Dallas Stars Player Grades for the 2021 Season

[Ghost of Kyiv]

End of the season, anyone want to post their letter grades for the players this year? Here are mine.

Jamie Benn B 52GP 11G 24A 35Pts +13

His salary makes him a detriment to the team, but he exceeded my expectations. I was expecting a continued decline to his game. Lots of miles on the tires, and I didn’t think the compressed schedule would be overly kind to him. He takes stretches off, but as a whole he played a really good 200 foot game. Much better as a center then I would have figured, makes for an intriguing option going forward

Nicholas Caamano F 24GP 0G 1A 1PTS -7

Worst player who got semi-regular minutes. Only 1 point in 24 games, just not enough. Not much going on between the ears, AHL is where he should be playing.

Andrew Cogliano B 54GP 5G 6A 11PTS -8

Under-rated, still a good skater and great defensively. I’d welcome him back on a 1 year $1-$1.5 million contract, though I might be the only poster here who would.

Blake Comeau C 51GP 4G 10A 14PTS -13

I think he’s starting to show his age, but still a lot better than the jobber brigade. Really good career as a grinder, but at 35 I don’t think there is much left in the tank.

Ty Dellandrea C- 26GP 3G 2A 5PTS 0

In over his head at the NHL this young, probably should have been a D but given the benefit of the doubt due to age. Very undisciplined play and not really many flashes you hope to see in young guys.

Jason Dickinson B 51GP 7G 6A 15PTS -2

His best year defensively. I’ve always considered him “just a guy” but he played a lot better as a shutdown option this year then at any other time. This year should prove that he’s never going to be a top 6 scorer however.

Justin Dowling C- 27GP 1G 4A 5PTS -4

Mediocre as always, moving on.

Radek Faksa D 55GP 6G 8A 14PTS -15

Biggest disappointment on the team for me. Didn’t produce much, and wasn’t nearly as effective defensively as he was at different times in the past. I’m over the CFC shutdown line as an every game staple and would like to see Dallas find a puck carrier/playmaker to pair with him (like Hemsky used to)

Rhett Gardner D 28GP 1G 1A 2PTS -9

I kinda like him, he’s decent defensively but offers nothing else. Shutdown player in the AHL is unfortunately his best role.

Denis Gurianov C 55GP 12G 18A 30PTS 0

Disappointing year given expectations and play during the bubble. Surprised at how productive his stat line was, it seems like he’s going to have one of those consistently inconsistent types of careers.

Roope Hintz A+ 41GP 15G 28A 43PTS +13

Our best player this year, what a treat to watch. Nice to have a chance at a legit #1C again even with Seguin’s decline.

Tanner Kero B 39GP 3G 7A 10PTS 0

Best of the AHL player jobber brigade, played like a decent 4th liner which is more than I expected.

Joel Kiviranta B+ 26GP 6G 5A 11PTS +3

How nice is it to have a good intelligent depth scorer? Great contributor when healthy. Doesn’t seem to be fully trusted defensively yet? I thought he was fine defensively though.

Joe Pavelski A+ 56GP 25G 26A 51PTS +22

Given the time Hintz missed, I think he’s the team’s MVP. Great goal scorer, takes care of the puck and is great in every zone of the ice.

Jason Robertson A+ 51GP 17G 28A 45PTS +13

Also in the running for team MVP which is crazy to say about a rookie. High level IQ, his emergence was probably the funnest thing about this season.

Joel Hanley B+ 35GP 0G 8A 8PTS +6

Good year as a depth defender, happy he is on the team and got re-signed.

Miro Heiskanen C 55GP 8G 19A 27PTS -9

Disappointing season offensively, but still very good after his covid brain fog start to the year.

John Klingberg C 53GP 7G 29A 36PTS -15

Got worse as the season went along, but he was so good in the first 60% of the year, and the power play doesn’t work without him.

Esa Lindell C 56GP 5G 11A 16PTS +11

A few more defensive mistakes then I’m used to seeing, but not a bad year as a whole. He’s a horse.

Jamie Oleksiak B+ 56GP 6G 8A 14PTS -3

Gets caught up the ice too often, but he’s grown into a good second pairing defenseman.

