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Miro Heiskanen

Snapshots: Boucher, Thornton, Hamhuis, Lindholm, Cullen

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The Vancouver Canucks placed center Reid Boucher on waivers with the hopes of sending him to Utica of the AHL, according to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. The forward missed the final three games of the season when he broke his hand, but Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that he is healthy again and ready to join the Comets for the first-round series against the Toronto Marlies in the Calder Cup playoffs.

The 24-year-old Boucher struggled to make an impact with the Canucks this season as he had just three goals and five points in 20 games. However, he was quite successful when playing for the Comets, putting up 25 goals in just 45 games for the AHL squad. He is a restricted free agent this offseason.

  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said that center Joe Thornton has been ruled out in Game 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights later this week, although no date has been set yet by the NHL. The 38-year-old has been working his way back from a torn MCL injury in January. He has been practicing on his own, but obviously if he’s been ruled out already for Game 1, then it might be another week. Regardless, he could be back at some point in the series.
  • SportsDay’s Mike Heika profiles defenseman Dan Hamhuis, who was a key shutdown defender alongside Greg Pateryn this season for about 50 games before the 35-year-old veteran began to wear down. The defensive-minded defenseman still tallied three goals, 24 points, 113 blocks and 82 hits during the season, but the scribe writes the veteran’s play was part of the reason for Dallas’ late-season struggles. Heika adds that it’s likely the team will move on from Hamhuis who will be a unrestricted free agent this summer. He is finishing up a two year, $7.5MM deal. The team is likely to go with a younger defense as they will want to give minutes to Julius Honka and last year’s third-overall pick Miro Heiskanen, who many believe will come over from Finland next season.
  • With his team having lost the SHL finals, center Par Lindholm, one of Skelleftea top players, is expected to leave the team and come to the NHL, according to Expresssen (translation required). The 26-year-old put up 18 goals and 29 assists in 49 games this past season, and added another six goals and 11 points in 16 playoff games and played for Sweden in the 2018 Olympic Games. There is no word in the article where he might go, although there is plenty of interest from NHL teams.
  • The Minnesota Wild’s Matt Cullen has not made any decisions about whether he intends to return next season, according to StarTribune’s Sarah MacLellan. “I don’t know,” the 41-year-old said after the Wild were eliminated Friday. “My only though here the last while was getting it back home for Game 6. So to be honest, I don’t have an answer right now.” Cullen, who has played 20 seasons so far in the NHL, waited until August last year before opting to leave Pittsburgh and join Minnesota, his hometown team. He played in 79 games, but saw his points total drop to one of his lowest totals ever with 22 points.

Dallas Notes: Seguin, Nichushkin, Heiskanen, Spezza, Lehtonen

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With the Dallas Stars season coming to an end today, the Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) spoke with Dallas general manager Jim Nill in a Q&A about the team’s disappointing season which resulted in a second-straight season in the lottery (three out of five, if anyone is asking), despite the team’s offseason efforts to compete for a Stanley Cup immediately.

Nill says while the team is still trying to figure out what went wrong, the team’s top priority is to focus on re-signing center Tyler Seguin, who is coming off a career-high 40 goals this season. He has one year remaining at just $5.75MM and can sign an extension on July 1. The question no one is certain of is what does Seguin want? Regardless, the team intends to stick with Seguin whether or not he signs an extension on July 1st.

“I know some people are worried, but he’s got a year left and I anticipate he’s going to come in and play well and get going,” Nill said. “I hope to have him signed before that year starts, but if it doesn’t we’ll go through that process. There are some things that are an advantage, we can offer eight years compared to seven, so there are a lot of factors that come into play.”

