Big news out of the offices of General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk, with the trade deadline approaching Wednesday and two veterans who here highly sought on the trade market Nieuwendyk made the decision to sell this year at the deadline dealing both Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy today. Last night’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks knocks Dallas down to 12th in the Western Conference and the playoffs looking unlikely for a fifth straight season.
Jaromir Jagr was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for two prospects, Lane MacDermid and Cody Payne. Jagr, 41, was the leading point man for Dallas with 26 points (14g, 12a) so far on the season. Jagr was signed as a free agent in the summer to a one year contract to come in and provide a scoring threat on the first line and mentor the youth in the lineup this season. In return Dallas receives Lane MacDermid and Cody Payne. Left winger Lane MacDermid, 23, was drafted by the Bruins in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL entry draft. MacDermid is a big body forward 6’3 205 and likes to use his size and plays a very physical feisty game. In eight career NHL games MacDermid has three fighting majors, and eight fights in the AHL this season. Right winger Cody Payne,19, was drafted by the Bruins in the fifth round of the 2012 entry draft. From the United Kingdom, Payne is currently playing in the OHL with the Plymouth Whalers where in 66 games Payne has 45 points (24g, 21a). Plymouth is currently in a playoff series against the Owen Sound Attack in the second round of the OHL playoffs.
Dallas also dealt center Derek Roy to the Vancouver Canucks today. Roy,29, was acquired in the summer in exchange for Steve Ott and Adam Pardy to be the much needed second line center. It was stated weeks earlier that extension talks between Roy and the Stars ended, and fans were expecting a trade to happen at some point. So far this season Derek Roy registered 22 points (4g, 18a) for the Stars and played in all situations. In return the Stars will receive Vancouver’s second round pick in the 2013 entry draft and prospect defenseman Kevin Connauton. Connauton, 23, is an offensive defenseman drafted in the third round of the 2009 NHL entry draft by Vancouver. In Connauton’s last year of junior hockey with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, Connauton produced 72 points (24g, 48a) and is in his third season of professional hockey. So far this season with the Chicago Wolves, Connauton has played 60 games and has 25 points (7g, 18a).
A busy day as it seems the Stars have raised the white flag on this season, the trade deadline is tomorrow and the Stars might not be done as rumors continue to swirl about other possible veterans on the Stars roster.
It was the second game of a back-to-back for the DallasStars tonight as they traveled north to Minnesota to take on the Wild and see the new look of Minnesota, with offseason signings Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, and highly skilled prospect Mikael Granlund. Dallas called on 28 year old rookie goaltender Cristopher Nilstorp to take the pipes and make his NHL debut. Nilstorp had a fantastic debut, but the offense was unable to cash in.
First Period
The Stars opened the first period skating and seeming to pick up right where they left off last night even drawing a tripping minor on Wild captain Mikko Koivu in the first minute of the game. Dallas was able to create some chances on the power play but Minnesota goalie Josh Harding had an answer for everything, and the willingness of the Wild forwards and defenseman to drop to the ice and block shots hurt the Stars offensive game. After a set of penalties by both teams Minnesota controlled the puck in their offensive zone and kept the Stars pinned in their own zone for a long time and eventually cashed in as Zach Parise scored on a slapshot from the top of the slot at the 8:11 mark of the first period. The Stars had another powerplay opportunity at the 12:59 mark of the first period but that power play and the rest in the game struggled to get any offense going.
Second Period
In the second period, Minnesota really started to turn up the physical game, led by Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak the Wild took many opportunites to finish their checks and physically wear out an already tired Stars team. The Stars were not able to gain a lot of time in Minnesota’s zone and also lost the puck possession game.
Third Period
The Stars looked exhausted as the third period came along as they didn’t have the same pep as they had in the third period against Phoenix. It looked like they were always late when they needed to be half a second quicker to make an offensive play and Minnesota’s persistent shot blocking shut down the Stars offense completely.
Other Notes
Reilly Smith needed dental work after last night’s game against Phoenix, but joined the Stars Sunday afternoon to play in Minnesota
Brenden Morrow left the game in the first period after taking a puck to the face that came of the stick of defenseman Stephane Robidas. Morrow got stitches and put on a visor and returned to the game in the second period.