Mark Pysyk C 36GP 3G 1A 4PTS +6

He’s fine, I often forget he’s on the team, so could be worse. I like guys who can play forward and defense, should be more common league wide.

Andrej Sekera C+ 46GP 3G 2A 5PTS +12

Good bottom pairing PK guy, he’s been a decent low cost depth piece that doesn’t kill you at even strength.

Anton Khudobin C- 32GP .905SV% 2.54GAA

Stole some games, blew a lot more. Disappointing year, but not entirely unexpected I suppose. I still think he’s a fine backup, I don’t trust him in a 1A/1B role anymore

Jake Oettinger B 29GP .911SV% 2.36GAA

Extreme version of a system goalie. Great if you keep players to the outside, automatic goal if oppositions can get in behind your defenders. Good rookie year as a whole though, there is still upside with good goalie coaching.


*All grades are relative to my personal expectations (Klingberg/Heiskanen are obviously better then Joel Hanley despite the worse grade for example)

Click to read more...

 

[M88K]

I'll bite.

Jamie Benn C 52GP 11G 24A 35Pts +13
A bit what you'd expect a hot strech surrounded by lazy uninspired play.

Nick Caamano F
just a bunch of meh

Scrubliano D
Better offensive numbers than you'd expect but he's still just so bad at hockey.

Blake Comeau C
Meh.

Ty Dellandrea D
En route to be the Faksa clone he's expected to be.

Jason Dickinson C
Meh... see Comeau

Justin Dowling D
As expected. Bad players are bad.

Radek Faksa C-
Down year

Rhett Gardner D
Meh

Denis Gurianov D
Who dumps the puck in during 3v3


Roope Hintz A-
A lot of good, some bad, can never stay healthy

Tanner Kero C
better than anyone should have reasonable expected, but he's still not someone who should be in the NHL.

Joel Kiviranta A+
He caused scrubliano to eat a healthy scratch in the PO. He's basically a god, that can do no wrong in my book.

Joe Pavelski B+
A lot of good, some bad.

Jason Robertson A
The desperately missing young top 6 wing.

Joel Hanley C
Decent 7th, but still only a 7th.

Miro Heiskanen B-
Poor guy was worked to death after dealing with covid early. Some uncharacteristic issues this year, but still far and away the best defenseman on the team.

John Klingberg C
About what you'd expect. Some good, some bad.

Esa Lindell C-
Meh.

Jamie Oleksiak B
Better than you expect... going to get overpaid... probably by Nill

Mark Pysyk C
meh

Andrej Sekera C
meh

Anton Khudobin D
did his best Turco, can't stop a beachball impression to often this year

Jake Oettinger A
Better than you'd expect

Alex Radulov, Tyler Seguin F
Did their best Benn impression. They've heard how he doesn't show up most of the season and gave it try



*All grades are arbitrary

 

[WhoahNow]

A:
Robertson - had natural offensive instincts, led the team in even strength points by 9 (39). He was much more physical than I expected and made some good defensive plays as well. Still would like to see more improvement in the skating, but can't really complain.
Hintz - so fun to watch him play. Hopefully he can recover from his groin injury and get right back to it next year. Only complaint would be if he could improve his faceoffs. Robertson and Hintz are great compliments to each other.
Pavelski - Such a force on the PP, and showed the playoff stats were no outlier. He was great all year even though is 37 and I thought he'd need to have games off due to the tough schedule.
Kiviranta - great motor, good skill, was noticibly better than a lot of the depth players on this team when returned from injury. Can see him be on any line and perform well.
Radulov - started off great offensively, didnt have too many annoying penalties. Too bad didnt get to see him for the full year.
Seguin - I expected to see him be much rustier upon return, but clearly still had a knack for the net and faceoffs. Excited to see him next year as a 1/2 C combo with Hintz and how teams try and match up against them.

B:
Oettinger - Obviously the OT/Shootouts/Breakaways were issues that will need to be worked on. Compare him to the rest of the G rookie class who played 20 games (Nedeljkovic, Sorokin, Shesterkin, Lankinen, Kahkonen, Vanecek, & Oettinger) he's 3rd in GAA and 4th in SV% of that group, except that all other goalies in that group are 24/25/26 years old and Oettinger is still only 22. Very calming presence in net and with more time to develop he should be great.
Hanley - Glad he was re-signed, perfect player to add into the lineup in case of injury or rotation.
Benn - I surprised myself with Benn since he is so frustrating to watch some times, and is overpaid, but I really enjoyed him as a center. He was so much more engaged in the game. Other than the pricetag, if you can go into next year with Hintz/Seguin/Benn as C depth that's very strong.