  • In the same mailbag, Nill said that he believes that 2013 first-rounder Valeri Nichushkin will be back in Dallas next season. The former 10th-overall pick played three seasons in Dallas, but struggled at times and opted to return to CSKA Moscow of the KHL for the past two years. With two more years of experience, the 23-year-old could make big contributions to the team next year if they can bring him back, according to Nill.
  • Nill also said, in Shapiro’s column, that he believes that 2017 first-round pick Miro Heiskanen looks ready to contribute to the team and is likely to come over next year. “I watched him closely in the Olympics, we’ve had scouts over there watching him,” Nill said. “He’s right there. He’s ready to come over. There will be a little transition time, living in a different country and stuff, but he’s very close.” The fourth-overall pick could change the state of their defense quickly if he’s as good as advertised. The 18-year-old has put up improved numbers in his second year playing in Finland’s top league, as he 11 goals and 12 assists in 30 games this year.
  • Mike Heika of SportsDay writes due to the contracts they have acquired over the past year, the team is all in on trying to win a Stanley Cup soon and will be forced to reload as opposed to rebuild their team. The scribe believes that the Stars should look to trade veteran forward Jason Spezza, who will have one more year at $7.5MM and retain half his salary. Spezza struggled this year under head coach Ken Hitchcock, scoring just eight goals this year, his lowest number since his rookie season. Heika believes that with another coach on another team, Spezza could still be a productive second or third-line center and at $3.75MM, there could be a lot of takers.
  • Heika, in the same column, writes that Stars’ fans have likely seen the last of backup goaltender Kari Lehtonen. The scribe believes that with starter Ben Bishop always dealing with minor injury issues, the team needs a backup who is capable of controlling a game. Lehtonen, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has not been that guy. He put up decent numbers this year with a 2.58 GAA and a .911 save percentage, but Heika believes the team needs a young goalie with more potential.

Snapshots: Prospects, Olympics, Savard

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The NHL’s Central Scouting has released their midterm rankings for North American and International skaters, with Andrei Svechnikov and Rasmus Dahlin leading the way respectively. Dahlin is about as locked in as a prospect can be for the first-overall selection, but several others will be battling for the number two spot. Svechnikov, Filip Zadina, Adam Boqvist and Brady Tkachuk are all top options who could be in the top three selections, and should b considered blue chip pieces for whoever ends up with them.

Interestingly, players like Ryan Merkley (#21 among North American skaters) and Bode Wilde (#22) find themselves relatively far down the list despite their previous top-10 projections. Whether that has more to do with their own play slipping this season or the influx of talent throughout the draft class is unclear, but it should excite even teams in the playoff picture with the prospect of adding an impact player on defense.

  • Many of the Olympic rosters have now been released, with young players like Dahlin, Miro Heiskanen and Eeli Tolvanen dominating the headlines for Sweden and Finland. Rosters for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and host Korea are available on the IIHF website. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that the Olympic Athletes from Russia squad will release their roster on Thursday, which should be one of the powerhouses of the tournament.
  • Marc Savard has officially announced his retirement, exactly seven years after his last game in the NHL. The exquisite playmaker was forced from the game due to concussion problems, but was still technically under contract through last season. His career ended in 2011 with the Bruins after 807 games, in which he registered 706 points including seasons of 97 and 96. According to Chris Lomon of the NHLPA, Savard is looking to move up the coaching ranks after spending some time behind the bench of his sons’ triple-A teams.

Tolvanen, Heiskanen Named To Olympic Roster

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Among those named to Team Finland’s Olympic roster today are two very interesting prospects drafted less than a year ago: Miro Heiskanen and Eeli Tolvanen. Both players suited up for their country at the World Junior Championship just weeks ago, but will now represent Finland on the international stage once again. Heiskanen, the third-overall pick, is property of the Dallas Stars and a huge part of their future on the blueline. The silky smooth two-way defender commands a game with his incredible positioning and easy decision making. With 14 points in 20 games for HIFK Helsinki, he’s already showing that he can compete with professionals of the highest caliber.

Tolvanen on the other hand fell all the way to 30th in the 2017 draft because of some issues regarding where he would play this season. Originally tabbed to join the NCAA ranks, he was denied admission at the last second and instead joined the KHL. It has paid off for the Nashville Predators’ prospect, breaking Evgeny Kuznetsov’s record for points by an 18-year old with 33 in 44 games. A shoot-first winger capable of scoring almost at will, Tolvanen could be used as a powerplay weapon in the Olympics.

Olli Juolevi, a Vancouver Canucks prospect and candidate for a spot on the team, was not selected to the final roster. The full roster can be found below:

G Mikko Koskinen
G Karri Ramo
G Juha Metsola

D Mikko Lehtonen
D Tommi Kivisto
D Lasse Kukkonen
D Sami Lepisto
D Juuso Heitanen
D Miro Heiskanen
D Miika Koivisto
D Atte Ohtamaa

F Marko Anttila
F Julius Junttila
F Eeli Tolvanen
F Joonas Kemppainen
F Jani Lajunen
F Jonas Enlund
F Petri Kontiola
F Mika Pyorala
F Jarno Koskirant
F Oskar Osala
F Sakari Manninen
F Teemu Hartikainen
F Jukka Peltola
F Veli-Matti Savinainen

Poll: Who Will Win Gold At The World Juniors?

