Pre-season thread

[Troy McClure]

He's already had 3 years and hasn't shown much of anything beyond flashes. How much longer does he get?

He can't even hold down an AHL job.

 

[Kcb12345]

So no Panarin, Duchene or Stone up next.

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

If you go on the ticket exchange for resale, tickets are cheap. I got center ice for $35 ($42 with service fee)

 

[Starsfansfromqc]

Both of them would be a great addition! If Spezza have a bounce back season I'l go with Stone but if not... Duchene would be my pick. Problem is we can move until we see how Spezza looks :S

 

[Kcb12345]

Both of them would be a great addition! If Spezza have a bounce back season I'l go with Stone but if not... Duchene would be my pick. Problem is we can move until we see how Spezza looks :S

I hope we go after Duchene in the off-season though. Even if Spezza's play drastically improves, I can't see him getting re-signed here unless it's for under $3m on a 1 year deal. Going after Duchene at one point or another will be a necessity and unless someone has a massive step up this year and becomes a 2C lol

 

[Ajacied]

See this is where i disagree . First Hamhuis and Pateryn weren't actually very good last year outside of a stretch earlier in the year. Especially during the end of March and in April that pairing got smoked pretty much every game. I was at times very angry Pateryn wasn't scratched .

Also about Heiskanen. He's a absolute highend prospect. The type of player the Stars didn't get to draft since Modano. I mean people expect Rasmus Dahlin to come in and contribute for the Sabres in a meaningful way and Heiskanen at this point is at least on that level . Hell right now with all the experience Heiskanen got by playing for Finland pretty much every single tournament there was he probably is the better player. I mean he was one of the best players in the Finish league last year and played the highest minutes of any player with 25:06 at 18 year of age for gods sake . Sure its not the NHL but thats not something a normal prospect does . Will he still struggle at times ? Sure he's still a rookie who will make mistakes but beeing better than Hamhuis and Pateryn last season is not exactly a high bar.

I'm by the way fairly certain Heiskanen would've made the Stars last year if he didn't get hurt prior to camp . So the Stars said well lets not risk anything and gave him another year at home . A year in which he dominated at 18 years of age in a pro-league among men.

This is the one time a prospect isn't overrated . Winning that lottery last year gave the Stars something they haven't had. The chance to draft an all-world elite prospect .

Since beeing in Dallas the Stars never had a pick this high so its normal to be sceptical since the prospects the Stars got to draft usually aren't that well developed this early in their careers because prospects that good were allways gone when Dallas was drafting.

I don't think we're overrating Heiskanen at all. Like I said, he is special, but we should temper our expectations a bit if we expect him to be the difference between playing golf or winning playoff rounds. The team just has too many holes up front.

I think odds are he'll attribute more than either Hamhuis or Pateryn somewhere further in the season. The difference won't be big enough to get us over the hump. Heiskanen won't provide the offense we need so much. Karlsson's 70-ish points would compete with Benn and Seguin for the team's lead.

I also think the experience lost on the back end is not something to underestimate, and this is crucial when you play with so many youngsters. With Methot more out of the line-up than in, our entire blueline has an experience of 26 playoff games combined. Not counting scraps such as Polak, ofcourse.

Not saying the Stars are “just fine” but they are heading in the right direction. Seguin, Benn, Klingberg and Heiskanen (ELC) is going to look better than Thornton, Pavelski, Burns and maybe only one year of Karlsson soon. San Jose is in “Win Now” mode, the Stars aren’t.

Losing a mix of Janmark, Hintz, Dellandrea, Lindell, etc as well as a number of 1st/2nd round picks would’ve hurt.

Heading in the right direction? Eh? We are in a win now mode. You need to go all in when your star players are in the mids of their primes. You want to focus on the near future and load up with quality youngsters for down the line, fine. But Benn and Seguin won't be as effective when they are 32+, especially not Benn, who at 29 is already showing signs of slowing down a bit. Not to mention Radulov and Bishop, two other vital cogs, might already have retired by then.

The Sharks' window is closing a bit sooner, I agree. I bet they would've liked to attract Karlsson a few years ago, when their players were at earlier stages in their careers, but credit to them for going all out. They should finish way above the Stars next season. I like their aggressive management a lot more than the weak ass managing of Nill. They showed balls in getting Kane and it worked wonders for them. Now Karlsson. Nill waits entire seasons before addressing obvious glaring holes and whenever he fails to improve the team he quickly mentions how the team should improve from within and that they're "just fine".

