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Post by Josh - Dallas on Mar 18, 2017 5:24:04 GMT
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Apr 18, 2017 22:21:45 GMT
Dallas ships Star to Leafs for Goaltending depthThe Dallas Stars GM was busy shortly after the trading period reopened, shipping Star Defencemen John Klingberg to the New Expansion Leafs. Klingberg, signed as an Unrestricted Free Agent by the Stars a few years back has been one of the greatest stories to come out of Dallas over the past few seasons. Finishing top 5 in defencemen scoring two years ago and 8th in defencemen scoring this season the Stars looked primed to have Klingberg lead their Powerplay for years to come. "Sometimes you need a shake-up" stated GM Mason, "its not an easy move, but we felt that Werenski was ready to take the top PP role on our team, and with 8 firsts round picks this season maybe we can find him some help." The Stars acquired Jimmy Howard in the deal, the 33 year old veteran looks the part of a 1B goalie going into the 2017-18 season behind Peter Mrazek, but the Stars could be hoping he finds a way to increase his starts, whether by expansion selection or trade. "At 33 years old, its really unfortunate that we would have to move an allstar for a backup goalie, but sometimes you just have to make moves to compete." The Stars might be wishing it was 2011, with Fleury, Howard, and Miller in goal. The Stars also swapped Free Agent add Patrik Berglund who scored 30 goals, for 25 year old defencemen Calvin De Haan. "Honestly De Haan will be given an opportunity to make this team, but he will need to show potential to put up more than 25 points. He has good peripherals, but we need him to take the next step to really have a role going forward with our team. We like De Haan, so we will see where it goes." The Stars have 8 first round picks in the upcoming draft, so they are bound to make lots more moves heading into the summer to make space for some of the future additions. "We are really excited as an organization for this years draft. We hold 4 of the top 8 picks, and 8 of the top 16 picks. There may be no generational talent in this years draft, but it is deep where we need to add prospects. Deep at Center, deep at Defence." Rumour is circulating that the Stars may have had a previous deal worked out for Howard. "You know we don't like to discuss dealings, but yeah we may have had something worked out with a different expansion team to draft Howard in a sign and trade, unfortunately things don't always go your way. Toronto slipped in there and obviously up'd the price higher then we wanted to go, but in the end we landed a goalie we think can help us going forward and we wish Toronto and Klingberg the best going forward." Jimmy Howard is expected to stay in Dallas throughout the summer and work with goalie coach Ed Belfour. He was not available for comment following the announcement.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Jun 26, 2017 15:14:13 GMT
Dallas Introduces Their 5 1st Round Selections! Stocking 1st round picks for the 2017 NHL draft in an effort to rebuild on the fly, The Dallas Stars held as many as 8 picks at one time. "We were pretty happy holding 50% of the 1st round picks for this draft, but ultimately moved a few to add some additional 2018 picks and spread out the prospects. Finding room for 5 prospects means cutting some pretty good guys or working the trade lines, but ultimately we are thrilled with the selections we made." The Stars picked 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 12th in the 1st round of the 2017 DHL Draft. "We knew going into the draft we would be getting one of Hischier and Patrick. Did we have a preference? We really never thought about it that way. We liked the idea of landing who Philly picked. Ultimately we are just glad we never picked first, all the pressure is on Buffalo on whether they made the right choice. Seeing Schenn dealt away was a great boost. We think Patrick can step in as the #2 center as early as this year. "With three picks from 4th to 6th we were really happy to land the guys we did. Casey Mittlestadt was someone we also liked in this spot but he went 3rd. Owen Tippett was our primary target. Taken 10th overall by Florida we see him as a top line RW in the mold of Phil Kessel. This kid can shoot and could very well make a mark in the NHL this season. RW definately is not the Stars weakness, so taking Cody Glass and Gabriel Vilardi helped shore up our Center needs and also fit the best players available from our draft list. Vilardi may very well move to the wing, Glass looks like a future top line Center who should have a long career ahead of him in Vegas as the future face of their franchise. Finishing off the 1st round selections the Stars were surprised Nick Suzuki was still available. "From a multi cat stand point we viewed Suzuki as a top 8 talent. Happy to get him a little later. Drafted by Vegas, Suzuki and Glass will form a nice 1-2 punch for years to come." The Stars were rumoured to be watching for a certain goalie at the 12 spot, but changed direction after their pick was snagged! "Its been a wonderful draft for the Stars, we got 5 of our top 8 picks and feel we are set up well going forward. We added to our biggest organizational need with 4 centers and took a RW who we had very high on our list."
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Oct 16, 2017 16:07:24 GMT
Stars Week 1 Victory, Trades, and Injuries! The Dallas Stars opened week one with a huge win over arch rival Biz and his NJ crew. The Stars looked strong coming out of the gates with huge goal performances by MA Fleury, Jacob Markstrom and Jimmy Howard. The Stars offence was led by James Neal who put up some monster numbers, while Ryan Reaves and Matt Martin added enough peripherals to carve out a 10-4 victory. The Stars were pleased with performances by their 2nd overall pick Nolan Patrick who added his first NHL goal. Werenski looks to have taken a hold on leading the Dallas defence corps, and Matt Dumba appears to be the peripheral stud we hoped for when he was acquired. With a lot of youth being slotted into the lineup to start the season, the Stars were very pleased with the showing of all their young kids. While the victory was a great start to the season, the Stars will face the perennial powerhouse Islanders in week 2. With injuries to Fleury and Miller in goal, Dallas will be short handed in net to atleast start the week. Marchessault and Niskanen join Fleury and Miller on the IR to leave the Stars shorthanded to start the week. "Its gonna be a tough week where we woulda been happier with a few more healthy bodies, but we think we can scrap out some points here and maybe close out the week with another victory if we get some lucky bounces." The Stars shook up their goaltending with a blockbuster trade late Sunday evening, moving out starter Jacob Markstrom and a 2nd for 3 Flames players. The Stars added Mrazek, giving them the Detroit duo of Howard and Mrazek. The Stars also landed highly touted goaltending prospect Carter Hart who is honing his craft in the CHL for another season. "Carter is probably the best Junior goalie of his draft class, he should represent Canada at the WJHC again this season, and is probably 3-4 years away from starting in Philly's crease if he stays on the current path." Kristian Vesalainen, Winnipegs 1st rounder in 2017 was also acquired in the deal, giving the Stars a hybrid power forward who they hope can start skating with the jets in a scoring capacity within two seasons. "This move doesn't make us stronger for this season, and may be a bit of a gamble, but the pieces are there to make this work out long term for us. We felt Mrazek was a good insurance policy to Howard and perhaps can regain his form and take over a starters role in Detroit or elsewhere which could make this an immediate win. Losing Markstrom was tough as we feel he is a career NHL goalie with a lot of skill that will shine throughout the season." The Stars will be welcoming Mrazek to the fold tonight, although at the time of writing it was unknown if Stars brass would start Mrazek or Howard in tonights game.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Oct 23, 2017 23:27:16 GMT