C:
Heiskanen - had a pretty rough season in regards to puck handling, giveways, and dictating the game, but my expectations were sky high. Hopefully some rest and recovery and he can have a bounce back season next year. I'm hoping for a bridge contract till the cap rises then sign him long term.
Gurianov - pretty clearly he is not a player who dictates the game, and I was hoping for an improvement in his play, but it was only his sophomore season and his offensive output was pretty similar to Hintz last year so not writing him off.
Oleksiak - Started out the season strongly in my opinion then fell off towards the end. He had a lot of times jumping up in the play and being involved in the offense. Pretty much unless the Stars will sign Dougie Hamilton then I'd like to see Oleksiak brought back.
Dowling - I don't want to see him as a regular NHL player, but I thought he actually tried to make plays and had some offensive skills compared to the other bottom 6/taxi squad guys. If he was brought back as a scratch/taxi guy for under a mil, then I would be too upset.
Sekera - Was pretty content with Sekera as a bottom pair d man. Basically no offensive help, but held up decently defensively. If he could be the 6/7 dman instead of the 5 on the team that'd be great.

D:
Klingberg - When he's full of confidence offensively its so exciting to watch, but a lot of this year he was just straight up bad.
Lindell - While I appreciate the effort he puts in on the PK, his puck handling skills and passing are bleh.
Dickinson - Was hoping he would take a step forward this year, had his chances with Benn-Gurianov, makes me wonder what his contract will be.
Gardner - Was okay with him as a fill in 4th liner, just has no offensive upside
Kero - Appreciate the story but similar to Gardner was an okay fill in
Dellandrea - Clearly needed a full year in the AHL where he looks to be doing well, needs to add strength and then should be a NHL player next year
Vatanen - Was hoping for more puck moving, I did really enjoy having another RHD, but he didnt really move the needle. If he signs for 1 mil, I'd be okay with it.

E:
Khudobin - So dissapointing, while he wasnt amazing in the playoff run he showed he could win and handle the starters load. Then this year he just couldnt do it, super inconsistent and I felt more confortable with Oettinger in net despite his own issues in net.
Cogliano - Appreciate the effort he puts in and his skating ability, but I'm done with seeing him. Any scoring chance is pretty much moot because he can hardly shoot the puck
Pysyk - Was hoping he would be a nice addition to the blueline, but didnt really do anything or add any element other than being able to be a fill in 4th liner that the Stars already had
Faksa - The entire FCC line im just done with, but I still do hold out some hope for Faksa, but if the Stars go with Hintz/Seguin/Benn as centres as I want them too, he's a pretty expensive 4th liner.
Comeau - Pretty much same as Cogliano, but while Cogliano cant shoot, Comeau takes penalties.

F:
Caamano - Just doenst add anything, I had hopes that he could be a solid 4th liner but nah
L'Esperance - Same as Caamano, jsut doesnt add anything


Dream Summer Scenario:

1. Dickinson gets taken by Seattle
2. Klingberg & Khudobin get traded for Konecny (PHI needs a backup for Hart and Klingberg could pair with Provorov). Value probably isnt fair, but Kling+Khudobin for a offensive forward my goal.
3. Sign Hamilton UFA

Add a top 6 scoring winger, replace Klingberg with Hamilton, Bishop or Khudobin moved

Thoughts and Questions for next year:

• How do you get the best out of Gurianov
• Can the Stars add anything offensively or will they just get healthy and go with what they have.
• Can the Stars maintain or upgrade on their core of having a strong top 4 D
• How to solve the 3 goalies
• Who gets taken by Seattle

 

[Kcb12345]