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With the NHL about to head into its Christmas shutdown—no games are scheduled from December 24-26th—die hard hockey fans will need to look elsewhere for their frozen fix. The answer to that, unless you are a big Spengler Cup fan, is obvious. The World Junior Championship begins preliminary round play on December 26th with a matchup between Russia and the Czech Republic at 11:00am central. That’s followed by four more games that day and the rest of the tournament that stretches until January 5th.

It’s easy to see why our readers are overwhelmingly more interested in the junior tournament than the upcoming Olympics, after the NHL pulled out of competition. The interesting part is how popular the U20 competition has become regardless of other international events. For prospect junkies, and patriotic puck lovers there’s just nothing better than seeing (mostly) amateur athletes compete for their country and show why they’ll be the next star of the NHL. The tournament can be used as a coming out party where potential flourishes, or a harsh spotlight that uncovers flaws previously unnoticed.

Kieffer BellowsThe United States, reigning champions of the tournament, are bringing back an exceptionally talented squad and should be in the running for the medal round once again. Returnees like Kieffer Bellows and Adam Fox are expected to be among the tournament leaders for their respective positions, and there are exciting young prospects making their first appearance.

Canada, as always, can never be overlooked. After losing to the USA in the gold medal game a year ago, the team has gone with almost an entire team of 19-year old players, cutting some surprising names in the process. While there is a distinct lack of name recognition on the usually star-studded Canadian squad, it is a chance for some less heralded prospects to show that they deserve to be household names.

Sweden is as usual strong defensively, boasting some of the strongest skaters in the tournament on their blueline. Timothy Liljegren will certainly garner a lot of attention, as will potential 2018 first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin. They’re not to be overlooked up front though, as current SHL scoring leader Elias Pettersson will show exactly why he went fifth-overall to Vancouver last June.

Finland will look to bounce back after an incredibly poor performance last season that saw the coaching staff fired mid-tournament. After taking home gold in 2016, there is a lot to like about the 2018 squad. Eeli Tolvanen, one of the biggest stories of the KHL season, is a favorite to lead the tournament in scoring, while their defense corps led by players like Miro Heiskanen and Olli Juolevi can stand with anyone.

Russia, of course, can never be completely taken out of the running, but haven’t won a gold medal since 2011. Their team has a ton of relative unknowns to North American viewers, but will have one name everyone will be especially intrigued by. Andrei Svechnikov, another potential first-overall selection in 2018, is considered by many already ready to make the jump to professional hockey. While this tournament isn’t the pros, it certainly is the highest level he’ll have ever played.

So who do you think will take home gold? Will it be one of the favorites, or will one of the lesser-known teams find lightning in a bottle and ride it all the way? Who will be the tournament MVP? Discuss all that and more after voting below.

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What Your Team Is Thankful For: Dallas Stars

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With the holiday season in full swing, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for so far this year. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first few months and what could improve as the season rolls on. So far we’ve covered the following teams:

Atlantic: BOS, BUF, DET, FLA, TOR, MTL, OTT
Metropolitan: CAR, CBJ, NJD, NYI, NYR, PHI, PIT, WSH
Central: CHI, COL, MIN, NSH, STL
Pacific: ANA, ARZ, CGY, EDM, LAK, SJS, VAN, VGK

What are the Dallas Stars most thankful for?

The draft lottery.

2016-17 was a huge disappointment for the Stars. After finishing first in the Western Conference and advancing to the second round a year earlier, Dallas got off to a brutal start last season and couldn’t overcome it to sneak their way into the playoffs. Finishing with 79 points and third-last in the West, it cost head coach Lindy Ruff his job and several players their role on the club.

Still, it wasn’t all bad. After the season, the Stars lost Cody Eakin to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, and couldn’t have been that upset about it. The centerman has put up a better season for Vegas than he had in 2016-17, but is still not the 20-goal, 50-point man many had hoped he would develop into. The fact that the Stars no longer have to worry about the two years at $3.85MM that Eakin is still owed on his current deal is actually probably worth more than having him on the team.

Then came the draft, where Dallas won the right to select third-overall and were able to take home exactly what they were after. Though some casual North American observers may have forgotten about Miro Heiskanen as he continues to develop in Finland, the Stars sure haven’t. Heiskanen is playing excellent in the Finnish Liiga, scoring nine goals and 14 points in 20 games while controlling games from the blueline. He is an absolute prototype when it comes to the new era of NHL defensemen, able to play well at both ends of the rink.