Week 2 Recap; The Dallas Stars skated into week 2 feeling pretty good after knocking off a healthy version of the Biz Devils in week 1. The Stars went into week two knowing they would be down a few man games but feeling like they could use some strategic pickups to offset the difference against Armando and his aging Isles. Unfortunately for the Stars, early injuries decimated what little gameplan they seemed to have and the Stars played a week looking like a sure fire lottery team. "There really isn't much a GM can do when his players seem more interested in asking for autographs from the Isles long toothed stars then playing the game on the ice." The Stars GM was obviously frustrated after the week 2 slaughter at the hands of the Isles and Monday morning practice was closed off to the public for the first time this season. Stars goaltending was a main cause of concern in week two. The Stars moved key cog Jacob Markstrom in a move prior to this weeks matchup and watched him put up some solid numbers for his new owner, while new acquisition Petr Mrazek let a few easy pucks slide by him. The Detroit Duo of Mrazek and Howard simply weren't good enough, as the only healthy goalies on the Stars roster, goaltending was simply a write off this week. "Goaltending.... gonna have to see someone actually goaltend to make a comment on goaltending" - GM Mason The Stars might see some reinforcements this week with Marc-Andre Fleury nearing a return. The Stars also made a sneaky good addition in Casey Desmith just hours before getting called up to the Penguins while Niemi was demoted. "Casey was a member of the Stars last season as a prospect, but at 26 years old and with Pittsburgh signing Niemi we never saw much of a place for him on the farm this season. We kept track of him though, and on a whim added him after he topped the AHL statistics leaders board after 3 games. Luckily the Pens also noticed and called him up to backup Murray giving us a very good backup free of charge." The Stars also saw top prospect Thatcher Demko get recalled by Vancouver today. There is no word on the reason for the recall, but one possibility is Markstroms strong play making Nilsson available and possibly a trade is in the works. "Thatcher is our #1 goalie prospect. Moving Markstrom was partially due to the belief that Thatcher would be ready to challenge by seasons end, however Markstroms strong play has made it less likely that Thatcher would be needed right away. The move to recall Thatcher is puzzling to say the least, but hopefully Demko gets an opportunity to play some games while he is with the big club." The Stars don't really have much to report in regards to defence and forwards. The play of the offense has been baffling this season. The Stars have added recently signed Roman Polak to help boost the peripheral stats, but such a little move doesn't seem like the long term answer here. Rumours continue to circle that the Stars could be entertaining several larger offers. Notorious slow starters, the Dallas team has never failed to make the playoffs even though they are seemingly out of the running early every season. This season appears no different. The Stars will look to Toronto in week 2 where they hope they can take advantage of a new GM getting his feet wet in the very competitive DHL. There is never an easy matchup, but another loss like the one taken this week could change the Stars long term plans very quickly. The Stars wish the best of luck to the Leafs this week.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Oct 30, 2017 5:27:12 GMT
Stars feeling the pressure! With a second consecutive poor showing, the Dallas Stars find themselves dropping down the standings and at one of the lowest points in their DHL existence. With a matchup against the leagues #1 seeded Minnesota Wild in week 4, things won't get any easier for the Stars. The Stars eliminated the Wild from the DHL playoffs last season, ending their chances for a repeat. Arch Rivals of the Central Division, the Wild have owned the Stars during regular season matchups, however the Stars seem to find ways of competing when everything is on the line. Perhaps a matchup with the Wild is exactly what is required to jumpstart the Stars season. Dallas's week 3 matchup with Toronto got off to a sluggish start. The Stars yet again left short handed to start the week due to injuries tried to offset the loss with some strategic pickups. Realizing they couldn't compete with goaltending starts, the Stars let Jimmy Howard carry the load and he did not disappoint. Howard put up enough quality starts to take the lead in GAA and Save % to split the goaltending stats going into Sunday Night. The Leafs had one last attempt to retake GAA and Save % but nothing short then a Murray shutout would suffice. Murray ended up getting lit up. "You know, anytime you go against a team with 3 stud goalies in Murray, Rinne, and Talbot and can pull out a tie you're in pretty good shape. Howard did what he needed too, but we cant expect our guys to pull that type of stuff every week. Luckily we have Miller back as of today, and maybe we see some more of Desmith and McIntyre who are both with the big club. Fleury we predict is still a week or two away but help is coming if we can just hold the fort a little bit longer." The Stars offence came up just short in a number of categories, leaving the Stars GM wondering if a few extra bodies could of been enough to pull out a victory this week. "Blocks, Assists, Shots, GWG, SHP, .... These were all within reach if we never had 3 guys on the IR and 4 injured guys taking up roster spots most of the week. When you are looking at 10-12 man games lost, that's a lot of points your leaving up on the board. Patrick, Krecji, Martin, Ryan...those are some of our teams leaders, throw in Hanzal who got injured his last game and the Stars were looking like the 2016-17 Biz kids." All wasn't lost with the offence as some Stars have continued to shine throughout the start of the season. Evgenii Dadonov, the 2nd pick on the waiver draft is looking like a legit star. With 11 points in 10 games, Dadonov appears to be fixture on the Panthers top line. Not the same guy who last played in the NHL in 2011-12. Dadonov has brought his scoring ability back to the NHL and has fit in nicely as a multi cat stud. "Knowing we had the #2 pick in the waiver draft, we thought right along that Dadonov would be our guy. Unfortunately a couple news groups started posting stories about how Dadonov would be given top line minutes and we might have been a little worried that that Wild were gonna take him. Luckily for us the Wild took the consensus favorite Shipachyov and left Dadonov for us." This pickup looks even better after the past week where Shipachyov refused to report to Chicago and appears destined for a return to the KHL if a trade can't be worked out. A shoutout this week to a few other Stars who put up a decent week. Sebastian Aho seems to have come outta his slump. Milan Lucic is starting to pick up some steam as a multi cat stud. Late week trade acquisition Ryan Reaves added a game misconduct to salvage the PIM category, and Chris Wagner, a late week addition to the Stars roster put up some impressive numbers this week. The Stars would need to see Chris pick up some extra minutes to guarantee him a more extended look, but currently Wagner is making the most of his limited time, putting up 6 points in 10 games and is among the league leaders in hits. Wagner is looking a lot like a young Hanzal. He is disciplined enough not to put up a ton of PIM's, but he is one tough player. Perhaps the lowest in the standings the Stars have been since sitting in 14th at xmas their inaugural season. The Stars know they are capable of putting together a good run and driving back up the standings board. This week should be a good test. Hopefully the hockey gods are gracious and the Stars start to get healthy in a timely fashion.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Nov 7, 2017 0:07:09 GMT
STARS DROP 3RD STRAIGHT AND FALL TO 13TH!
The Stars freefall continued in week 4 with their 3rd straight loss. The Stars dropped a 9-5-1 decision to the rival Wild. "The Wild got some stellar goaltending, our gaa and save % were good enough to win most weeks but we ran into some really hot goalies. Flip those categories and throw in an extra block and a couple PIM and we could have won this week. The problem is we didnt win."
The Stars were still without a few key players who were stuck taking up roster spots, atleast a man games advantage evened out the games played stats a little this week. Overall the Stars showed they can still compete with the league leaders but changes are needed very quickly to get back into the playoff picture.
The Stars will have Hanzal back tonight for their matchup with the Blues. The Stars are looking for a bounceback performance.
"We have been here before.... its not time to panic, but its getting close."