No center ice for me this year.

 

[LT]

I hope we go after Duchene in the off-season though. Even if Spezza's play drastically improves, I can't see him getting re-signed here unless it's for under $3m on a 1 year deal. Going after Duchene at one point or another will be a necessity and unless someone has a massive step up this year and becomes a 2C lol

We'll have plenty of money to do so as well. Without an upper cap limit change, we're at ~$24M in space. Only 3 defenders signed though (Klingberg, Heiskanen, Johns). Janmark and Lindell are the only notable RFAs (Honka too, if he breaks out), so we'll be able to throw some money around hopefully.

 

[serp]

I don't think we're overrating Heiskanen at all. Like I said, he is special, but we should temper our expectations a bit if we expect him to be the difference between playing golf or winning playoff rounds. The team just has too many holes up front.

I think odds are he'll attribute more than either Hamhuis or Pateryn somewhere further in the season. The difference won't be big enough to get us over the hump. Heiskanen won't provide the offense we need so much. Karlsson's 70-ish points would compete with Benn and Seguin for the team's lead.

I also think the experience lost on the back end is not something to underestimate, and this is crucial when you play with so many youngsters. With Methot more out of the line-up than in, our entire blueline has an experience of 26 playoff games combined. Not counting scraps such as Polak, ofcourse.



Heading in the right direction? Eh? We are in a win now mode. You need to go all in when your star players are in the mids of their primes. You want to focus on the near future and load up with quality youngsters for down the line, fine. But Benn and Seguin won't be as effective when they are 32+, especially not Benn, who at 29 is already showing signs of slowing down a bit. Not to mention Radulov and Bishop, two other vital cogs, might already have retired by then.

The Sharks' window is closing a bit sooner, I agree. I bet they would've liked to attract Karlsson a few years ago, when their players were at earlier stages in their careers, but credit to them for going all out. They should finish way above the Stars next season. I like their aggressive management a lot more than the weak ass managing of Nill. They showed balls in getting Kane and it worked wonders for them. Now Karlsson. Nill waits entire seasons before addressing obvious glaring holes and whenever he fails to improve the team he quickly mentions how the team should improve from within and that they're "just fine".

No center ice for me this year.

I expect Heiskanen to play 15-20 minutes right from the get go and at the end of the year he should be better than Pateryn or Hamhuis last season and a top4 fixture playing 20-25 a night . I'm not even saying that because of Heiskanen but because those two really sucked to close out the year. Outside of the missing depth on offense that pairing was just horrible and Hitch just kept throwing them out to get scored on . Especially on the PK it drove me nuts.

Experience is one thing but like we saw with Oduya the year before there's a point where experience just doesn't matter anymore . The point where you're just toast and Hamhuis to close out the year looked done which made Pateryn fall off to be back to his regular not very good self too.

Hell with even seen it before that with Gonchar. At some point there's a risk an older player might just be done . ( not just dmen but we signed over the hill dmen more than forwards , Whitney as a forward comes to mind who was just done in his second year here after almost scoring at PPG rate the year before )

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

Agree in general about our older D wearing out last year (and for Gonchar, a few years prior) and in a fast system, youth will be served. Sometimes, young guys not used to playing 82 games also get tired at seasons end, but Miro had a long season last year to get used to it.

 

[Kalamazoo Wings]

I like your lines.

That 3rd line could be very interesting if Nichushkin is effective. Doesn't have to be a stud - just effective. But yeah the Stars' 4th line is possibly going to be a disaster. Also Dickinson to consider there. I'd give Hintz a real look in preseason and I hope does well to show Ritchie/Shore/Dickinson you boys need to step up big time or you won't be seeing the ice, and I wouldn't hesitate to shoot Elie into the sun.

I'm with you here, Elie sucks, he was painful to watch in the Calder Cup Playoffs not sure how he's considered an NHL option.

And Pitlick shouldn't be a thought for first line duties, he's great where he is on the 3rd. Comeau should get a look though.

 

[MrHeiskanen]

Elie and Smith are both trash. Luckily it looks like they are 13/14th forwards this year.

 

[serp]

Elie and Smith are both trash. Luckily it looks like they are 13/14th forwards this year.

Which means Ritchie is an NHL regular and he's just as bad. Dickinson hasn't exactly set the world on fire either. Shore is the only one who looked like a regular NHL player penciled on the fourth line .