Fans should get a good look at his potential when he skates for Finland at the upcoming World Junior Championships, where he’ll remind everyone why he was taken third-overall. The idea of the Finnish duo of Julius Honka and Heiskanen playing long-term together should have Dallas fans salivating.

Who are the Stars most thankful for?

Jamie BennJamie Benn.

Benn continues to be one of the greatest stories in the NHL, going from a fifth-round pick out of the BCHL to a legitimate All-World captain and winger. His 30 points lead the Stars again this season, while his possession numbers and all-around play remain high. He’s the type of player every team around the league would be after if there was a chance, but as he starts his new contract extension it looks like he’ll be in Dallas for a long time.

With a $9.5MM cap hit for another seven years, there is definitely some risk involved in Benn’s deal. Who can know what kind of player he’ll be in his mid-thirties, but at this point he’s still the best chance the team has to compete for the Stanley Cup. With Tyler Seguin set to hit free agency in the summer of 2019, it will be interesting if the team decides to keep the dynamic duo together long-term, for what would be a huge chunk of the salary cap.

What would the Stars be even more thankful for?

Healthy and effective goaltending.

The Stars went out and got the starting goaltender they wanted in the offseason, buying out Antti Niemi and bringing in Ben Bishop to handle the load. Unfortunately, Bishop has battled a sore back this season and looked average even when he is in the net. Kari Lehtonen has bounced back from a dreadful 2016-17, but only to about the same level Bishop is playing, which is not good enough.

Bishop and Lehtonen have .908 and .907 save percentages respectively, and the Stars need more than that to get back to being a contender in the league. Especially when you factor in that Ken Hitchcock’s system usually increases save percentages in the first few years, the goaltending simply hasn’t been good enough. There are several issues with this team, but getting Bishop—who signed a six-year, $29.5MM contract with the team—back to playing like the Vezina contender he’s been in the past, could make up for them all.

What should be on the Stars’ Holiday Wish List?

Some more help up front.

Beyond the trio of Benn, Seguin and Alexander Radulov (who’ve been spread out recently to try and spark some more offense) the Stars don’t have enough firepower at forward. Young forward Radek Faksa has done his part, but veterans like Martin Hanzal, Jason Spezza and Antoine Roussel have been almost invisible when in the lineup.

The Stars are still 18-14-3 on the season and within striking distance of the top teams in the Central Division, but to really compete they’ll need a deeper offensive attack. The depth of their forwards pales in comparison to clubs like Nashville, Winnipeg and St. Louis, something that would become even more prominent in a seven-game series.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

World Junior Rosters Filled With NHL Prospects

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With USA Hockey revealing their 28-man preliminary roster for the upcoming World Junior tournament, and Hockey Canada expected to do the same today, prospect junkies from around the league are making lists of who to watch this holiday season. The rosters have been released from various other countries already, and they include many other players who’ve already been drafted around the league.

Below are the full preliminary rosters for Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic, along with their respective NHL teams in parenthesis. Russia has announced their KHL group, but has not yet revealed who from North America will be joining them in selection camp.

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Status Of 2017 First-Round Picks

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By the end of September it will be clear where each of the 2017 first-round picks will be heading to continue their hockey careers, but we already have quite a few that have signed their entry-level contracts. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ticketed for the NHL or even North America, as most will have their deals slide for an additional season. Still, below you can find the current status of each player and their likely destination for the 2017-18 season. While they aren’t final, it will give you an early idea of where to catch them this year.

Nico Hischier – New Jersey Devils – Signed ELC on July 15th. Likely starts the year with New Jersey.

Nolan Patrick – Philadelphia Flyers – Signed ELC on July 17th. Likely starts the year with Philadelphia.

Miro Heiskanen – Dallas Stars – Signed ELC on July 8th. Will play for HIFK this season (Finland).

Cale Makar – Colorado Avalanche – Will play for UMass-Amherst this season (NCAA).

Elias Pettersson – Vancouver Canucks – Will play for Vaxjo this season (Sweden).

Cody Glass – Vegas Golden Knights – Signed ELC on July 15th. Will likely play for Portland this season (WHL).

Lias Andersson – New York Rangers – Signed ELC on July 13th. Will battle for roster spot with New York, but likely play for Frolunda this season (Sweden).

Casey Mittelstadt – Buffalo Sabres – Will play for the University of Minnesota this season (NCAA).