Dallas got 18 shots on goal, but Minnesota blocked 26 shot attempts tonight
Stars first line of Loui Eriksson, Derek Roy, and Jaromir Jagr registered nine shots and seven points (3g,4a) in Friday’s victory against Phoenix. Against Minnesota the trio registered two shots on goal and zero points.
The Stars will travel to Detroit to take on the Red Wings Tuesday as Detroit will be on the second half of a back to back when they take on the Stars.
There was a lot of activity in Dallas during the free agency period. Several players departed Dallas to enjoy their careers elsewhere, but a few players headed to Dallas to pull on a Stars jersey.
GM Joe Nieuwendyk surprised a lot of Dallas Stars fans as well as a lot of fans across the NHL in early July. He managed to work some magic and bring Czech legend Jaromir Jagr to Texas. The deal was announced on July 3rd 2012, and was worth a reported $4.5million.
I am really hoping that a deal is made and the lockout won’t occur. Jagr is on a one-year deal and the 2012/13 could be the only chance to see him in a Stars shirt. He will also be massive to the hopeful success on the ice. I expect him to form a formidable first line alongside Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson. Jagr is superb at puck distribution, and if Jamie and Loui can get themselves in the right positions, we could see a lot of goals from this line. Jagr has a massive 988 assists in the NHL, he will certainly develop the game of his peers.
Another big addition for the Stars was center man Derek Roy. He was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade involving Steve Ott and Adam Pardy. It is as simple as this: Roy was acquired to be a top 6 forward and replace Mike Ribeiro who departed to the Washington Capitals.
The Ottawa native will bring a lot to Dallas. With over 500 games to his name, the 29-year-old brings a lot of experience, and also has the ability to be a relatively big points scorer, scoring 60+ points on 4 occasions.
Another asset of his game is the crucial one for me, and this is his ability to perform on the power play. The Stars’ power play was average at best last season. It lacked structure and rhythm, managing to score just 33 goals throughout the season. I am hoping that this is an area of the game that they will be working hard on in training camp. Roy will be an integral part of this, and if the power play can get going, the team will benefit with positive results.
The third big addition was of Ray Whitney from the Phoenix Coyotes. He is another experienced player and a points scorer as well. This is a great addition for Dallas. He has well over 1000 appearances in the NHL and over 1000 points. He is getting on a bit, aged 40, but he is still a great hockey player.
I think that Whitney will help form the second line alongside Michael Ryder and Derek Roy. These guys might take a bit of time to gel, but if they get going I think they will bring the best out of each other. The Stars lacked depth last season, and a lot of scoring was done by the first line. 2012/13 will be different, the second line will take a lot of pressure off of the first line, and should benefit the team as a whole.
With other new recruits including Cody Eakin and Aaron Rome, and some promising draft picks, the Stars are starting to look like a decent outfit for next season!
When the regular season begins the Dallas Stars will be looking to make the playoffs, after missing the postseason in four straight years. This off season was very productive for the Stars in free agency and in the trade market, as they completely changed the look of the team, with the free agency signings of Jaromir Jagr and Ray Whitney, plus the off season trade acquisitions of Cody Eakin and Derek Roy, Dallas looks to roll with a deep lineup game in and game out to push for the playoffs. So what questions do the Stars have to answer? What do people say when they look at our organization?
NHL 13 is the new hockey video game created and published by Electronic Arts in their sports division. Electronic Arts is also responsible for such video games as The Sims franchise and the legendary Madden franchise. NHL has come a long way in developing its hockey series including new things each year like Winter Classic Mode or the use of NHL legends which were new features in NHL 12, or the constant work they put into their already successful modes such as the EASHL (Electronic Arts Sports Hockey League) which is an online mode in which players ”create a pro” and through playing online games build their players attributes from rookie to legend status, or HUT (Hockey Ultimate Team) which is a league in which players create the ultimate team through the use of hockey cards starting off with a bunch of players not really heard of around the world and then working to build the ultimate team.
