Speculation: 2018 Stars Off-Season Thread

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________

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7. We could get a clearer picture of Dallas’s future by the end of the week. Head coach Ken Hitchcock is getting points for Seguin’s excellent season and taking a historically bad penalty kill from 73.9 in 2016-17 to fourth in the NHL on March 12, when Ben Bishop’s injury wrecked his season. But, they did miss the playoffs and changes are coming.

The Stars had 244 power plays (20th in the NHL) and were short-handed 281 times, second-most to Nashville. That’s not a good ratio, especially for a team with such firepower. At the all-star break, they were eighth in the NHL with three goals per 60 minutes. They simply stopped scoring and finished 18th. I also heard a very interesting stat: they led the league in both icings and offsides. Hitchcock signed a one-year deal to coach with a consulting role to follow. The Stars are expected to look for a new backup for Bishop. The bigger question is if they choose other repairs internally, making 2017 third-overall pick Miro Heiskanen and potential returnee Valeri Nichushkin their top off-season acquisitions.

8. With Seguin a year away from unrestricted free agency, 2018-19 is going to be a very big season for Jamie Benn. He finished with eight goals and 10 points in the last five games, but Dallas was pretty much done by that point. Benn hasn’t been the same since an outstanding 2015-16 that made him a Hart finalist. They need him to get back to that level. How to get him back there will be an important internal conversation.
 

Magic Mittens

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I always thought Hitch signed a 2 year deal and then the consulting role after, but maybe it is only a one year deal atm. I honestly want a new coach and this could be good news

Anyways let's find us a new 2C asap. ROR anyone? Sign JT? Yes please!
 

AveryStar4Eva

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I'm game with ROR/JT. Would mean a Spezza buyout for sure though.

Seguin - Benn - Nichushkin
Janmark - ROR/Tavares - Radulov
Hintz - Faksa - Pitlick
Dickinson - Hanzal - Smith/Elie

Lindell - Klingberg
Heiskanen - Johns
Methot - Honka

I'd drool
 
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Smelling Salt

Busey is life
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Honestly I'm still not sure that is a playoff team. The 3rd line doesn't do it for me unless Hintz becomes a player. The fourth line is scrub-ish and you know Hanzal will not be healthy. Would still get eaten up by Nashville, Winnipeg and probably St Louis and fighting for a wild card.

I like the thought of ROR though. Him and Stone/Hoffman would be great. Tavares is a pipe dream though it's a real nice one.
 
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FirstRowUpperDeck

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That third line looked great most of last year, why wouldn't it next year? Replace Roose with Gemel Smith (or Elie) for speed and pretty decent metrics and it rides again. Not many third lines with 17 and 14 goal scorers, with another 6 from limited playing time from Smith, especially when Faksa leads in +/-.

I do wish we had a prospect ready for second line duty so we wouldn't have to go after someone else. Spezza worked for a few years, and before that, guys like Turgeon, etc. never did. You pay a lot for a lot of disappointment in most cases, and Hanzel didn't work out either.

Frankly, if Hitch is gone, Hanzel might be gone, too, probably via buy out or retained salary to someone. He really didn't do much for the Wild as their trade deadline acquisition, and most experts thought it a strange move, perhaps motivated by getting Hitch type players.

BTW, on the plus side, do love that we have a D comprised mostly of prime age players, all drafted high (save Methot). May not be the best D over the next few years, but has the right mix of puck carrying (valued by most coaches, not Hitch) and size.
 

Smelling Salt

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I just didn't like the looks of Hintz on there as he's an unknown.

And I agree, I don't have a problem with the D either.

I think the top two lines are going to be a problem if Nichushkin bombs which is why I think a center and a winger via trade/sign is key. It's gonna be a tough I think and I'm a little worried.
 
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Magic Mittens

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Hanzal will most likely be on LTIR. Can't see him coming back, but who knows.

Hintz is hard to say. Could turn some heads, or could be another Ritchie, Shore, Ellie etc
 

MrHeiskanen

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The mentality of this fanbase is broken. "Replace X with G. Smith" .. NO

If we want to make the playoffs Gemel Smith is in the press box or AHL.

HE IS NOT A QUALITY PLAYER ON A PLAYOFF TEAM.

On Reddit people were saying to put him in the TOp 6.. jesus.
 

FirstRowUpperDeck

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I would never say that, but with the cap, you have to fill the lower lines. He is fast, and actually has decent production per minute. There were many nights when our fast 4th line was dominant over the other teams.

It may be Elie or Ritchie, etc., but fans who think we should invest any major assets to upgrade the lower lines are nuts. We need more top end skill players, our lower lines are fine.
 

FirstRowUpperDeck

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And frankly, other teams 4th liners who we think look good? Typically our fans would start downgrading almost immediately.

We got pretty lucky with Pitlick, though. When decent players are actually available, there are usually injury, attitude or contract issues. His was injury and he bounced back. Every G M looking for those kind of finds.
 

Kcb12345

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The Gemel Smith talk probably comes from the fact that he is miles better than Brett Ritchie, who still gets top 6 time and top power play time. I mean why not try Smith if you put Ritchie there?

Hitchcock needs to go so this whole Ritchie thing can end. Hopefully Ritchie goes too but if not then he is a fine 4th liner and nothing more. Not even a 3rd liner. Our real problem is the fact that we have 2 4th lines and absolutely no 2nd line at all. Gemel Smith isn't the solution to that. Neither is Elie or Ritchie. All are probably AHL guys anyways let's be honest. Gemel Smith is an ideal healthy scratch forward or 4th liner in my opinion.
 
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FirstRowUpperDeck

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Someone has to play 4th line. My guess is its determined in camp but Smith slots in against fast teams, Ritchie against big teams or something like that.