Michael Rasmussen – Detroit Red Wings – Signed ELC on August 5th. Will likely play for Tri-City this season (WHL).

Owen Tippett – Florida Panthers – Signed ELC on July 19th. Will battle for roster spot with Florida; could play for Mississauga this season (OHL).

Gabe Vilardi – Los Angeles Kings – Will likely play for Windsor this season (OHL).

Martin Necas – Carolina Hurricanes – Signed ELC on July 14th. Will likely play for Brno this season (Czech Republic).

Nick Suzuki – Vegas Golden Knights – Signed ELC on July 15th. Will likely play for Owen Sound this season (OHL)

Cal Foote – Tampa Bay Lightning – Will likely play for Kelowna this season (WHL).

Erik Brannstrom – Vegas Golden Knights – Signed ELC on July 15th. Will play for HV71 this season (Sweden).

Juuso Valimaki – Calgary Flames- Signed ELC on July 21th. Will likely play for Tri-City this season (WHL).

Timothy Liljegren – Toronto Maple Leafs – Signed ELC on July 12th. Will likely play for Rogle this season (Sweden).

Urho Vaakanainen – Boston Bruins – Will play for SaiPa this season (Finland)

Josh Norris – San Jose Sharks – Will play for the University of Michigan this season (NCAA).

Robert Thomas – St. Louis Blues – Will play for London this season (OHL).

Filip Chytil – New York Rangers – Signed ELC on July 14th. Will likely play for HC Zlin this season (Czech Republic); could play for Hartford (AHL).

Kailer Yamamoto – Edmonton Oilers – Signed ELC on August 10th. Will likely play for Spokane this year (WHL).

Pierre-Olivier Joseph – Arizona Coyotes – Will likely play for Charlottetown this season (QMJHL).

Kristian Vesalainen – Winnipeg Jets – Will play for HPK this season (Finland).

Ryan Poehling – Montreal Canadiens – Will play for St. Cloud State University this season (NCAA).

Jake Oettinger – Dallas Stars – Will play for Boston University this season (NCAA).

Morgan Frost – Philadelphia Flyers – Signed ELC on August 3rd. Will play for Sault Ste. Marie this season (OHL).

Shane Bowers – Ottawa Senators – Will play for Boston University this season (NCAA).

Henri Jokiharju – Chicago Blackhawks – Will likely play for Portland this season (WHL).

Eeli Tolvanen – Nashville Predators – Will battle for a roster spot with Nashville, but will likely play for Jokerit this season (KHL).

Klim Kostin – St. Louis Blues – Signed ELC on July 5th. Will battle for roster spot with St. Louis; could play in AHL (St. Louis doesn’t have an AHL affiliate for this season, but will be providing players for Chicago and other teams).

Which 2017 Draft Picks Will Make Their Teams?

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This year’s draft was notoriously thin in terms of elite talent, but that doesn’t mean that some of the top choices won’t make an impact. Of course, a lot will depend on training camp and whether players will return to Juniors, College, or overseas. Nico Hischier has already signed his entry-level contract with New Jersey, as has Nolan Patrick with Philadelphia. Both look primed to make their teams out of camp, even though Patrick will be recovering from an injury. It’s common for top picks to make their teams, and it would be shocking to see either fall short. Beyond these two, however, many of the top players till need seasoning.

The third pick, Miro Heiskanen, very well could return to the Finish Elite League for IFK, or theoretically be taken in the CHL import draft. Dallas doesn’t look like they’ll try to rush it with him, but anything is possible with this talented a player. Fourth overall was defenseman Cale Makar for Colorado, who is committed to play with the University of Massachussetts. Still, Colorado is hurting badly for skill and could benefit mightily from his dynamic presence on the blueline. Fifth overall was Elias Pettersson for Vancouver, who should return to Vaxjo of the SHL. He hasn’t signed an ELC and won’t attend training camp. Sixth overall Cody Glass looks primed to make a push for a spot in Vegas if he can show he belongs. The offense acquired via the expansion draft is very lean, and if Glass can round out his frame, the team may opt to toss him into the fire. He comes from a solid program with the Portland Winterhawks, and already surprised many with his ascension to first-round status in 2016-17.