Earlier this week the team and player ratings for NHL 13 were released and including a statement from EA saying that they have changed their system of rating players. In NHL 12 players attributes and overalls were considered by their playing style so many times tough guys had higher overalls than a two-way forward or grinders, but that didn’t mean they were a better player. For example George Parros in NHL 12 had an overall of 82 as a tough guy and Alex Goligoski’s overall was 83. That doesn’t mean that George Parros is just as good as Goligoski, but as a tough guy he is 83 overall not as a general hockey player. For NHL 13 they have based the overalls on the players skills overall and not by what type of player they are, so for starters this season George Parros will have a rating of 69. Below we will look at the Dallas Stars’ updated team rating and player ratings from the end of NHL 12 and the starting ones for NHL 13
Another big season lies ahead for Stars centreman Jamie Benn, who continues to carry a lot of pressure on his young shoulders. A couple of injuries last season reduced his ice time slightly, but the Canadian ended up with 63 points. With the Stars adding several recruits as well as moving players on, I feel Jamie could be in for a slightly different campaign in 2012/13.
Firstly, Jamie is likely to be on a fresh line for next season, as he will probably center Loui Eriksson and Jaromir Jagr. The addition of Jagr should benefit the Stars as well as hopefully attracting a few more people to the American Airlines Center to support the boys.
Jagr has shown over the course of his phenomenal NHL career that he is more of an assist man rather than a big goal scorer. He has 988 assists in his career and I think he is going to be a big boost for Jamie Benn. Jamie is still young and learning a lot about the game and Jagr will aid his game a lot, putting him in the places he needs to be and providing him with the puck to score a lot of goals.
Another factor in Benn’s season will be down to the departure of Steve Ott, who headed East to the Buffalo Sabres in a trade for Derek Roy. This means Jamie’s game will require two things; physicality and leadership. I was impressed with Benn’s physicality on and off of the puck last season, and without Steve Ott, Benn will be getting stuck in more than ever next season.
Steve Ott also brought huge leadership to the Stars. Jamie Benn is starting to turn into the face of the franchise, and with it brings leadership. Last season Benn was the guy everyone looked at when the Stars were desperate for a goal and he became much more respected within the team and the league.
So, my predictions for Jamie Benn in 2012/13 are as follows:
- More goals through playing alongside Jaromir Jagr
- More physicality after the loss of Steve Ott and potentially Brenden Morrow
- A more dependent leadership role
In the video below, Loui Eriksson sets up Jamie Benn for his 3rd of the season with a perfect no-look pass from behind the net.
Initially when the offseason began, there was much debate about whether the DallasStars had seen the end of Tom Wandell‘s tenure as a Star. As the offseason began the Stars began to send tender qualifying offers to all of their restricted free agents, and with the acquisitions of Cody Eakin and Derek Roy in the offseason and contracts awarded to Ryan Garbutt and Jaromir Jagr, plus with training camp close and Stars General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk giving praise to prospects Scott Glennie and Matt Fraser, it didn’t seem like their would be a spot for Tom Wandell and it was a head scratcher when Tom Wandell was offered a tender qualifying offer on the very last day the Stars could do so back on June 25th. Tom Wandell would eventually accept the qualifying offer on July 6th and will make $892,500 this season. Early line projections had Wandell as a 13th forward, but on July 11th it was announced that newly acquired 2nd line center Derek Roy was gonna need shoulder surgery and could be out until mid to late November so that leaves a big hole in the top six. So a competition is up for the second line center spot and competitors for the spot include: Cody Eakin, Scott Glennie, Radek Faksa, and of course Tom Wandell.
So far on paper, I give the advantage to Tom Wandell, he has previously played on the top six on Dallas and has the ability to center the second line.
Wandell has been here since the 2008-2009 season and twice he has hit his career high in points which is 15. He is a part of the veteran group of forwards that hasn’t been a real positive in helping the team trying to make the playoffs the past four seasons, so he could really be looking at his last chance to make a name for himself in the NHL this season. If not Joe Nieuwendyk has been making statements this offseason moving players who he didn’t believe will help the team in his plan and there are players in the minors just waiting to get a spot on the roster even if it’s just fourth line minutes.
