    9.) Antti Niemi (SJ)

                                  10.) Ryan Miller (BUF-STL)

                                  11.) Kari Lehtonen (DAL)

  

             Honorable Mention: Ben Bishop (TB), Jimmy Howard (DET)

 

Had to omit due to tandem: Cory Schneider/Martin Brodeur (NJ), Roberto Luongo (VAN-FLA), Jaroslav Halak (STL-WSH), the Minnesota quartet.

  

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST! I want to know precisely what you think of this list.  Do you think I've got it right or do you think I'm upside down?  Tell me your top ten, I honestly think that you'll find ranking numbers 6-11 rather difficult.  If you think that I'm absolutely out of my mind, remember that this is tough stuff, even for the experts (one of which I, admittedly, am not as of yet). *sigh*
 

 

 

#30 Tim Thomas     C+    The Stars' biggest in-season acquisition was a real headline-grabber as Thomas, the veteran netminder turned temporary political pundit, made his way to Big D.  He was acquired from the Florida Panthers on March 5th for Dan Ellis in a simple two-player deal.  Almost immediately, Stars fans thought that the trade might be a stroke of genius by Stars GM Jim Nill; because shortly thereafter on March 8th, Kari Lehtonen was concussed in a collision with Minnesota's Erik Haula, an injury that would keep him out of the lineup for ten days.  Thomas would make the next three starts for Dallas, and the results were mixed (a fantastic win over St. Louis and bad losses to Calgary and Winnipeg).  Once Lehtonen returned, Timmy rarely saw the ice on a consistent basis.  Overall, Thomas made 8 appearances (6 starts) and went 2-4-1 with a GAA of 2.97 and a save percentage of .902.  Those numbers aren't too bad, but they are nowhere near what the coaches and fans wanted out of the Stars' new backup. My reasoning for Thomas' subpar showing is the fact that his style clashed with the inability of the Stars' defensemen to clear the crease effectively.  Tim Thomas is an aggressive goalie who challenges shooters and, in the process, gives up some juicy rebounds.  On a team like the Boston Bruins, which collapses toward its own net very effectively, this wouldn't be a problem.  But on a team like the Stars, which lacked both size and grit on the blue line this season, a goaltender like this was bound to be a liability.  I'm not saying that Jim Nill made a big mistake in acquiring Thomas, but he will have to be more selective as he searches for a new backup goalie this offseason.

 

 

#30 Dan Ellis     C-     We cannot effectively analyze what was the Stars' goaltending situation in 2013-14 without acknowledging the aforementioned Ellis, who was, somewhat unfairly, vilified for some of the struggles of Kari Lehtonen due to his own issues in the crease.  When Lehtonen went down with a groin injury very early in the season, the team turned to Ellis to carry the load until further notice.  The veteran backup made 4 starts over that stretch, going 1-3-0.  These struggles led to the coaching staff leaving him on the bench for long stretches at a time.  For example, after those four early-season starts, he did not play for over a month.  Don't get me wrong, he did some good things this year, too.  He was extremely effective against, of all teams, the Anaheim Ducks.  On November 26th, Lindy Ruff sent out Ellis to face the Ducks on national television, a move that surprised everyone. All Ellis did was keep his team in the game until they exploded for five third period goals to win the game 6-3.  On February 1st, he did something even more impressive to the Ducks on their home ice, shutting them out in a 2-0 Stars' victory.  In all, Dan Ellis played in 14 games for the Stars before being traded to Florida, making 11 starts.  His record of 5-6-0, GAA of 3.04, and save percentage of .900 certainly should have been better, but I'm wondering how much of the blame for Ellis' struggles can be placed on Ruff and Company.  It had to be difficult for Dan to get into a rhythm when he was only playing once or twice a month.  I tend to think that the goaltending situation could have been improved, as a whole, with more balanced play by both the #1 and #2 guys in net.  It will be interesting to see heavily Ruff and his crew lean on Kari Lehtonen next season.  With a new backup in Big D, I tend to think that their strategy will change.

 

NOTE: The following two players are graded primarily for their performance with the Texas Stars.