But you have to brace yourself for most of them to be back, and probably one will he on higher lines.
 
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MrHeiskanen

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Ritchie was better in the OHL.

Ritchie was better in the AHL.

Ritchie wasn't demoted to the ECHL.

Ritchie has been better in the NHL.

Let's take Smith!
 

________

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Smith is a much better skater, that's the only thing he has over Ritchie. Ritchie has a really good shot, but his release is so slow.
As much as Ruff's system made the defense look worse then it really was, it's the same thing for Hitchcock's system and offense, the offense is better then it was last year. There are ways they can improve the team's offense by just promoting players (Adding Heiskanen and playing Honka each game). Getting better passing on defense, so the transition game improves, attacking the other team's zone consistently with the puck, instead of dumping the puck in. Attacking the middle of the ice more in the offensive zone.
That's not taking into account the powerplay which needs stuff done to fix it.
 

Frozen Failure

They got business in my hockey, and I hate it.
Nov 13, 2007
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Ritchie is a Holmstrom type and this team SORELY needs that. Smith will probably replace Roussel as a bottom 6 mucker, and that is all he should be on this team for. Bottom 6 energy and getting under opponents skin.

We'll fix the offense with some puck capable forwards and some chemistry time. Last year the passing consistency was f***ing miserable and it fell off towards the end of the season this year.

Hopefully Radulov's positive emotional attitude is more contagious than other Russian nerve agents and gets this team a little more excited than Jamie "Bored as f*** Every Goal" Benn.
 

FirstRowUpperDeck

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Shapiro had in depth analysis of Stars breakouts. Seems like other than Klinger, Hitch told the others to play really safe. Klinger and Honka only two to be over 50% in possession exits.

Play Honka, add Miro, and I think our exits will improve dramatically. Probably needs a new coach half way to Ruff style who isn't Hitchcock, married to the pylon style. Hitch would say Honka and Miro are too young to trust, but when we were so bad at zone exits and clearing the puck, just how much worse could they be? Maybe at the beginning, but 20 games in, we should be better.

We allowed 7 goals after the dreaded icing/couldn't clear the zone combo. And, led the league in icings, perhaps oxymoronic for a team told to play safe.

The more I think about it, the more Hitch being kicked upstairs is move 1 of the off season. If he had made them playoff contenders, he might have stayed. But, we need to move on. We need a coach who will tailor his system to the players Nill has brought in, not the other way around. Flexibility and Hitchcock never to together in the same sentence.
 
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Dynamite Time

Where Is My Mind?
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Don’t think Hitchcocks style of game is what this team needs. Seemed to wear players out by mid-game a lot of games. Seguin, Benn, Radulov put up points but other quick and sometimes smaller guys like Janmark, Shore, Elie, Roussel, Pitlick, etc playing a dump and chase isn’t going to work. Spezza at 2nd C with Janmark and another quick winger, our 3rd line and even 4th line would’ve looked better with more opportunities to carry puck aggressively into offensive zone.
 

Dynamite Time

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We were first in icings and offsides. Our players throwing the puck down the ice from our side of the red line a lot of times just ended up being the one rusher not getting to the puck or already in the offensive zone; whistle. A lot of skating for nothing before a whistle; What I meant when saying it seemed to wear our guys out by mid-game.
 

BfantZ

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Just judging by the way nill sounded in his exit interview , I would say there’s a slim to no chance hitch is head coach next year . Especially when your looking to bring heiskanen up , I don’t think nill is dumb enough to bring him into that system . They need a coach who doesn’t make it about him . He try’s to make it sound like hes gonna fix so much , like the team is so broken and he knows everything there is to know . They need someone who is gonna get the best out of our young players . Wouldn’t mind seeing Texas head coach on the bench next year as an assistant . He knows a lot of the young guys and they would probably have more confidence with him there .
 

FirstRowUpperDeck

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Players get tired, and they get mentally tired of Hitch, since he never lets up. Also, while I applaud getting Tyler to play 2 way hockey, I really think he could have reduced his and Benn's use on PK to conserve some energy, limiting their shifts to perhaps the end of the pk where they could start transition hockey.

Shapiro makes it sound like everyone but the top 4 were on a tight leash, and punished for mistakes, a la Ruff.

For whatever reason, the drifted from aggressive forechecking to dump and chase as the season wore on.
 

Smelling Salt

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Wouldn’t mind seeing Texas head coach on the bench next year as an assistant . He knows a lot of the young guys and they would probably have more confidence with him there .

/r/DallasStars has a hate-on for Laxdal. Not sure if it's justified but they for sure wouldn't like that idea. I don't know enough about Cedar Park to comment on his work.
 

Troy McClure

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Ritchie was better in the OHL.

Ritchie was better in the AHL.

Ritchie wasn't demoted to the ECHL.

Ritchie has been better in the NHL.

Let's take Smith!
I don't think anyone is suggesting make Smith a first liner for life. People are wondering why it wasn't ever tried. Even for a game. Ritchie wasn't getting it done, so Hitch's answer was to keep playing Ritchie far more minutes than he deserved. Why not try Smith up there? The worst thing that happens is Smith plays a bunch of minutes with some of the league's best offensive players and fails to register any points, which is what we got from Ritchie.
 

FirstRowUpperDeck

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With Hitch retiring, do we get Jason Spezza back as our 2C for next year? Maybe break in Dickenson by splitting time?

Actually, as to the suggestion of Hintz replacing Antoine on line 3, Shapiro seems to think that would be a good starting point for JD next year. Extra center, defensively responsible, and at least a goal scorer at lower levels, think he can get there as a secondary scorer at NHL level.
 
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