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Nov 8, 2017 15:47:07 GMT
Stars move face of franchise! Rumours have been swirling for weeks that the Dallas Front Office had been exploring trade options with various teams. With Minnesota, Montreal, New York, and St.Louis scouts all being confirmed at recent Stars games there had been lots of rumblings that something might take place. “When a team starts 1 and 3 and is losing week 5 you expect a change…you know, like a front office change, or a shake-up trade, but I don’t think anyone expected the face of the franchise in his prime to be dealt.” – Green and Gold Insider Lacy Cox. The Stars moved Superstar Patrick Kane, Ryan Miller and Matt Niskanen in a deal to acquire Bo Horvat, Chris Kreider, and Pekka Rinne. The Stars who have been desperate to add centermen used several draft picks to acquire top prospect centers in Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Gabriel Vilardi, and Nolan Patrick this past draft and also traded for David Krejci. “Our Center Prospects are a huge strength, but they simply aren’t ready. We tried to force Patrick into that role too early and think it is best if he stays on the farm for a little while after he recovers from his latest injury. Krejci also needs to get healthy to be of help. We feel that bringing in Kreider and Horvat not only solves our center issues in the short term, but both have the ability to play on the wing and are young guys, so we can shuffle them around when the time comes if needed.” The trade caught several DHL 2.0 GM’s off guard early Wednesday morning. “Kane was traded? We didn’t even know he was on the block? He was the only top 10 guy we didn’t own…maybe someone shoulda told the new guy?” - New LA Kings Owner Dan. So what did the Stars get and what did they lose? We asked Green and Gold Insider Lacy Cox that question as well. “Kreider is a peripheral beast. He won’t put up a ton of points, but he will certainly pad the stats, more suited to a 2nd line role, at 26 he has lots of legs left in his power forward body. 50 points is probably the ceiling, but he will make up for the lack of points in just about every other category. Bo Horvat at 22 seems to have found his game now that Vancouver is giving him icetime. The Sedins are done and right now this looks like Horvats team. With 13 points in 14 games, Horvats probably scoring above his realistic pace, but a 65 point ceiling with good peripherals makes him a long term solution at Center for the Stars. Pekka Rinne is putting up Vezina numbers in Nashville this season, and is definitely the short term solution for the Stars goaltending woes. The Stars needed more starts, a healthy Fleury combined with Howard and Rinne makes the Stars goaltending a strength for the first time in years.” “The Stars losing Kane can’t really be summarized, he was the face of the franchise and led the Stars to their first DHL title. Still in his prime, we expect Kane to propel the Leafs up the strandings for the foreseeable future. Miller is a nice 3rd goalie to own, and the leafs have one of the best 1-2 punches in the league with Murray and Talbot. Being a west coast goalie also means he gets lots of odd night starts which come in handy. Gibson’s most recent injury will give Miller some time to establish himself in Anaheim. Matt Niskanen although injured, will be a fixture for the leafs who have some weak defence. An all around plug who pads all the stats while putting up good points was a very under-rated component for the Stars.” The Stars expect to see Kreider, Rinne, and Horvat all in the lineup in the very near future. It is never easy to say good bye to players who have built themselves into key members of our club, but also key members of their community. We would like to wish them all the best going forward and welcome the new additions to the Dallas Stars.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Feb 19, 2018 15:20:52 GMT
Surprisingly quiet deadline day for Stars
The Dallas Stars had their hand in on a few talks as deadline day approached but let the clock tick down without making any moves.
"You know the Stars havent lost since week 11... its now week 19. Disrupting the chemistry this team has built would be tough right now. Sure the Stars arent blowing away the competition, but thats not how we are built. Its the little things this team does well which we hope will catch others offguard come the playoffs." - Coach Mason
The Stars were rumoured to be in talks about moving a goaltender but as midnight approached we recieved word that the goalies would be safe.
"We look forward to seeing what the NHL deadline holds for Mrazek and Howard. Rumour has philly circling back to Detroit looking for a slightly better offer for a tender now that Neuvirth and Elliott are injured. We also think the Isles and Flames could come calling which would be ideal for the Stars heading into the DHL playoffs with 4 potential starting goalies and Rittich in the minors awaiting key matchups."
When asked if the Stars were surprised by any moves or lack thereof; the Stars GM replied as follows...
"Yeah, although its a pleasant surprise. I think we expected the Wild to make a move for a goalie. Their season is hanging on to whether Crow comes back and Chicago hasnt looked great. They will need Holtby to be phenominal to get to the finals this year. We expected a call asking about Rinne but it never came. I think adding Rinne at any cost coulda put them over the top."
"The Rangers made some noise adding two top scorers. Weve had trouble with them in the past but luckily it appears we wont be meeting 1st round so we can worry about them later. I pity the top 4 team that lands them...ofcourse with a few weeks left that could all change."
"With a few playoff spots waiting to be plucked its going to be a crazy final few weeks. Toronto is our darkhorse favorite to pull off the upset. They have some key matchups and perhaps saved their season with a huge showing against Minny last week. Perhaps a rematch in round one."
The Stars werent expected to make the playoffs but barring a collapse in the final weeks seem destined for their 8th straight appearance. The Isles and Stars GM's will be the only GM's to have pulled off this feat with the Kings franchise the only remaining franchise to do this. The dispersal draft eliminated the Leafs from this prestigious group.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Feb 20, 2018 3:13:00 GMT
Petr Mrazek has been traded to the Flyers!
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Feb 20, 2018 11:30:42 GMT
Stars get added bonus for playoff run! A late night exchange saw the Stars bolster their goaltending with Petr Mrazek dealt to the Philadephia Flyers. Mrazek who was acquired by the Stars earlier in the year in a deal which saw GM favorite Jacob Markstrom leave town has stagnated in the Detroit system and needed a change of scenery. "When we acquired Mrazek our hope was that another team would give him a shot. Just a year and a half ago Mrazek was one of the fastest rising goalies in the NHL and looked destined to be a star, however with a porus defence infront of him, and a timeshare with Howard, Mrazek never got much of a chance to regain his form which suddenly went missing. Rumours persist that Mrazek's attitude problems stem from his girlfriend and issues related to her and Mrazek's continued support of her. We can't confirm those rumours, but if that is the case a fresh start for both of them could be exactly what thge young goalie needs." With Elliott and Neuvirth both injured, Mrazek should have his chance to steal the #1 job heading into the playoffs. An RFA after this season, Mrazek will need to be qualified at $4 mil or else he could negotiate a new contract. If all goes well Mrazek could see himself the face of the Flyers franchise for years to come. Rumours surrounded Mrazek during the DHL trade deadline, with the Stars believed to have been in discussions with three teams about the availability of Mrazek. "We had some discussions and we put out some offers, ultimately after this development we are thrilled that we never moved him. His value definately skyrocketed after this latest development."