 

 

#1 Jack Campbell      B      The Stars' top prospect according to the player development experts over at DefendingBigD.com, Campbell was expected to get his first taste of being a full-time starter at the professional level this season with the Texas Stars.  Unfortunately, he did not get the chance to prove himself in this role.  When he was on the ice, he was flat out dominant, stone-walling opposing offenses left and right.  However, he spent much of the regular season recovering from a pair of lower-body injuries.  In all, Campbell finished the regular season having made 16 appearances and posted a stellar record of 12-2 (plus two shootout losses) with a GAA of just 1.49 and a terrific save percentage of .942.  In the Calder Cup playoffs, he alternated the starting job with Cristopher Nilstorp and went 2-1 in four appearances with a GAA of 2.54 before being injured in Game 5 of the Western Conference Division Finals against Grand Rapids.  Also, Campbell made his NHL debut this year prior to his first stint on the injured reserve list.  He got a start on the road in Anaheim on October 20th during the stretch in which Ellis was filling in for the injured Lehtonen.  The good: Jack made a whopping 41 saves.  The bad: the Stars allowed 47 shots in the game.  Obviously, the situation he was put in was completely unfair, as he was thrust into the lineup against one of hockey's best teams before the Stars' defense situation had been properly sorted out (this game was the nail in the coffin for the pairing of Sergei Gonchar and Alex Goligoski).  Campbell will most likely remain with the Texas Stars next season so that he can gain the experience of being a full-time starter before he moves up to the NHL level as the Dallas Stars' full-time backup.  While 2013-14 was not kind to Jack's development, make no mistake, this kid is the real deal.  If he continues to develop at his current pace, look out.  We could have something huge in Big D by the time 2015-16 rolls around.

 

 

#41 Cristopher Nilstorp     B+     Nilstorp only made one appearance in a Dallas uniform this season, a significant step back from 2013, when he began the year as the backup with the Dallas Stars.  That said, the 30 year-old Swede played a crucial role for this organization as he backstopped the Texas Stars to the AHL's highest point total in the regular season and then through the playoffs to the Calder Cup Finals.  During the regular season, Nilstorp appeared in 45 games, finishing with a 27-12 record(plus 4 shootout losses), a 2.45 GAA, and a save percentage of .918.  He also had three shutouts on the year.  During the Calder Cup Playoffs, he alternated starts with Jack Campbell through the Stars' first eight games before Campbell was injured in Game 5 of the Divisional Finals. Nilstorp came in and won that game before finishing off Grand Rapids in Game 6.  Then, facing one of the league's best clubs, the Toronto Marlies, in the conference finals, Nilstorp stood tall time and again, giving his team the boost it needed to break through an incredibly stout defense time and again.  It took seven games, but the men from Cedar Park came through and are now on their way to the Calder Cup Finals for the second time in their five-year history.  They will start the series against the St. John's IceCaps (Top affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets) on Sunday at the Cedar Park Center.  After this season Nilstorp will be an Unrestricted Free Agent, leaving Jim Nill with a major decision to make.  Does he re-sign Nilstorp to shore up his organization's goaltending depth, or does he let him seek greener pastures in order to give someone else a shot?  This will be an interesting story to watch unfold, especially if the T-Stars hoist the Calder Cup in the coming weeks.

 

 

Bring it home, boys!

Please Note: My next post will be a real mixed bag.  First off, I will analyze the performances of those who oversaw the day-to-day operations of this team in 2013-14.  Then, I will offer a brief comment on the team's (relative) attendance woes before giving you a run down of all the things that I plan to talk about in the coming weeks. Come on you Stars!

 

Christian Bussler

@c_buss15

Green Machine Musings- Grading the Defensemen

 

 

             The offseason is in full swing for 26 of the NHL's 30 teams, and before each one of them can move forward, they have to look back to see what went either right or wrong this year.  Thus, it's time to continue our analysis of each player who took the ice for the Dallas Stars in 2013-14.  We had a heap of fun analyzing the forward corps earlier this week, now it's time to take a look at the blue-liners.  The Stars had little consistency on defense for much of the year, a trend that really hurt this club during certain stretches.  However, near the end of the campaign, Lindy Ruff and his partner-in-crime James Patrick were able to establish some very solid defensive pairings despite having only left-handed shooters and not much 'grit' to speak of.  The team's primary needs on the blue line will be discussed in detail in a later post, but for now, let's get right to the unit's report card for 2013-14.