Heika AGAIN has been saying because of contract no rookie forwards will make it because the Stars would need to wave someone but FFS nobody on the fourth line has been any good. If a younger player looks like he deserves to be on the team instead of one of the depth guys you do it. Not like people are lining up for guys like Smith , Elie or Ritchie if they're waved. Not after last season.

 

[MrHeiskanen]

I've been hearing fans whine about waiving players and losing them since Glennie. These shitty players clear at the start of the year. It's not a big deal.

 

[serp]

I've been hearing fans whine about waiving players and losing them since Glennie. These ****ty players clear at the start of the year. It's not a big deal.

Yeah but the Stars management has been the one hanging onto players for too long not the fan or did you forget the whole damn 8 defenseman debacle ( at time even 9! ) the last two years. Yeah if Hintz or Gurianov or Caamano or whoever impressed enough that he should get a roster spot . Period. But Heika like he did with the 8 defenseman said they Stars likely would rather not want to waive someone even if it means keeping the worse player up.

 

[BrettHullsToe]

It bothers me when young guys who deserve a shot get sent down to the AHL because they don't need waivers, but I understand why the team has to do it. If some of your veteran guys get claimed, then as soon as there's an injury the team is in trouble because they have to call up guys who don't belong in the NHL.

You can say, "well, they won't be claimed, so it's safe to send them down", but I didn't think the number 9 defenseman on one of the worst defenses in the league at the time would be claimed, but Colorado was all over Nemeth so .

Remember when 6 of the top 9 forwards were injured in the early part of the season 2 years ago? Imagine how awful the lineup would be if all NHL-capable talent had already been stripped from the AHL team before those injuries hit...

 

[Dynamite Time]

So many questions heading into the new season. 1st pre-season game tonight. Let’s start getting answers.

 

[Dynamite Time]

Our Goaltenders are set. Our starting 6 D-men look to be set as well but what are the pairings going to be is the question there.

Our Forwards are the biggest question, what will our lines look like? We look to already have 10 of 14 forwards cause of Shores new contract. Dickinson, Elie, Ritchie, and Smith have all had a chance. If Hintz, Gurianov, Mascherin or another jumps in and grabs a spot who would you feel fine about putting on waivers?

Ritchie/Smith be my choice.

 

[serp]

I think opinion on Smith might've soured a bit the way his contract came to be but maybe thats just me. If he's beat out by a prospect i think the team might have the least problem with him on waivers.

 

[Satan]

Ritchie isn’t getting waived and is probably the most useful of our bottom 6 options.

I don’t care how long it takes him to shoot, he still remains a high volume shooter and we need that lower in the lineup.

 

[M88K]

Our Goaltenders are set. Our starting 6 D-men look to be set as well but what are the pairings going to be is the question there.

It’s of course the Forwards that is the biggest question, we have 10 of 14. Shore is the 10th because of his new contract. Dickinson, Elie, Ritchie, and Smith have all had a chance but let’s say Hintz, Gurianov, Mascherin or another jumps in and grabs a spot who would you feel fine about putting on waivers?

Ritchie/Smith be my choice.

Guryanov isn't going to make the jump, dude can't "hockey" in lower levels suddenly he's going to jump others to make it at the highest level? this is beyond sad now.
Mascherin has a great shot but needs work in a lot of other areas so he's has almost no shot.
Hintz is the only one that could realistically challenge for a spot, and he won't require waivers so he'd be the one getting sent down anyway.
Our Roster is set

Benn-Seguin-Radulov
Janmark-Spezza-Nichushkin
Comeau-Faksa-Pitlick
Shore-Dickinson*-Ritchie*
Smith*, Elie*


Lindell-Klingberg
Heiskanen-Johns
Methot-Polak*
Honka*

 

[The Note in MI]

Hey guys, any idea if tonight’s game will have a stream, even if it’s just arena cams?

 

[LT]

Hey guys, any idea if tonight’s game will have a stream, even if it’s just arena cams?

Don’t expect there to be one.

 

[serp]

Hey guys, any idea if tonight’s game will have a stream, even if it’s just arena cams?

FSSW owns the rights to the Stars and since they chose to not use those rights for pre-season games there won't be anything. Sadly.

 

[MrHeiskanen]

Why are we icing such a stacked lineup for preseason game number one?

Jesus

 

[M88K]

The PP units at practice this morning

Benn-Seguin-Radulov-Spezza-Klingberg

Heiskanen-Honka-Janmark-Nichushkin-Ritchie.

That 2nd unit is just overloaded