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Apr 4, 2018 14:28:19 GMT
End of Year Report The Dallas Stars cleaned out their lockers and packaged up their hockey sticks on Wednesday morning. It was an up and down season that saw the Stars drop as low as 12th in the standing come week 11, and finish the year on a high with a 3rd place finish. The Stars entered the season without a lot of expectations to finish in the playoff picture. "We used some of those predictions to our advantage." Said Stars GM Mason. "We posted the Habs prediction of us finishing 10th in the standings on our bulletin board where the players would have to view it everyday they walked into the dressing room." The Stars who had 5 1st round draft picks last season were seen by many as being in a full on rebuild. Trading away aging Stars in Zetterberg, Staal, Parise, etc it was no wonder why many predicted the Stars to falter. Prior to the season the Stars Traded away young defensive Star John Klingberg for aging Jimmy Howard which seemed to confuse more anaylists. The Stars moved long time NHL Allstar and Stars MVP Patrick Kane in another baffling move for a package with the centerpiece, an aging veteran Goalie, Pekka Rinne. "We made some moves to help us now, we saw how our guys went out and did very little early in the year, they were deflated, lost their heart, we were getting killed in the goalie categories among other things. Having guys like Klingberg and Kane are great, they are stars, but if they don't get you into the playoffs then why even have them?" The Stars made some tough decisions knowing they had lots of youth ready to explode and by adding the goaltending depth they needed they went on one of the best runs in team history. The Stars went from week 11 until the finals with only 1 loss, an unfortunate loss to the Wild that eliminated the Stars from the Championship game. Heartbroken and tired the Stars still managed to pull it together and defeat the #1 seed Habs and capture the Bronze. "No one expected the Stars to win the Championship, and No one expected us to be right up there when it mattered most. But here we are, with our youth only starting to make some noise the Stars rebuild was very quick and we have come back stronger then ever." The Stars will enter the 2018-19 season with one of the younger teams in the DHL and have 4 1st round picks again this season to add to their stable of youth. "We had some breakouts this season with guys like Marchessault, Horvat, Aho, Fiala, Arvidsson. We had some young rookies really pick it up in the 2nd half and look primed for breakouts next season with Chabot and Patrick. We have some older guys hitting their strides when given more minutes in Kreider, Spooner, and we have some young goalies knocking at the door ready to step in and play with Petersen, Demko, Hart, Shesterkin, Rittich. Its a very exciting time to be a Stars fan!" The Stars look ready to let the kids roll in 2018-19 however, goaltending seems to be at a standstill with the Stars rumoured to be shopping a goalie in the offseason. The Stars who boast starters Rinne, Fleury, Mrazek, and Howard will need to make room for some of their youth and it wouldn't be a surprise to see one of Howard or Mrazek moved before the draft. The Future is Bright in Big D, the Stars would like to conclude their year by congratulating the Minnesota Wild on their Championship, the New York Rangers on their hard fought 2nd place finish, and make note to the Habs that "Hey...we didn't finish 10th as you predicted!" The Stars would also like to wish the Isles GM a fond farewell, although he wasn't always the most tactful GM, we appreciated what he brought to the table and how he united all other teams in a way no other GM could. Congrats to all on a successful 2017-18 season and we hope to see you all at the Draft!
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Post by Josh - Dallas on May 22, 2018 15:43:17 GMT
Q and A with Stephen JohnsStephen Johns was all smiles when TSN's Tessa Bonhomme sat down with him for a quick Q and A following his signing by the Dallas Stars. Q. How does it feel to be reunited with the Stars franchise that originally signed you to your first DHL Contract? A. It feels great! Going through the dispersal draft I wasnt sure if I would end up an Islander or a Devil, it didnt dawn on me that I could be back with the Stars. Q. Were you surprised that neither the Isles or Devils selected you? A. Surprised? Shocked? I dont know really what I was feeling. I met with the Isles owner and I was happy with the interview, I thought there was a good potential fit there. The Devils on the other hand didnt show much interest, they didnt call, and when I asked my agent if he spoke with them he just said not to worry about the Devils. Q. Do you think the Stars had something worked out to make sure you werent selected? A. No, I dont think so. Anyone could have signed me after the dispersal draft and the only call I recieved with an offer was from the Stars. Q. Where do you see yourself fitting in on the Stars roster? A. The Stars have some great young talent in Djoos, Dumba, Werenski, Chabot. They also have two great veterans in Chara and Edler. I see myself sliding into a top 4 role, adding some peripheral stats and maybe a little powerplay time to increase my points total. Q. Can you name a player who you think you compare well to in fantasy hockey? A. Well Tessa, I actually think I provide a little bit of a unique presence on the blueline, although my numbers last season didnt show it, I have more offence to my game and think 30 points is a realistic gal for this season. Comparables for the peripheral stats could be someone like Roman Polak or Radko Gudas, but with a little more offence maybe a comparison to Alex Edler is a better fit? Its a tough one to call. Ultimately I'm Stephen Johns and play like Stephen Johns if you know what I mean. Thanks for the interview Stephen, Im looking forward to seeing you on the highlight reel. Personally I'm thrilled to see you in a Stars uniform. The Stars gain is obviously the Isles and especially the Devils loss. I'm sure you will make them regret not selecting you all season.
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Post by Jon - New Jersey Devils on May 23, 2018 0:42:18 GMT
Looking forward to Part 2 when Stephen Johns is interviewed about adjusting to life flipping burgers at Burger King come November. With the right attitude and work ethic, I can see him hitting the big time as a sandwich artist at Subway though. Believe in yourself, Stephen! We're all pulling for you.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Jun 25, 2018 2:11:51 GMT
Dallas adds 4 top end prospects in 2018 Draft.
The Stars are thrilled to have added 4 of the top 8 picks in this years entry draft.
"The draft really couldnt have gotten much better for us. We added the consensus top forward, 2 offensively gifted dmen, and a dynamic center who jumped up the draft board."
The Stars aligned in Big D this weekend and the future continues to look bright.
The following analysis is taken from the Sporting News.
2. Carolina Hurricanes — Andrei Svechnikov, RW, Barrie (OHL)
One of the most prolific goal scorers in recent CHL history combines power, speed and intimidation into one menacing package. Carolina hasn’t drafted an elite franchise-changing player since they took Eric Staal back in 2003, and it’s no coincidence that he was the top player on their lone Stanley Cup winner. Svechnikov is both physically mature and mentally sharp to immediately deal with the rigors of the NHL, and should be a candidate for the Calder Trophy. Grade: A
5. Arizona Coyotes — Barrett Hayton, C, Sault Ste Marie (OHL)
The Coyotes have a solid core of established youth, and in Barrett Hayton they add a tough 200-foot center who can kill penalties and absolutely wire the puck. A little off the board but this kid is a beast. Wonder what this means for Dylan Strome? Grade: A-
7. Vancouver Canucks — Quinn Hughes, LHD, Michigan (Big 10)
Hughes is a phenomenal puck mover, and his mature play as a college freshman and at the men's world championship makes me think the Canucks fell in love with the idea that he could be feeding all their elite snipers on the power play. Grade: A
8. Chicago Blackhawks — Adam Boqvist, RHD, Brynas J20 (Superelit)
Phenomenal playmaker might gave challenged for first overall had it not been for Dahlin. Boqvist is a finesse defender, silky smooth enough to beat back pressure and keep the ice tilted. Grade: A
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Oct 3, 2018 1:00:33 GMT
2018-19 State of the Franchise Address;
The Dallas Stars enter 2018-19, coming off a 3rd place finish in last years DHL playoffs.
The Stars have held a dozen first round picks over the past two seasons, and have accumulated perhaps the strongest prospect pool currently in the DHL.
Surprisingly, it hasnt been the big name prospects making the biggest splash in this years preseason. Some of the Stars later picks have been making the biggest impact on the scoresheet.
Dallas's youth continues to develop and the team looks to have alot of depth which should come in handy when the Stars hit their annual stretch of injuries!