A:
Robertson - had natural offensive instincts, led the team in even strength points by 9 (39). He was much more physical than I expected and made some good defensive plays as well. Still would like to see more improvement in the skating, but can't really complain.
Hintz - so fun to watch him play. Hopefully he can recover from his groin injury and get right back to it next year. Only complaint would be if he could improve his faceoffs. Robertson and Hintz are great compliments to each other.
Pavelski - Such a force on the PP, and showed the playoff stats were no outlier. He was great all year even though is 37 and I thought he'd need to have games off due to the tough schedule.
Kiviranta - great motor, good skill, was noticibly better than a lot of the depth players on this team when returned from injury. Can see him be on any line and perform well.
Radulov - started off great offensively, didnt have too many annoying penalties. Too bad didnt get to see him for the full year.
Seguin - I expected to see him be much rustier upon return, but clearly still had a knack for the net and faceoffs. Excited to see him next year as a 1/2 C combo with Hintz and how teams try and match up against them.

B:
Oettinger - Obviously the OT/Shootouts/Breakaways were issues that will need to be worked on. Compare him to the rest of the G rookie class who played 20 games (Nedeljkovic, Sorokin, Shesterkin, Lankinen, Kahkonen, Vanecek, & Oettinger) he's 3rd in GAA and 4th in SV% of that group, except that all other goalies in that group are 24/25/26 years old and Oettinger is still only 22. Very calming presence in net and with more time to develop he should be great.
Hanley - Glad he was re-signed, perfect player to add into the lineup in case of injury or rotation.
Benn - I surprised myself with Benn since he is so frustrating to watch some times, and is overpaid, but I really enjoyed him as a center. He was so much more engaged in the game. Other than the pricetag, if you can go into next year with Hintz/Seguin/Benn as C depth that's very strong.

C:
Heiskanen - had a pretty rough season in regards to puck handling, giveways, and dictating the game, but my expectations were sky high. Hopefully some rest and recovery and he can have a bounce back season next year. I'm hoping for a bridge contract till the cap rises then sign him long term.
Gurianov - pretty clearly he is not a player who dictates the game, and I was hoping for an improvement in his play, but it was only his sophomore season and his offensive output was pretty similar to Hintz last year so not writing him off.
Oleksiak - Started out the season strongly in my opinion then fell off towards the end. He had a lot of times jumping up in the play and being involved in the offense. Pretty much unless the Stars will sign Dougie Hamilton then I'd like to see Oleksiak brought back.
Dowling - I don't want to see him as a regular NHL player, but I thought he actually tried to make plays and had some offensive skills compared to the other bottom 6/taxi squad guys. If he was brought back as a scratch/taxi guy for under a mil, then I would be too upset.
Sekera - Was pretty content with Sekera as a bottom pair d man. Basically no offensive help, but held up decently defensively. If he could be the 6/7 dman instead of the 5 on the team that'd be great.

D:
Klingberg - When he's full of confidence offensively its so exciting to watch, but a lot of this year he was just straight up bad.
Lindell - While I appreciate the effort he puts in on the PK, his puck handling skills and passing are bleh.
Dickinson - Was hoping he would take a step forward this year, had his chances with Benn-Gurianov, makes me wonder what his contract will be.
Gardner - Was okay with him as a fill in 4th liner, just has no offensive upside
Kero - Appreciate the story but similar to Gardner was an okay fill in
Dellandrea - Clearly needed a full year in the AHL where he looks to be doing well, needs to add strength and then should be a NHL player next year
Vatanen - Was hoping for more puck moving, I did really enjoy having another RHD, but he didnt really move the needle. If he signs for 1 mil, I'd be okay with it.

E:
Khudobin - So dissapointing, while he wasnt amazing in the playoff run he showed he could win and handle the starters load. Then this year he just couldnt do it, super inconsistent and I felt more confortable with Oettinger in net despite his own issues in net.
Cogliano - Appreciate the effort he puts in and his skating ability, but I'm done with seeing him. Any scoring chance is pretty much moot because he can hardly shoot the puck
Pysyk - Was hoping he would be a nice addition to the blueline, but didnt really do anything or add any element other than being able to be a fill in 4th liner that the Stars already had
Faksa - The entire FCC line im just done with, but I still do hold out some hope for Faksa, but if the Stars go with Hintz/Seguin/Benn as centres as I want them too, he's a pretty expensive 4th liner.
Comeau - Pretty much same as Cogliano, but while Cogliano cant shoot, Comeau takes penalties.