#33 Alex Goligoski     A      THIS was the Alex Goligoski that the Stars had hoped they'd be getting when they acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins for James Neal and Matt Niskanen in 2011.  While the trade is still an ominous moment in recent Stars history, Goligoski silenced many of his critics and might just be breaking free from the stigma that the trade unfairly placed on him.  Goose was third on the team in scoring with 42 points (6 goals and 36 assists) and led the defense in scoring by a country mile (finishing 17 points ahead of his defense partner Trevor Daley).  What might have been most impressive about him, though, was his ability to play a huge number of minutes against the opponent's best offensive lines.  During the playoff series against Anaheim, Goligoski received an average of 28:30 of ice time per game, the highest average total on the team.  Prior to this season, there was talk of Goligoski perhaps being dangled as trade bait due to his favorable contract situation  (two more years at $4.6 million/year).  Now, there is absolutely no chance that Jim Nill parts with Goose unless he has seen some indication that prospect John Klingberg will be ready to join the Dallas club right out of training camp.  Not only do I not see that happening, I see the Stars offering Alex Goligoski a sizable contract extension.  Why?  Because if the Stars bring in some defensive-minded players to play alongside him, Goose's offensive numbers are only going to improve.

 

 

#37 Patrik Nemeth        A-     Over the past two years, the young Swede has been highly praised by fans watching him play with the Texas Stars because of his ability to shut down any and all opposing forwards.  Simply put, when he was on the ice, teams could not score.  He was expected to challenge for an NHL spot in the near future, but none of us were sure when his time would come due to his checkered medical history, which included a knee injury in 2012-13 and a foot injury in 2013-14, both of which kept him out of Texas' lineup for long stretches of time.  His time came sooner than any of us could have anticipated when he was recalled on March 31st, a move designed to add some much needed physicality to the back end.  The experiment worked beautifully as Nemeth looked right at home in his own zone at the NHL level, consistently throwing his weight around and shoving opposing players out of his goaltender's line of vision.  Despite playing in just eight regular season games, Nemeth entered the NHL playoffs as one of the Stars most important blue liners, and his injury during the series hurt the Green Machine considerably.  He did appear a bit raw at times in the offensive zone, but this can and will be ironed out as he gains experience at this level. Moving forward, his rock solid defensive play will help the offense by freeing up his partner to join the attack.  He is currently back with the Texas Stars and gaining valuable playoff experience as they face Grand Rapids in the AHL's Western Conference Finals.  On the season, Nemeth was a terrific plus-19 in 37 regular season games for Texas and was plus-3 in five playoff games entering Friday.

 

 

#24 Jordie Benn          B+      Jamie's older brother received a surprising three-year contract this past offseason after struggling mightily at times in 2013, prompting many to wonder what Jim Nill and his crew saw in the elder Benn moving forward.  We found out in a big way this season.  Jordie Benn was an absolutely crucial component of the Stars' blue line this year, emerging as a top-four defenseman and forming a shutdown pairing with Brenden Dillon during the latter stages of the campaign.  As a player who went undrafted and worked his way up from the ECHL and CHL, to the AHL, and eventually the NHL, Jordie is yet another diamond in the rough that the Stars somehow got their hands on.  He put up a solid 20 points (3 goals + 17 assists) in 78 games during the regular season, but what really is most telling about his improvement is his plus-16 rating, an indication of his much-improved play in his own zone.  An interesting side note was that he has developed a pretty slick backhand move for use in one-on-one situations.  Check out the video above for a look at the ankle-breaker of a move he pulled on a penalty shot against Minnesota on January 21st.

 

 

#6 Trevor Daley             B+      Alex Goligoski's mate on the top defensive pairing had himself a very productive year, potting a career-high nine goals and finishing the year with a career-high plus-10 rating over 67 games.  The longest-tenured Star on the roster, Daley was the only member of the organization who was around when the team last made the playoffs in 2008, and he did not disappoint when given another crack at the postseason after five seasons of coming up short.  In Game 6 of the series against Anaheim, Daley scored twice on breakaways with a series of slick moves, an indication that he still has something to offer offensively at age 30.  With three years left on his current contract and a very reasonable cap hit ($3.3 Million/year), he could be attractive to other teams looking for a two-way defenseman.  Whether or not the Stars will entertain offers for him probably depends on the development of players like John Klingberg, Jamie Oleksiak, and Kevin Connauton.