Forward;
The youth movement is in full swing with Horvat, Marchessault, Patrick, Arvidsson, Aho, Fiala, leading the way.
Veterans Lucic, Kreider, Zuccarello, Kovalchuk, Krecji, Dadanov, Neal, Hornqvist will be counted on to help bring the kids along.
Prospects Anderson-Dolan, Svechnikov, Hayton, Suomela, Blais, Bertuzzi, and Wagner will all begin their seasons with the big clubs while top picks Glass, Suzuki, Vilardi and Tippett will all look to build upon their junior success and play pivotal roles in the WJHC.
The Stars are thrilled to have so many prospects getting ready to take the next step.
Defence seems to be the Stars largest weakness at the pro level. Top end talent Zach Weresnki gets an early season boost with Seth Jones missing time. Matt Dumba looks to build upon his 50 pt season and brings a peripheral game seldom found in fantasy hockey. The Stars blueline is anchored by under rated Alex Edler. Waiver pick ups Stephen Johns and Calvin De hann look to add a multi cat game for the Stars.
The Stars future defence took a turn in the right direction this summer with the additions of boqvist and hughes. Fox is a year away after returning to the NCAA while Chabot has inherited the Sens top Power Play to quarterback. Djoos, Hronek, Rikola, Hajek should all see some time with the Stars roster this season as well.
Goaltending, the achilles heel of the Stars franchise since selecting Halak and Bryzgalov in their inaugural season became a strength with the acquisition of Rinne aand Fleury. The stars have lots of depth with Mrazek, Howard, and Koskinen. Mrazek gets a boost with Darlings injury, while Koskinen struggled in the preseason but ended strong.
The Stars goalie prospect strength looks amazing with future starters Thatcher Demko and Carter Hart almost ready to take over the starting goalie duties for the Canucks and Flyers. Petersen, Shestyorkin, and Dipietro have huge pedigrees and look like they will enter discussion for future starter roles in the near future.
The Stars are excited for the season to start and would like to wish the best of luck to all fellow GMs.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Oct 15, 2018 11:53:26 GMT
Stars wrap up week 1 with Victory over Jersey! The Stars pulled off a solid victory over new Gm Jon and his New Jersey Devils. "We wanted to make sure this new GM didn't come in to the DHL thinking it would be easy" said GM Josh. The Stars seemed to be rolling right out of the gate and looked to be in mid season form. Pekka Rinne led all Stars goalies, while Fleury, Mrazek, and Howard all played a role. Rookie new comer Mikko Koskinen did not see any icetime, and one has to wonder if Stars management isn't happy with his progress. Rumours persist that the Stars regret paying 2 2nd round picks to move up in the waiver draft to select him. "It's early, we plan on playing all our goalies, but ideally we didn't expect to have 5 quality tenders going into week 2 of the DHL season... Would we entertain offers for a goalie? Maybe?" The Stars offence looked better then expected, Sebastian Aho looks like the Star player the Stars really needed. Alex Edler looks like he can single handedly win blocks most weeks, and overall the balance that is needed to win in a roto league looks to be in place. The Stars have help coming up through the system as well with Thomas Chabot looking like a future superstar and yet to lace up for the Dallas Stars in the DHL. "We love Thomas but felt a little extra time on the farm would be best, sure we woulda loved to have his 8 points in our lineup, but it wouldn't have changed the score in our matchup so we are just happy to see him producing." Andrei Svechnikov looks ready to make an impact on the main roster as well, although he will need to hope for an injury to claw his way into the lineup in the near future. Not all was positive for the Stars in week 1. Kevin Fiala looks snake bitten and has struggled mightily out of the gate, while Nolan Patrick did not look good early on and eventually went down with an injury which has been a black spot on his young career. Out 7-10 days the Stars are hoping he comes back with a clear head and is able to perform as we had hoped when we took him in the draft. The Stars played most of the matchup down a defencemen, using a strategy that was often used by the former Isles GM Armando. "Defence? Naw we don't need defence? why have 5 Dmen when you can just throw out an extra forward? Our 4 dmen Werenski, Edler, Dumba, and who else do we have..... oh yeah De Haan, those guys did just fine." The Stars are expected to bring Thomas Chabot up in the near future. the Stars would like to thank the Devils for a fun week, we look forward to seeing if we can carry our success over against the other new GM in the DHL, Brent and his New York Islanders in week 2. Congrats to all those who pulled off a victory in week 1, and good luck to all in week 2.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Oct 22, 2018 23:17:58 GMT
Dallas extends winning streak with victory over Isles. The notorious slow starting Dallas Stars find themselves in unfamiliar territory after their first two matchups, holding down first place overall after two strong showings against the newest DHL GM's. Week 2 found the Stars against their former fantasy hockey mentor, GM Brent. "GM Brent is a hall of fame GM, he has been around these leagues a long long long time. We knew he would put up a good fight, and luckily we pulled out some close categories to take a victory in week 2." The Stars stuck to their familiar peripheral game in week 2, not really lighting up any single categories, but putting up steady numbers across the board. Late week adds, Michael Stone and Zach Bogosian, came in and locked down the blocks category which helped put the exclamation mark on this weeks victory. The Stars unfortunately lost MVP goalie Pekka Rinne who has been placed on the IR, however their depth in net should help them in their week 3 matchup against the high octane LA Kings. "The Kings have come out of the gate slower then molasses, but we expect these guys to throw everything at us and should be a really good challenge." The Stars will rely on Howard, Mrazek, Fleury, and possibly Koskinen whom the Stars may put out to get his first taste of DHL action this season. "We are pretty happy with this start, you know we have lots of guys stepping up, young guys who we werent sure if they were quite ready to lead the charge, but they are doing a fine job of it early in the year." The Stars would like to wish the Kings good luck this week, we would also like to thank the Isles for a great week and wish them the best going forward.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Oct 29, 2018 23:19:43 GMT
Dallas Runs Win Streak to 3 Games The Stars sit at the top of the DHL standings following a week 3 victory over the LA Kings. Although the Kings seem to be trending in the wrong direction, this is still a team loaded with offensive potential and the Stars are pretty happy to walk away with a huge victory. The Kings franchise and Stars franchise have had some mighty battles throughout the years. The Stars went into week 3 with perhaps their best player on the shelf, Pekka Rinne missed the week with injury, leaving the goaltending duties up to Fleury, Mrazek, Howard and Koskinen. Mrazek was the Star of the show keeping his games low scoring enough that the Stars were able to squeek out both GAA and Save %. "Petr Mrazek has really shown his worth since a 5 goals against blowout in his second start. Mrazek holds a 3-3-1 record, and appears to have the leg up on Darling who played the backup role following his return from injury Sunday night. Vegas hasn't had the cinderella start of 2017-18, but Fleury will get a heavy workload and seems headed for a top 10 finish in most goalie categories, while Howard has been the best of the group although playing for a very poor Detroit squad has only managed one win and faces 40 shots a night! Mikko Koskinen got his first start in the NHL, but his DHL GM wasnt comfortable starting him just yet. "We wanted to see where Koskinen was, and he did great, allowing 3 goals in a victory over the high flying Predators. "I think we will be comfortable playing Koskinen in his next NHL start." The Stars have been getting a lot of powerplay help from the backend, Dumba, Werenski, and Chabot look to lead the blueline in Dallas for the next 10 years. Unfortunately, the leader of the DHL Stars blueline, Alex Edler has gone down for 3-6 weeks. "Alex may still be leading the NHL in blocks by the time he gets back! He is going to be missed for the next month and not someone we can really replace." Dallas has always been a peripheral team, but with the rebuild they seem to have changed their format a little, adding some scoring and really showing their skill in week 3 by winning goals, assists, powerplay points, and game winning goals. Ilya Kovalchuk was the hero Sunday