This season we should look for Tom Wandell to work for the breakout season that many Stars fans were expecting to happen. Wandell has many great qualities including his skating and level of grit he plays with, to play in the top six we will need to improve his playmaking and shoot the puck on net more often, in 72 games played last season Wandell registered just 103 shots on net which is an average of a little bit over 1 a game. Wandell will need to make a statement in the first month of the season so Stars fan should look for that this season.
On July 2nd, the day after the free agency frenzy, the Dallas Stars traded fan favorite Steve Ott and defensemen Adam Pardy for center Derek Roy, who will take the spot of departed center, Mike Ribeiro who was traded to the Washington Capitals. A few weeks later after the trade, the Stars learned that Roy needed surgery for a posterior labrum on his shoulder and he will be out until November. The situation with trading Roy for Ott showed confidence of the front office and a risky trade but maybe after Roy comes back from surgery, he will prove to the NHL that he can be that second line center, the Stars have been looking for. Derek Roy did tell the media that he was willing to play with the shoulder injury but the Stars didn’t want to take a risk with him, making the injury worse. Here’s more on Roy talking about the shoulder injury via from Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News:
Roy will likely be out until late November after he had surgery to tighten up a loose shoulder he had been playing through since last season. Roy had a very difficult season injury-wise, and he spoke with John Vogel of the Buffalo News in April as the Sabres were cleaning out their lockers. Here was his quote:
“Doc said it was going to take two years to get back to 100 percent. I had a tough stretch. I missed the exhibition games when I got injured (shoulder), and I got injured in July working out (a hamstring injury before last season), as well. Nobody knew about that one, but I took maybe a month off this summer. I pulled my hamstring in the summertime. That was tough working out. I took some time off and had to come in and do therapy every day on it. That was a tough stretch, then training camp came around and I got injured again (with the shoulder). Usually, I’m not injury prone at all, and it was tough to start the season off with those two injuries. I had a hard time going, and it’s still bothering me now to this day with both injuries. I’m going to take a month off and do absolutely nothing and try to rest and get back into shape and get ready for the season.”
So this week the Dallas Stars wrapped up their Development for their young prospects and newly acquired draft picks, this young group of prospects were very impressive and big, and when I say big I mean everywhere from forwards to goalies, Dallas certainly has made drafting players with size a big part of their future. To wrap up after all the videos and articles I have read about camp, I am going to list the ten prospects I believe had the best camps.
10. Radek Faksa – Center – Kitchner Rangers
I certainly saw what a bunch of other scouts from Dallas saw in him when they took him 13th overall with this seasons first round draft pick, but he was definitely a bit raw and it would suit him better if he spent this season in the OHL with the Kitchner Rangers instead of burning a year of his Entry-Level Contract trying to fill a spot left by Derek Roy while he recovers from shoulder surgery.
9. Scott Glennie – Center/Left Wing – Texas Stars
The first round draft choice of the Dallas Stars in the 2009 draft has certainly had big knocks against him with labels of being a bust or a waste of a draft pick, but certainly has worked hard to improve, this development camp he certainly looked a lot more confident with the puck and could was a lot better at decision making. When training camp arrives expect Glennie to be competing with Cody Eakin and Tom Wandell for the shot to fill in Derek Roy’s spot on the second line regular ice time in the NHL.
8. Austin Smith – Right Wing – Texas Stars
Recently graduated from Colgate University the Dallas, Texas native drew much attention last season in the running to become the winner of the Hobey Baker award given to the overall best player collegiate hockey player in the nation, taking his talents to Austin this season with the Texas Stars Austin can show his great play that sets up many teammates and a shot that goalies respect.
7. Reilly Smith – Left Wing – Texas Stars
Also drew attention as a finalist for the Hobey Baker award Reilly Smith got a taste of the NHL last season and will be looking to make it back this season, in camp it certainly looked like he knew how to find the net and get in scoring position, certainly with Austin they can put on a show this season with the Texas Stars.