 

 

 

 

#4 Brenden Dillon         B+       This year, Brenden Dillon gave the Stars' blue line what it so desperately needed: consistency.  Whenever he was in the lineup, fans could expect his pairing to be a steadying presence for the rest of the team as they made the transition from offense to defense and vice versa.   In 80 regular season games, he put up 17 points (6 goals + 11 assists) and finished the year with a plus-9 rating, which was tied for third amongst Stars' defensemen.  The pairing of Dillon and Jordie Benn proved very effective during the latter part of the season, however, most of the toughest minutes were given to the duo of Goligoski and Daley.  This tells me that Dillon still has some growing to do if he is to become the shutdown defenseman that the Stars hope he can be.  Regardless, Dillon's late season injury was huge blow to the Stars as they entered the postseason.  His steadying presence was sorely missed throughout the first four games of the series against Anaheim, and when he returned; he was not the same player, as he was playing through a foot injury that required an operation.  Dillon is a Restricted Free Agent this offseason, so the Stars will look to lock him up with a large but reasonable contract that will allow them to evaluate his worth as he enters his prime.  According to my friends over at DefendingBigD.com, the current consensus estimate of such a deal is somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 years for $18.5 Million (~$4.6 M/year).

#23 Kevin Connauton     B-     Connauton's grade was really difficult to determine because his playing time this year was sporadic at best.  For the first twenty games of the year, Connauton played in all of one game, and it was not until injuries to Stephane Robidas and Trevor Daley opened a spot for him that he began to receive consistent playing time.  In total, he skated in 36 games and contributed 8 points (1 goal + 7 assists).  He also played in four of the Stars' six playoff games.  However, we still do not know exactly what he brings to the table for the Stars.  He has a very heavy shot, perhaps the hardest slap shot on the team, but he has yet to get consistent chances to use it.  Moreover, most of the time he spent on the ice involved him being paired with Sergei Gonchar, an offensive-minded defenseman who did not allow for Connauton to join the rush without conceding open ice behind him for a counterattack.  This meant that Connauton got burned defensively on more than a handful of occasions.  It might have been all for the best had he been sent down to Cedar Park for an extended period of time instead of spending game after game in the press box, but this simply wasn't an option due to the new contract he signed in the offseason.  It mandated that he would have to clear waivers in order to be sent down, something that Nill, Ruff, and company certainly were not willing to risk.  All that said, it remains a mystery as to what sort of plan the coaching staff and upper-level management have for Kevin Connauton.  I highly doubt that they will leave him to flounder in Dallas as the seventh or eighth defenseman.  Expect some sort of move to occur that will either clear a spot for him among the six dressing defensemen or send him someplace where he can be of better use.

 

 

#36 Cameron Gaunce       B-       Gaunce is a defense-first blue-liner who has really helped stabilize the back end for both the Texas and Dallas Stars.  After being acquired last season for almost nothing (Tomas Vincour), Gaunce was signed to a one-year deal and will be a Restricted Free Agent after this season.  During his time with the Texas Stars, the 24 year-old Gaunce played in 65 games, putting up 18 points (3 goals + 15 assists) and playing his way to a very impressive plus-15 rating, an indication of his exceptional reliability in his own zone.  He was called up to the Dallas Stars for nine games in December and January when the blue line was in shambles and was an effective part of a secondary shutdown pairing.  He accumulated no points but finished with a plus-1 rating, a very solid mark.  Expect him to receive a new contract this offseason so that the organization has a true shutdown defender to slot in at either level.  I do not expect him to make the jump to the NHL full-time this season, but he should be hitting his prime soon and could play an important role for this organization moving forward.

 

#5 Jamie Oleksiak          C       The 21 year-old prospect took a significant step back in his development this season, prompting some to guess that he will not quite be ready for the NHL in 2014-15.  The Stars knew that his development curve would be long when they selected him 14th overall in the 2011 Entry Draft, for the 6'7, 254 lb. defenseman known as the "Big Rig" is still learning how to use his massive frame in his defensive zone.  In seven games for the Dallas Stars during the month of December, he did not put up any points and was a minus-3 before being promptly sent back to Cedar Park.  With the Texas Stars, his level of play has been a step below that of his fabulous rookie season in 2012-13, in which he received an invite to the AHL All-Star Game.  In 69 games this regular season, he put up a respectable 23 points, but he was often viewed as tentative to throw his weight around in his own zone, a major red flag for his development.  That said, his level of composure improved some when he was paired with veteran AHLer Derek Meech.  The 36-year old Meech was signed by Texas in early January in an effort to provide stability on the back end by giving the young Oleksiak someone experienced to lean on.  Since this experiment has seen some good results, don't expect Jim Nill and his staff in Dallas to give up on the Big Rig just yet.  We don't want to risk missing out on the next Zdeno Chara.