night, assuring the Stars stayed ahead with 1 goal and 2 assits, while adding 2 powerplay points. "We paid alot for Ilya, but he is proving his worth, its not everyday you can land a talent like Kovalchuk, but we are happy to have added him, even if the cost was high. He has already won us some points, and just making the playoffs in the DHL is a struggle. Sebastian Aho extended his point streak to 11 games and looks to lead the Dallas forward group going forward. "Aho has exceeded all our expectations, he is damn good! We havent had a guy like this to lean on for points since Patty Kane left our team." "Bo Horvat is also living up to the hype adding a little more umph to his game and becoming more of a multi cat stud then we envisioned last season." Perhaps the biggest surprise for the Stars this season is the lack luster play of Kevin Fiala. The Stars really expected Fiala to break out this season and become a top 5 player on their team, however right now Fiala is lucky not to be sitting in the minors playing out the last of his 164 games. Week 4 sees the Stars face divisional foe Minnesota. "We look forward to playing Minny and seeing where we are at, we had some good matchups with them last season, and think of this week as a good indicator of what we need to do to climb back to the top of the DHL." The Stars would have lost week 3 had they played Minny, so we will see how week 4 goes. "The Stars would like to wish the best to Minny in week 4, and to all DHL GMs this week!" " "
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Nov 6, 2018 18:52:36 GMT
Dallas Takes First Loss of Season! The Dallas Stars went into week 4, 3-0 and First overall in the DHL. With a matchup against divisional foe GM Peter, The Stars knew they would be in a tough battle. "Man, this was a week we really wanted to win, tie breakers are so important in the DHL Playoffs, and we felt the improvements we have made over the last few months would really help us out." The Stars lost 8-7 in a battle that neither team seemed to want to win. The Stars put up abysmal offensive numbers, while the Wild countered with perhaps the worst goaltending performance in DHL history. "Our goalies were terrific this week...well the ones we left on the bench that is." The Stars sat both Mikko Koskinen and Marc Andre Fleury while both put up shutouts, while also benching Pekka Rinne for a 39 save 1 goal against game. "Yeah, luckily Rinne came in and secured the goalie cats with a shutout Saturday night that we did have him on the roster for, or it could have been even worse." The Stars faceoff against the St.Louis Blues in week 5 and hope to get back on track. The Stars are still leading the DHL standings after week 4, but the Habs are close on their tails. The injury bug has hit the Stars with Arvidsson and Mrazek both going down this week. All eyes will be on some of the Stars younger players this week. Mikko Koskinen gets his 4th start of the season against the high flying lightning, a strong performance could put added pressure on Cam Talbot. Koskinen gets his 3rd start in the last 4 games for the Oilers tonight and has a stellar GAA and Save %. Thomas Chabot hasnt cooled down, while Nolan Patrick seems to have found his groove and looks to get back into the DHL Stars lineup. "We still have a ways to go to become one of the DHL elite again, but so far so good. We look forward to week 5, and hopefully we can be a little better prepared next time we face off against the Wild. Congrats to GM Peter on his 8-7 victory."
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Nov 13, 2018 5:16:13 GMT
Dallas Gives Up Points to St.Louis The Dallas Stars entered week 5 leading the DHL in points. Up 10-3 going into Sunday Nights games, it appeared the Stars would extend that lead, however the Blues had a few tricks left up their sleeve. GM Garrett saved all his moves for Sunday night and beefed up on players who excelled in Blocks and Hits, taking both categories by the narrowest of margins. A last minute goalie win, and GWG salvaged an apparent loss for the Blues and brought them to a 7-7 tie with the League leading Stars. "We have to give credit to the Blues, they clawed their way back into this match and we really had no answers. We had a comfortable lead however we saw a huge disadvantage from Friday to Sunday in man games and watched the lead trickle away when our guys showed a lack of finish on the final 3 nights. Its unfortunate, but we will learn from this week and look forward to our next matchup with the Blues." The Stars continued to see strong performances from their main group. Bo Horvat stood out this week for the Stars, while Thomas Chabot continues to lead all defencemen in scoring. Jimmy Howard continues to be a surprise strength for the Stars in net. Stars prospect goalie Cal Petersen has been called up due to the injury to Kings goalies Jack Campbell and Jonathan Quick. Petersen will have to outplay Peter Budaj to get starts for the Kings over the next few weeks. Nolan Patrick continues his strong play, suggesting the Stars may have to make a move to open a spot so Patrick can rejoin the DHL Stars roster. The Stars will face the Winnipeg Jets in week 6. "We respect GM Ken, and his rebuild seems to be going as planned, but we need some points and plan on doing whatever it takes to make this a big week for our team. The Stars currently sit 3rd in overall Points and 5th in the standings, 2 points behind Montreal for the League lead and 1 point behind divisional rival Minnesota for the Division lead.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Nov 17, 2018 15:03:20 GMT
Stars Devils Trade Analysis The Dallas Stars sent Mikko Koskinen, Gabriel Vilardi, and a 2020 3rd to New Jersey for James Van Riemsdyke, Kiril Kaprizov, and a 2019 2nd. The Stars have been rumoured to be looking at moving a goalie for quite some time, with reports they had discussions as far back as April. "We don't like to talk trades, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that having 5 goalies on a roster who all have starter potential is a little bit of overkill." Peter Mrazek was most often brought up in the rumour mill, so having Mikko Koskinen the goalie moved came as a surprise to some Dallas Fans. Koskinen will play in his 6th game out of the last 8 when he starts for the Oilers tonight. "Mikko has wriggled the starters role away from Talbot after a great start to his NHL career. Whether he can hold it is open for debate." The Stars moved 2 second round picks earlier this year to move up in the waiver draft to select Koskinen. "The Devils offered us the ability to recoup the value we paid for Koskinen with Van Riemsdyke and a 2nd, we felt we were selling Koskinen below market value with where he is currently at, but there is a lot of unknowns. Had Van Riemsdyke been available in the waiver draft, positionally he would have been a better fit for us." Gabriel Vilardi has been a top prospect for the Stars since being selected in the 1st round. "We really love this kid and moving him to the Devils hurt." Vilardi has had some health issues but appears to be on path to return as early as this week. He has top line potential at the NHL level. Kaprizov comes with his own risk, signed in the KHL until 2020 Kaprizov is regarded by many as the best prospect outside of the NHL. "This is a high risk move for the Stars but one we feel we were able to make with our prospect depth." Signed until 2020, the earliest Kaprizov could report to the Wild would be April of 2020. "We had some pretty terrible offers over the past 6 months, we also had some pretty good ones that we probably should of accepted in hindsite, we had a lot of unknowns with our goalies, but in the end we got really lucky. We also have Demko, Hart and Petersen all looking to move up to the NHL ranks in the near future, so perhaps trading some more goalies is something we will look at in the future as well." How the Stars win this deal; The Stars will need Van Riemsdyke to replicate his success now in Philadelphia, maintain a spot on the top powerplay unit and put up a 60 point pace. Kiril Kaprizov will need to come over to Minnesota in 2020 and show he is a top talent, compared favorably to Filip Forsberg and Artemi Panarin. How the Stars lose this deal; Mikko Koskinen does wrestle the starters role away from Talbot and gets resigned in Edmonton becoming the #1. Goalie values far exceed forwards and defence and Koskinens value has just started to rise, the Stars may have sold too soon. Gabriel Vilardi put up monster numbers in the back half of his last season. Once healthy Vilardi has the ability to become a top line forward and make the Stars regret moving him right away. Vilardi is often compared to Phil Kessel, if he meets these expectations that's a lot of goals being left of the Stars roster.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Nov 21, 2018 13:14:56 GMT
Stars vault back into 1st Overall after week 6.