6. Alex Chiasson – Right Wing – Texas Stars
The big Boston University product saw his college career close and his professional career begin with the Texas Stars last season, he will be a big problem for defenseman to handle in front of the net, and literally big at 6’4 200+ pounds. Coming from the college level he will certainly have to work on his physical play and continue to work at becoming a complete player.
It certainly was a busy day for a Dallas Stars fan with all the news dropping today. First out the box today came the announcement that all-time points leader in Dallas Stars history, and highest scoring American born player in NHL history Mike Modano was announced as one of three members named to the US Hockey Hall of Fame today. He will be joining former Dallas Stars defensemen Derian Hatcher and his brother Kevin Hatcher as former DallasStars named to the US Hockey Hall of Fame. Also named to the USHHoF were New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello and long time NHLer and current color analyst for the Chicago Blackhawks and NBCSNEddie Olczyk.
Press release and Mike Modano quotes courtesy of NHL.com
USA Hockey announced Wednesday that Dallas Stars great Mike Modano, former player/current television analyst Ed Olczyk and New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello will be its newest inductees. The trio will be enshrined at a location and date to be announced in the near future.
The top overall pick in the 1988 NHL Draft, Modano, a native of Livonia, Mich., is the Stars’ all-time leader in games played (1,459), goals (557), assists (802) and points (1,359). He also had 145 playoff points in 174 games, each a franchise record. The 42-year-old represented the United States at the Olympics three times and helped his country win a silver medal in 2002.
“I never imagined playing for this long and being part of the game for a couple of decades,” said Modano, the all-time American leader in goals (561) and points (1,374) who helped the Stars win their only Stanley Cup in 1999. “I think the chase for the Phil Housley record [as U.S. scoring leader] and passing Joey Mullen [as top U.S. goal scorer] were highlights. There are tons and tons of experiences that you could go on for a long time listing.” -Mike Modano
In other news today it was announced that newly acquired Dallas Stars center Derek Roy underwent shoulder surgery and will be out until some point in November. Tweets from Dallas Morning News Stars Writer Mike Heika broke the story.
Stars center Derek Roy, who was acquired in a trade from Buffalo for Steve Ott and Adam Pardy on July 2, had shoulder surgery Wednesday in Dallas and will be out until November, GM Joe Nieuwendyk said.
Roy was cleared medically for the trade, but upon a more intense physical in Dallas, the shoulder issue came up. Roy hurt himself in the preseasn last year and played through the injury. His plan was to play through it again, Nieuwendyk said. However, after deliberation with the medical staff and the front office staff, the Stars decided to get the surgery now.
“He played through it before and he could have played through it again, but we want the best Derek Roy we can get,” Nieuwendyk said. “It was a group decision, and we felt this was the best decision.”
Nieuwendyk said he could not answer any questions that speculated on a work stoppage, but it’s clear that a possible late start to next season had to be factored in. The NHL’s collective bargaining agreement with the the NHL Players Association expires Sept. 15, and there is a chance the season doesn’t start on time.
If that’s the case, then the games Roy misses could be reduced, and there is a chance he could miss no games before the season starts.
Dallas has replacement candidates in players like Cody Eakin and Tom Wandell who could play on the second line, but the reason they got Roy was because they were hoping to not have to scale those players that far up the lineup.
2012 first round draft pick (13th overall) Radek Faksa is a center who projects as a possible future NHL second-liner, and the Stars will have nine games to play with before they have to decide to keep him at the NHL level or send him back to Major Junior. If he stays past nine games, he burns the first year of his entry level contract. Faksa is not elible to go to the AHL this season because he is playing in Major Junior.
“There’s a lot to think about for sure, but we’re just concentrating on what’s best for Derek right now,” Nieuwendyk said. “We want to make sure he is 100 percent and ready to go.”
Roy is in the last year of a contract and will make $5.5 million next season. He then can become an unrestricted free agent after the season is over.
And in the final bit of Stars news for today the Dallas Stars have announced that the club has signed forward Brett Ritchie and defenseman Troy Vance to three-year entry level deals. Both were drafted by Dallas in the 2011 NHL entry draft. Via the Stars official twitter account.
The Stars have signed F Brett Ritchie and D Troy Vance each to a three-year entry-level contract through the 2014-15 season.