F:
Caamano - Just doenst add anything, I had hopes that he could be a solid 4th liner but nah
L'Esperance - Same as Caamano, jsut doesnt add anything


Dream Summer Scenario:

1. Dickinson gets taken by Seattle
2. Klingberg & Khudobin get traded for Konecny (PHI needs a backup for Hart and Klingberg could pair with Provorov). Value probably isnt fair, but Kling+Khudobin for a offensive forward my goal.
3. Sign Hamilton UFA

Add a top 6 scoring winger, replace Klingberg with Hamilton, Bishop or Khudobin moved

Thoughts and Questions for next year:

• How do you get the best out of Gurianov
• Can the Stars add anything offensively or will they just get healthy and go with what they have.
• Can the Stars maintain or upgrade on their core of having a strong top 4 D
• How to solve the 3 goalies
• Who gets taken by Seattle

I agree with yours but would put Klingberg in the C group. He was mostly fine from what I can remember before these past few weeks.

 

[BrettHullsToe]

I agree with yours but would put Klingberg in the C group. He was mostly fine from what I can remember before these past few weeks.

Klingberg deserves a split grade - before the baby and injury, he was a B, afterwards he gets a D.

 

[The Tourist]

Hintz: A (yep)

Robertson: A (yep)

Pavelski: B+ (Slowed down a bit at the end.)

Benn: B (Just another typical Benn season. Lots of good and lots of meh. I think this is the regular season Benn we are stuck with for the rest of his career. But thankfully I also think he can turn it up a notch in the playoffs.)

Kiviranta: B+ (Dallas needs more players of his caliber in their middle six)

Gurianov: C (He's the forward version of Kari Lehtonen. Talented and can be damn good when his head is right. When he loses confidence he does dumb shit and the puck turns into a grenade on his stick.)

Faksa: D (Being saddled with two bums on your wing doesn't help. He would probably like to play with some NHL wingers more than a couple times a year.)

Dickinson: D+ (I'm fine with Dickinson on the team but I wouldn't be sad if he wasn't either. I do think he's a fine utility guy who can move up and down the line up and not hurt you)

Dowling: F (More offensively talented version of Cogliano. Just a small, weak bad player)

Cogliano: F (Point totals look better than expected but he's still a terrible player with a softer shot than my 6 yr old.)

Gardner: D (I could live with him as a 13th forward in a normal year. He hits, pretty good defensively, and can play center or wing.)

Kero: C (Exceeded expectations which were extremely low. The most talented of the non talents.)

Dellandrea: C- (I didn't hate him like everyone else on here. The majority of his penalties were early on and then a fighting major at the end that made his penalty numbers look worse. He had a huge stretch of games with no penalties. He needs to get stronger and smarter but he hits, plays hard, and showed some skill at times.)

Comeau: D (I could live with him as a cheap 4th line winger. At this point in his career he should be your worst player in the starting 12. That doesn't work when guys like Dowling, Cogliano, Gardner, and the other scrubs are out there though.)

Caamano: F (sucks)

L'Es: D (Not even worth learning how to spell his name)

Pysyk: C (I'm fine with him on the team as a utility guy.)

Lindell: C (Thought he played below expectations.)

Klingberg: C (Started the year like a Norris candidate but by the end I was begging for a scratch.)

Miro: B (Dealt with a lot after the long playoffs and then Covid. Started slow, picked it up and played well in the middle of the season, and then wore down at the end.)

Oleksiak: B (I would prefer his partner jump up in the offensive zone more than him. Good to have out there to protect Miro. Hopefully we can sign him but might be too costly now.)

Hanley: B (I like his game as a bottom pairing guy.)

Sekera: D (Not a fan. So damn slow at times and not just his skating. Sometimes his whole game is a second behind everyone else. Slow to pass the puck, clear the puck on the PK, reaction time.)

Vantanen: C (I like him and Hanley as the bottom pair better than Sekera.)

Dobby: D (Playoffs aged his game about 10 years. Had a few really good games but overall was bad and our defense still did a good job at limiting chances.)

Oettinger: B (Can't stop a breakaway and slides out of position a lot but has a bright future. A normal season with practices will really help him clean some stuff up.)


Seguin and Radulov: A (Didn't play enough but both were good when they did.)