The Stars faced some challenges over the past few weeks, an 8-7 loss to Minny and a 7-7 tie to St.Louis after the wheels fell off over the final weekend in week 5. The Stars looked to rebound in week 6 and came away with a 12-3 victory over divisional foe Winnipeg.
Chris Kreiders 3 goals and 3 assists paced the Stars to the decisive victory with Mathew Dumba leading the defence with 5 points and a great peripheral week. Pekka Rinne continues his dominance in goal leading the Stars goaltending.
The big news of the week was the Stars moving newly named starting goalie Mikko Koskinen to the Devils along with A prospect Gabriel Vilardi for James Van Riemsdyke and Kiril Kaprizov. "Bringing in a winger like Van Riemsdyke we hope help closes the offensive gap we have been missing this season against the top tier team."
Stars top goalie prospect Cal Petersen has seen his value sky rocket after a stellar start to his NHL career. If Cal can keep this up he may force LA's hand in keeping him around after Quick returns.
Willaim Carrier has forced his way onto the Stars lineup by leading the league in hits and adding a few points along the way. James Neal continues to struggle and looks lost on the Flames roster.
The Stars head into week 7 facing undefeated Vegas. "This should be a great test for both teams to see where we stack up. Vegas is playing well so we expect a fight this week."
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Nov 26, 2018 12:49:00 GMT
Stars hand Vegas their first loss of the season! The Dallas Stars continued their strong season defeating the previously undefeated Vegas Golden Knights in week 7. The Stars came out of the gate strong in week 7 and didnt look back. "It was a solid team effort this week, Offence, Defence, and Goaltending all came to play and I couldnt be happier!" The Stars goaltenders led the charge, knocking of 6 victories with a 1.52 gaa and .955 save% including 2 shutouts by rejuvinated Marc-Andre Fleury. "After pitching a shutout earlier in the week, we felt confident we could take all 5 goalie cats, unfortunately Aaron Dell matched Fleury's effort by pitching a shutout of his own for the Knights. Luckily for us Fleury came back and pitched a second consecutive shutout to steal all the goalie cats by weeks end." The Stars recently moved Mikko Koskinen, rolling with Pekka Rinne, Marc Andre Fleury and Jimmy Howard this week. Petr Mrazek looks primed for additonal starts in Carolina with inside sources predicting Scott Darling could be waived as early as this week. "We would love to get some starts for Mrazek now that he is healthy. The starters job is available in Carolina and with Darlings dud over the weekend he appears to be the odd man out in regards to the three headed monster in Carolina. It should be an interesting week while that mess gets sorted out. The Stars moved former multi cat stud James Neal to the Isles over the weekend, gaining a free roster spot and a 3rd round pick. "James was expected to do a lot more for us and it just wasn't happening this season." Ofcourse Neal scored a powerplay point in his first game for the Isles and will try to make the Stars regret giving up on him less then a quarter into the season. The Stars expect to fill Neals spot with a platoon of Tyler Bertuzzi and Andrei Svechnikov for the time being, "both kids have had stellar starts to their season and deserve to be in the lineup." The Stars go into week 8 against the high flying Calgary Flames who look more like the DHL Champions from 2 seasons ago then the non-playoff team from last season. "The Flames always seem to give us fits, but we prepared for this matchup and think we are meeting at a good time, again another great matchup to see where we really stand up against some of the better teams here int he DHL." Brian Boyle and Zack Smith will join the Stars this week as waiver adds and look to cement a permanent spot in the Stars lineup. Injuries continue to hurt the Stars with Patrik Hornqvist the latest casualty. Alex Edler makes his return which should help boost the Stars blocking. The Stars would like to wish the best to the Flames this week and look forward to a hard fought match.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Dec 3, 2018 23:32:01 GMT
Stars put out Flames in week 8! The Dallas Stars pulled off an 8-5 victory against the rejuvinated Calgary Flames in week 8. The Stars were led by Thomas Chabot and Evgeny Dadanov, who powered the offence throughout the week. "Both Thomas and Evgeny have really grown as players. These were guys we were close to dealing on a few occasions, but luckily the offers for them werent enough to bite on, we are just happy to have them on our roster right now!" The Stars called up Tyler Bertuzzi who has really found his groove and almost led the Stars to a win in the PIM category on the final night, but unfortunately the refs missed the sucker punch to Matt Calverts face. Bertuzzi will find out today if he gets suspended which is a double loss for the Stars. "Tyler is a Fantasy Star in the making, this is a kid who will rack up stats in all categories and still find himself among his teams scoring leaders. We absolutely love this kid." The Stars matchup against 3rd overall Montreal in week 9. "We cant wait to get into this matchup, this is a team we beat out for 3rd in the playoffs last season, and we want to show that it wasnt a fluke...we are ready for GM Chris and his crew." The Stars have called up Erik Cernak to start the week while allowing Svechnikov to take a quick breather in the minors. "Svech will be back up soon, he had a couple days off so we are just looking to get Cernak into a couple games and see if he can throw in a big night or two like he has his past 5 or 6 games in Tampa." The Stars remain in 1st overall after mediocre wins by both Montreal and Minnesota. The Standings are tight, no one predicted the Stars would be in first going into week 9, but we are here despite a few bumps along the way. The Stars would like to wish all GM's the best of luck in their matchups this week. The battle for 8th is starting to tighten up, it should be an incredible race to the playoffs!
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Dec 10, 2018 19:47:15 GMT
Dallas suffers 2nd Defeat! The Dallas Stars lost to Montreal 8-5. There isnt a lot of positives to be gained from this matchup. The Stars found themselves down in man games each of the first 6 nights. "It seemed like we were playing catchup everynight, only Sunday did we even matchup with the Habs player for player." The Stars looked like an expansion team right from the get go. "Thursday was the nail in the coffin, we had close to a full roster going, but the start of the late games we had 0 goals, 0 assists and a -13, those are numbers that can't be made up!" To say the Stars were embarressed by this performance is an understatement. "We looked at this week as an opportnity to see where we stacked up, and we completely missed the boat." Although the Stars won 4 of te 5 goalie stats and tied for shutouts with 0, it wasnt a pretty performance in net either. "Thankfully the Habs own Bobrovsky and his 11 goals against in 4 periods really sunk their chances at gaining any points." Marc Andre Fleury had a few clunkers but now leads the league in wins. Peter Mrazek had the best performance in net this week for the Stars allowing a lone goal. The Stars are hoping to get a few bodies back this week, Zuccarello looks primed to suit up. The Stars will be facing the St.Louis Blues in a very important divisional heads up. "We let our last match get away from us and drew a 7-7 tie with the Blues, Divisional wins are key and getting a win this week would be huge." The Stars recently added Jordan Binnington, who has been called up by the Blues in an effort to find a spark after a horrendous start to Allen and Johnson's season. "If Binnington can come in here and put up a couple wins, it would go a long way in establishing himself as an NHL quality goalie. Binnington is 10th in the AHL in goalie rating, which is promising for the youngster." The Stars will look to climb back up the rankings and look forward to a potential rematch with the habs in the playoffs. "Losing a season game against a rival is tough, but playoffs is when it counts, we'll be seeing you again Habs, assuming you make it that far in the playoffs!"
