OT Stars Hockey

[ESPN Refugee]

I second that- excellent!!

He's definitely got 4 good years left in him, and that gives us 2 elite centers for the next 4 years.

I know it's comments and it's comments on Facebook but everyone is swearing that it was a horrible move and always point to his defense and plus/minus. I don't like the plus/minus and defense was not the reason why Dallas acquired him. God it's annoying to read.

 

[WilltheThrill]

I know it's comments and it's comments on Facebook but everyone is swearing that it was a horrible move and always point to his defense and plus/minus. I don't like the plus/minus and defense was not the reason why Dallas acquired him. God it's annoying to read.

I know what you mean. +/- is such an overrated and often misleading statistic. Ovechkin has had one of the worst +/ over the last few years, and I'd take him on my team in a heartbeat. Spezza is on a point per game pace and has been that type of player his entire career. He's easily the best #2 center the Stars have had since Nieuwendyk. 4 years at $7.5 Million is not a bad deal at all, especially considering that the salary cap is expected to increase over the next 4 seasons. He would have fetched 8-9 Mill per season on the open market.

Awesome deal for the Stars.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Brenden Dillon to the San Jose Sharks for Jason Demers and a 3rd round pick. I also read that San Jose is eating up part of Demers' salary.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Brenden Dillon to the San Jose Sharks for Jason Demers and a 3rd round pick. I also read that San Jose is eating up part of Demers' salary.

On the surface, it seems like a win for the Stars. Demers is nothing special, but he's solid. He basically has everything Dillon didn't: skill at moving the puck, a high hockey IQ, and a right-handed shot (probably the biggest selling point). The fact that the Sharks are picking up a portion of his salary and including a 3rd round pick in the deal is icing on the cake.

PROS:
Small increase in offensive output
Big improvement in skating, puck handling and passing
Sorely-needed right-handed shot

CONS:
Decrease in size
Eats up small amount of salary cap room

A small improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.

 

[WilltheThrill]

I will say this- Jim Nill does NOT mess around. He gets shit done!! 1st offseason- trades fan favorite Loui to land Tyler Seguin. Signs Horcoff. Signs Gonchar. Drafts Nichushkin. 2nd offseason- signs Spezza. Signs Hemsky. Signs Eaves. Drafts Honka. Trades Gonchar for Moen to create space for Klingberg. Trades Dillon for Demers.

He's not batting 1.000, but he's damn close. He has totally remade the team in just a little over a year. I love having him as our GM.

 

[Bmurph]

I will say this- Jim Nill does NOT mess around. He gets shit done!! 1st offseason- trades fan favorite Loui to land Tyler Seguin. Signs Horcoff. Signs Gonchar. Drafts Nichushkin. 2nd offseason- signs Spezza. Signs Hemsky. Signs Eaves. Drafts Honka. Trades Gonchar for Moen to create space for Klingberg. Trades Dillon for Demers.

He's not batting 1.000, but he's damn close. He has totally remade the team in just a little over a year. I love having him as our GM.

I certainly like the work Nill has done so far

 

[WilltheThrill]

So, the VERY early defensive shakeup results...

Kevin Connauton: 0 points, turnover at center ice leading to GW goal
Brenden Dillon: 0 points, -1 rating

John Klingberg: 2 goals, 2 assists, +3 rating
Jason Demers: 1 goal, +1 rating

Winner: Jim F'ing Nill

 

[Justinkm83]

So, the VERY early defensive shakeup results...

Kevin Connauton: 0 points, turnover at center ice leading to GW goal
Brenden Dillon: 0 points, -1 rating

John Klingberg: 2 goals, 2 assists, +3 rating
Jason Demers: 1 goal, +1 rating

Winner: Jim F'ing Nill

Keep those updates going. I'd like to see how it shakes out over a few weeks. Klingberg is a stud.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Keep those updates going. I'd like to see how it shakes out over a few weeks. Klingberg is a stud.

I spoke too soon. Dillon ended up as a -2.

I know it's just one game, and there will be nights when Dillon has a better game than Demers, but still. Demers just looked so much better tonight than Dillon has all season. And Sharks fans on other message boards are falling all over themselves trying to find creative ways to compliment Dillon -"you can just tell he loves the game so much more than Demers". Whatever makes you feel better, I guess.