 

 

  

#55 Sergei Gonchar           C-        Where to begin with Sergei Gonchar?  Couldn't we just pay him a few million to be Val Nichushkin's dad for another year?  Look, we all understood that the now 40-year old Russian was past his prime when he arrived in Dallas this past summer, but that does not excuse his level of play throughout this campaign.  Gonchar was expected to be a driving force behind a Stars defense that was swift to join the attack on an odd-man rush as well as a "quarterback" for a rejuvenated power play.  Simply put, he was neither of those things.  His productivity on the offensive end was not nearly what we thought it would be, and his play in his own zone was downright awful.  His horrific ratings of minus-12 in the regular season and minus-3 in six playoff games tell you all that you need to know.  His $5 million contract has quickly become the biggest albatross contract on the team, as his value appears lower than that of Shawn Horcoff or Erik Cole, the two other most overpaid players on this club.  Now, I understand that his value to the maturation of Valeri Nichushkin cannot be discounted, as he had a similar effect on a young Evgeni Malkin back in Pittsburgh, but is it worth bringing him back for the final year of his contract?  That will be a serious question for Jim Nill to ponder this offseason.

 

 

#27 Aaron Rome             D        Aaron Rome appears the most likely player on the Dallas Stars to receive a compliance buyout if no one is willing to take him off our hands.  Signed to a three-year deal by former GM Joe Nieuwendyk, Rome has never been slotted above the bottom pairing on the Stars' blue line for a multitude of reasons.  First and foremost, Rome was made of glass this year.  That is, he was always injured, never staying in the lineup for an extended period of time.  And when he was in the lineup, he failed to chip in anything offensively or provide the physicality that the Stars' blue line so desperately needed.  In 25 games, he contributed all of 1 assist and an abysmal minus-6 rating.  His level of play was so low that the Stars chose to turn to rookie defenseman Patrik Nemeth in the middle of the chase for a playoff spot instead of putting Rome back in the lineup.  That is something few teams would do unless the NHL-level player in question was viewed as a liability.  To top it all off, when Dillon was forced to sit out Game 1 of the playoff series against Anaheim with his foot injury, Rome entered the lineup on the bottom pairing and was burned badly on multiple occasions.  He never saw the ice again in the series.  In short terms, HE NEEDS TO GO!  And if we need any more reasons to send him packing, his spot on the roster must be opened in order to break up the log jam of defensive prospects knocking on the door of the NHL roster.

 

 

#3 Stephane Robidas        I cannot realistically assign a grade to old Robi in this post, but I most certainly cannot omit him from it, either.  He was a Star for nearly a decade and had earned the respect of millions of fans with his incredible toughness and never-say-die persona on and off the ice.  Tragically, his legendary toughness was put to the test this season as his career was put in serious jeopardy.  On November 29th, Robidas badly broke both bones in his lower right leg in a freak accident in his own zone.  I was at that game, and I could sense that everyone in attendance was wondering if his career was done.  No one could deny that he would attempt to come back from it, but the grotesqueness of the injury made such an attempt look like a long shot.  Ultimately, he would persevere and return to the ice in 2014, albeit not in victory green.  GM Jim Nill wanted to give him a legitimate shot at winning Lord Stanley's Cup, so he dealt Robidas to the Anaheim Ducks for a (no longer conditional) fourth-round draft pick.  Stephane's horrible luck was not past, however.  In Game 3 of the playoff series against Dallas, on the same sheet of ice that his injury in November had occurred on, he broke the same leg again in a collision with Ryan Garbutt.  The Stars faithful gave him a nice ovation, for you couldn't help but feel for this great player whose luck kept running out.  Robidas will probably move on to yet another team this offseason; most likely a contender looking for a veteran presence on their back end.  Hopefully, he will get another shot to win the Cup; because it's about time all his perseverance paid off.

 

 

Maxime Fortunus        Max played a game for the Dallas Stars, so I need to include him here, even though I won't assign him a grade.  The captain of the Texas Stars, he has played a pivotal role in their rise to the top of the AHL's Western Conference.  However, when the Dallas club required his services, they had to void his AHL contract and sign him to a one-year, two-way deal.  This makes him an Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of the season, so the upper management in Dallas has a decision to make on how to proceed in regards to his new deal.  Due to his leadership role for Texas, I tend to assume that they will bring him back to Cedar Park, but space on the 50-man professional roster is growing increasingly limited, so several factors will have to be taken into consideration.

 

 

              Okay folks, that's all for the blue liners. We'll get to the goaltenders in a couple of days and then it's on to the nitty gritty: trades, free agency, and player development.  What's not to love about the offseason?!

Christian Bussler

@c_buss15 Follow me on Twitter and follow @RiffRamSports