Seventh overall was 5’11 center Lias Anderssson, who will fight for a position on the New York Rangers. In May, he signed a two-year contract with SHL’s Frolunda, so he might be one of the least likely of the group to see playing time in the near future. Casey Mittelstadt went eighth overall to Buffalo, and his phenomenal performance in the 2016 U-18 World Juniors played a large role in that. He only has USHL experience under his belt, however, and is committed to the Minnesota Gophers for the 2017-18 season. Michael Rasmussen is a towering, 6’6 center from Tri City of the WHL, and his overall physical package propelled him into that 9th selection by Detroit. Detroit is in need of cheap roster players on ELCs, but rushing a player of his caliber, especially coming off an injury-marred 2016-17 season, seems unlikely. GM Ken Holland is known for his patience when it comes to prospects. Rounding out the list, we have one of the few wingers selected in the first round – Owen Tippett of the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads. His 44 goals in 60 games caught the attention of Florida’s scouts, and he could make things interesting with a solid camp showing.

In the final evaluation, there are really only two sure-fire picks to make their teams in the 2017-18 season. Of course, there are players later in the order who could surprise and get a look as well. Gabriel Vilardi (11) would inject some much needed offense to a floundering Los Angeles squad, and already possesses NHL size. Nick Suzuki (13) could transcend Glass in Vegas as his flashy speed and exceptional passing are already pro-level. Future teammate Erik Brannstrom (15) proved again that he belongs in the conversation in the recent Summer Showcase. Timothy Liljegren (17) is already making Toronto fans salivate at his potential, and there is always someone unexpected who completely blows away the competition in camp. We shouldn’t see more than one or two surprises, but anything is possible once the players retake the ice in August for some internal competition.

In your mind, which 2017 draft picks make the NHL starting roster for their teams, excluding the obvious Hischier and Patrick? Will any of these names compete for a Calder, or will there only be one or two immediately successful rookies from this class? (For comparison’s sake, 4 players played regularly last season of all the players selected in 2016).

Please vote in our poll below!

Mobile users can vote here.

Defensive Logjam In Dallas Not Concerning

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The Dallas Stars are in an enviable position, but one that might prompt a trade in the near future. After years of drafting heavily on defense, their prospect pool at the position is incredibly deep. Heading into training camp, at present, they will have at least 9 defensemen fighting for 7 roster spots. Theoretically, the could keep 8 on the roster for a time and keep only one spare forward, but ultimately, someone is going to lose out.

As of today, the team has Marc Methot, John Klingberg, Dan Hamhuis, Esa Lindell as their highest paid defenders. They also have Patrik Nemeth, Greg Pateryn, and Stephen Johns signed to NHL contracts, who are all over the age of 25 and would be waiver eligible if the team attempted to waive them for AHL use. There is also the still promising Jamie Oleksiak, an RFA who still needs to negotiate his contract. Finally, Julius Honka looks ready to take an NHL roster position after spot duty in Dallas last season. There are also more defensemen on the horizon, including the steal of a first-round pick of this season, Miro Heiskanen. Heiskaen is likely to return to his native Finland, but less talented players have forced teams to keep them on board. So, who makes the team? And will anyone be on the move?

Discounting the most expensive four, Nemeth and others should be concerned about being usurped. It seems that Honka has proven everything he can at the AHL level, and with his talent could end up outclassing everyone not named Klingberg or Methot with a good camp showing. Still, he can be moved down without needing to clear waivers. Oleksiak has shown real flashes as a former first-round shutdown player, but Pateryn and Nemeth both ended up playing a similar number of contests last season, and are second-rounders themselves. Despite limited action, their possession numbers were solid (49.9% and 51.3% respectively Corsi For) and there aren’t major faults in either players’ games. Oleksiak still has kinks to work out in his game, but his size (6’7) is probably just too tempting to move him at the tender age of 24. Johns played more games of any of the others, and brings a physicality that will likely endear him to new head coach Ken Hitchcock, despite his other shortcomings.

Ultimately, this is a camp that will be brutally competitive. The Stars won’t want to lose any of these players for nothing. Teams are always looking for youngish defenders on the cheap, and both Pateryn and Oleksiak would fit that bill nicely. Hamhuis would be tempting to move out, but he still eats a ton of minutes and provides veteran leadership to a young group. Lindell isn’t safe either, and moving his salary ($2.2) would be more helpful than unloading the cheap Pateryn or Johns. At the end of the day, it’s a wonderful problem to have, as depth at the position is always integral when players go down to injury. The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Heika is probably correct in his prediction that the organization will allow the situation to sort itself out on its own. Internal competition can be healthy, and by September many teams will be desperate to fill defensive holes on the cheap. Still, it will be a fascinating situation to watch develop.

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