And yes, Klingberg is an absolute beast. They haven't had a defenseman this skilled since Zubov. Whether he actually turns into the next Zubov or not remains to be seen. But 7 games into his career he sure does look the part. I saw him in a preseason game 2 years ago and he stood out to me big time even then as a highly-skilled player. I thought he was NHL-ready then, but the powers that be obviously disagreed with my amateur 1-game assessment. I'm sure he really wasn't ready, but my point is that even back then he stood out. That's why I got as excited as I did when ESPN Refugee posted above that Klingberg was being called up. And now Klingberg mania has taken the Stars fan base by storm (and for good reason). The Kings tv announcer even said tonight that Klingberg was by far the best young player he'd seen all year. When the other team's coaches, media, announcers, etc. start praising your player, you know you've got something special.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

 

[Bmurph]

Moen made pretty quick work of Hendricks

:boxing:

 

[WilltheThrill]

Ok, I've had it with Trevor Daley. He's reverted back to 2009 Trevor Daley and has taken over the Jordie Benn role of finding ways to allow the opposition to score. He has stopped scoring and started turning the puck over a lot more. Plus his coverage in his own zone has gotten embarrassingly bad. I thought he had turned a corner in his career with how he played last year and the first 8-10 games of this year. Now he's back to being just bad.

How about another D for D swap like the recent Dillon/Demers trade? Daley for another middling defenseman, maybe one capable of not giving away games.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Ok, I've had it with Trevor Daley. He's reverted back to 2009 Trevor Daley and has taken over the Jordie Benn role of finding ways to allow the opposition to score. He has stopped scoring and started turning the puck over a lot more. Plus his coverage in his own zone has gotten embarrassingly bad. I thought he had turned a corner in his career with how he played last year and the first 8-10 games of this year. Now he's back to being just bad.

How about another D for D swap like the recent Dillon/Demers trade? Daley for another middling defenseman, maybe one capable of not giving away games.

But don't worry everyone is convinced it's ALL Kari. Not saying he does shit the bed at times but this team is just frustrating because balanced scoring is still a problem. Thank God Hemsky scored but beyond Seguin, Benn, and 3rd line there's not enough and consistent goal scoring from other guys. At least scoring can somewhat makeup for defense that isn't very good.

 

[WilltheThrill]

But don't worry everyone is convinced it's ALL Kari. Not saying he does shit the bed at times but this team is just frustrating because balanced scoring is still a problem. Thank God Hemsky scored but beyond Seguin, Benn, and 3rd line there's not enough and consistent goal scoring from other guys. At least scoring can somewhat makeup for defense that isn't very good.

As Ludwig just said, the defense isn't good enough to shut down anyone. So that's why late 1-goal leads are never safe. Klingberg is great, but he's definitely not a defensive shut down guy. He's this team's Zubov, but Zubov had the likes of Hatcher, Matvichuk, Ludwig, and Chambers backing him up. This team- not so much. Goligoski is good but shaky at times. Demers is ok. Jokipakka and Oleksiak are too young to shut anyone down, especially talented forwards. And let's not mention Benn or Daley in the same sentence as "shutdown". If the Stars could replace Daley and one of the rookies with two veteran stay-at-home defensive guys, Kari would likely lower his GAA by a full goal.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

As Ludwig just said, the defense isn't good enough to shut down anyone. So that's why late 1-goal leads are never safe. Klingberg is great, but he's definitely not a defensive shut down guy. He's this team's Zubov, but Zubov had the likes of Hatcher, Matvichuk, Ludwig, and Chambers backing him up. This team- not so much. Goligoski is good but shaky at times. Demers is ok. Jokipakka and Oleksiak are too young to shut anyone down, especially talented forwards. And let's not mention Benn or Daley in the same sentence as "shutdown". If the Stars could replace Daley and one of the rookies with two veteran stay-at-home defensive guys, Kari would likely lower his GAA by a full goal.

Gagree. I do think if Nill is actively shopping Goose and Daley I think the line would be lengthy for both of their services. They're good players but the amount of playing time and responsibility they get here just doesn't cut it. I'm ok with growing pains and losses like this but I want them with nothing but young bucks back which Nill's done a good job of incorporating this season. I think we see Daley and Goose traded before the deadline.

 

[Bmurph]

Would love to see a win in Colorado tonight

 

[Bmurph]

2-2 after the first period

 

[Bmurph]

Lindback was holding up pretty well there but eventually if you give up as many shots as the Stars have already, he's gonna get beat sometime

 

[Bmurph]

now Avalanche w a 2 man advantage up 4-2 this ones over

 

[WilltheThrill]

Lindback with another abysmal statistical showing, although it all wasn't his fault for sure. This team is just a huge train wreck, and a frustrating one at that. They've got some really great pieces, elite even, but just not enough of a complete roster to win on most nights. And they're KILLING me with this win-lose-win-lose-lose stuff. Pick a route and go all-in. Either sack up and win a bunch to get back into the playoff picture, or tank like there's no tomorrow for McDavid or Eichel. All or nothing. Finishing 9th-10th is the worst possible outcome.