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Dec 19, 2018 20:20:30 GMT
Stars Take Series Lead Versus Blues
The Dallas Stars looked to be in control before a late series comeback by the Blues. Down going into Sunday, The Stars put up a great goaltending performance lead by Peter Mrazek who pitched a matchup winning shutout. "Mrazek gets all the credit this week, The guy came in and pulled off the biggest win of the season for us!" The Stars allowed the Blues to comeback in their first matchup of the season which resulted in a tie. In a huge Central division matchup, the Stars really needed a victory against their divisional foes and came out with a much needed win.
"The Blues are a great team, and with how tight the standings in the league, and the Central itself are, we are just happy to get a victory!"
The Stars will look to continue their hot streak against another divisional foe, the Winnipeg Jets will be in town for their second matchup with the Stars. Dallas will look to gain ground against league leading Minnesota before thier huge divisional matchup over Christmas.
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Dec 20, 2018 15:20:41 GMT
DHL Stars, World Junior Edition! With the World Juniors less then a week away, the DHL Stars are proud to have numerous prospects representing their countries at this years event. The Juniors don't guarentee NHL success, but it certainly doesnt hurt to have the tournament on your resume! This years participants for the DHL Stars are as follows; CENTER Cody Glass (VGK) Nick Suzuki (MTL) Jaret Anderson-Dolan (LAK) Barrett Hayton (ARI) The Stars enter the tournament with 4 Centers, all from Team Canada, although Anderson-Dolan will most likely be playing wing. Cody Glass will center the top line, while Suzuki looks to center the 2nd line with Anderson-Dolan flanking him. Barrett Hayton looks to be the cog on the 3rd line, but dont be fooled with his position, as the third line looks to be a two way force who could really surprise on the score sheet. "We are thrilled by our 4 young centers competing in this tournament, all 4 look to have high end NHL upside. We are expecting big things from everyone, but look for Glass to make the biggest impact on the score sheet. Glass will have returnee Max Comtois and Owen Tippett on his wings and the line could easily be the highest scoring in the tournament. The DHL Stars will be limited with Winger options, but they will have perhaps the best! Owen Tippett (FLA) Often compared to players such as Brett Hull, Owen Tippett has a lethal shot and should be a top goal scorer for Team Canada. "Tippett needs work on the defensive side of the game, but defence isnt the reason why Tippett is on this team. He is here to score goals and he should score alot of them, everyone should be afraid of the Gingerbread Man!" DEFENCE - Quinn Hughes (VAN) Adam Boqvist (CHI) Ian Mitchell (CHI) The DHL Stars will get a good look at recent Draft Picks Quinn Hughes and Adam Boqvist in this tournament. Both are Offensive dynamos, and should lead their teams in powerplay time. Hughes will be manning the top unit and top pairing for Team USA while, Boqvist will look to lead the Swedes top Pairing. Ian Mitchell was a recent add by the DHL Stars GM as a free agent and we look forward to seeing what he can do for Team Canada. Mitchell is property of the Blackhawks who should be rebuilding their backend, where he stands a great chance of landing a role in the near future. GOALIE Michael Dipietro (Van) The lone goalie representing the DHL Stars will be Michael Dipietro for Team Canada. Dipietro goes into the tournament as the #1, but will need to perform well to keep the job with sleeper Ian Scott on his heels. "Dipietro has really made strides over the past 12 months and looks like another goalie of the future for the DHL Stars. Although Dipietro is smaller then the average NHL goalie, his acrobatic style and ability to recovery quickly sets him apart from his peers."
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Dec 27, 2018 0:42:26 GMT
Stars Pull Off Comeback Against Jets, Im a little late posting with Christmas, but this pretty much sums up Monday to Saturday for the Stars Jets matchup! Luckily the Stars, who were down 6-5 heading into Sunday, got some huge performances, none better then Sebastian Aho's 4 point night which consisted of 2 short handed points. "Aho really pulled through for us, stealing the assists, and shorthanded categories!" Peter Mrazek came through yet again, logging a crucial victory which took back GAA, Save% and Wins, while the late pickup of Tanev clawed back the blocks category. In the end the Stars put up a very respectable 10-2 victory, leaving themselves in the hunt for the divisional title. The Stars will meet their divisional foe, Minnesota in a 4 day week which should be a giant crapshoot. "4 Days! Man, Im not sure if this is an advantage or disadvantage, but we look forward to the challenge." The Stars would also like to give a shoutout to their 9 prospects taking part in the World Junior Hockey Championships this week! Go Canada Go!
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Post by Josh - Dallas on Jan 2, 2019 1:52:19 GMT
Stars take Loss to Divisional Foe; The Dallas Stars were defeated 6-5 by Divisional foe Minnesota during the shortened xmas week. "The Wild had some great goaltending performances from Holtby and Grubauer which helped pull them through this week. I'm proud of our guys, they fought hard and just came up short. We are gonna need to beat this Wild team to win a Championship, and I think we are getting closer." The Stars faced some injury concerns losing top dmen, Chabot and Dumba. "losing these two guys hurt, hopefully they are both back for playoffs." The Stars also made the mistake of benching Fiala on Saturday which lost them the valuable goals and +/- categories. Hindsite is 20/20. The Stars traded Petr Mrazek after several months of discussions with several teams. "We had some good offers and we had some really crap offers, in the end we took an Offer from the Flames that met some of our needs. Jacob Silfverberg hasnt lived up to expectations in Anaheim but has 55 point potential if the ducks ever decide to use him on the top Powerplay. Once thought of as a potential top liner, Silfverberg has found himself more in a middle six role lately. The Stars also receieved Tyler Parsons in the deal which may turn out to be a key piece in the not to distant future. "Parsons is a guy with a very high Pedigree, Stopping pucks for the USA Junior team, and London Knights earned him a reputation as a future starter in the NHL, Drafted in the 2nd round to the Flames looked like a tough landing spot, but he clawed his way to the front of their very strong young goalie stable, however, Parsons faced some challenges with depression and injury and only recently seemed to get back on track. Parsons returned to the AHL and Stocktons crease before Christmas where he has shown very well in his limited starts over the past 2 weeks. As Stocktons starter, now is the time for Parsons to show he is Mike Smiths replacement going forward. The Stars will face Toronto and GM Steve this week, a team capable of knocking of the toughest teams in the league but have lacked the consistency throughout the year to be a real contender. The Leafs will be tough but we look forward to the challenge and hope we can pull of a big victory. Happy New Years to all!
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