Ryan Garbutt: Dallas Stars Season Ending Report Cards

Afternoon all! Guess what, it’s almost the weekend!

I also wanted to personally congratulate the New York Rangers on making it to the Stanley Cup Finals! Maybe we’ll see y’all there next year, right Stars fans?

Well, as promised, here is the next player in number order, #16 Ryan Garbutt:

Ryan Garbutt has found a true home for himself in Dallas over the past 3 seasons and has proven himself worthy of wearing the green jersey.

Season recap:

This was Ryan Garbutt’s first FULL season in Dallas and he made the most of it. The 28 year old from Brown University (smarty pants) had an outstanding season and showed himself off to Jim Nill and Lindy Ruff who became deeply impressed. He netted 17 goals and tallied 15 assists in 75 games this regular season. He mainly skated on the third line with Cody Eakin and Antoine Roussel, with Fidds in the dot every once in a while.

But Garbutt’s line always seemed to be the hardest working on the ice which sometimes turned them into the most dangerous on the ice (even more dangerous than Benn and Seguin? That’s impossible). But Garbutt made the most of his minutes and became one of the most physical threats in the Stars arsenal. His heavy hitting skills helped him take advantage of the other team during his 13 minutes ice time average. He dropped the gloves when he needed to, every once in a while when he wanted to, but who doesn’t?  He put his jets on every time a loose puck was bouncing about and never disappointed by using his energy.

Playoff recap:

He skated in all 6 games of the playoffs with the Stars and found his stats being something to be proud of. He netted 3 goals but sadly couldn’t buy an assist in his postseason debut (yes it was a lot of Stars’ playoff debuts, they’re young what can they say?). He once again channeled the inner physical beast inside him and scurried many a duck’s feather (how are your “boys” Perry?).

He tallied his first career playoff goal in Game 2 in Orange County which put the Stars within a shot before they would eventually fall before coming back to Big D where he would score the “salt in the wound” goal in the 3-0 shutout. His other score was somewhere in the mess that was Game 6 (trying not to talk about it or else I will break in to tears… payback will be nice, so be ready Anaheim).He pushed himself further and further each shift and proved how valuable he is.

Contract situation:

Ryan Garbutt’s former contract was set to expire this offseason releasing him to the UFA group. But Jim Nill had different plans. On January 29th, the organization announced that they signed Garbutt to a 3 year extension. He was formerly making $600,000 a year with a $575,000 cap hit, but with the salary cap rising come next season and a roster full of low-salaried players, his salary was almost tripled with the extension. He will now make $1,600,000 a year with a $200,000 increase in each season to come. After these 3 years he will be a UFA again but let’s live in the now, okay?

In my opinion:

Now I made sure to get myself a Garbutt jersey after the extension was announced and those things are pretty pricy, so that can lead you to what I think the Stars will end up doing.

I think that Garbutt is a steal of a player and that Dallas needs to be his home till retirement. He is a fantastic young talent and his chemistry with Roussel and Eakin is astounding. His physical presence is always felt on the ice and he does what he needs to get the puck and snipe it home. He is a clutch player and comes through when the Stars need him most (he always seems to score against the Ducks too, which will be pretty helpful down the road haha).

But Garbutt earned where he is now and deserves his new contract. He’s truly going to thrive in the years to come and needs to stay in Dallas. He is the perfect addition to a Stanley Cup quality team and the fans love watching his physicality and fast-paced play.

Keep him as long as we can, Jimmy.

The bottom line on Ryan Garbutt:

Ryan Garbutt was signed by the Dallas Stars as a free agent in 2011 after he left the Chicago Wolves. He has made massive leaps and bounds in the last 3 years to get where he is now and he’s earned his place. He is a quality goal scorer and is effective for the most part when on the ice.

There is only one thing dragging him down: PENALTIES.

Garbutt served 106 penalty minutes in the regular season along with 25 in the playoffs. He does have a bit of a raw temper (what hockey player doesn’t?) and can lose it every once in a while. His front of the net scuffles can turn into knuckle-chuckings really fast. Whether it’s intentional or accidental, he found a way to kill the Stars in a couple games this year due to the struggling PK. But besides that of course, he’s worthy of ice time.

The Stars of course have two main options:

They could keep him on for the potential ride to the Cup in the next 3 years. He’s proven that he can hang with the elites and even skate against them. This is the more logical of the choices. Garbutt is an up and coming superstar and deserves to be starting 2nd and 3rd lines every night. His mix of persistence on offense and physicality on the defensive front is almost Benn-like if that helps out your imagination. He knows how to get the job done and as long as he can avoid unnecessary penalties, he will be ready to invade the ice more often next year.

They COULD trade him, but that will not happen unless he’s a sweetener on a big deal. But with the re-sign in January accompanying him, we’ll be seeing that cute and sometimes roughed up face around here for seasons to come. The only way he would be traded would be a possible send off for a high name center like Paul Stastny or Jason Spezza, maybe even Eric or Jordan Staal, though a Staal brothers breakup is highly unlikely in Carolina, like a Benn brothers here in Dallas. Or if the Stars were potentially going for Marchand, they might send Garbutt and Horcoff or something to that effect, though Garbutt is one of the least likely to be sent for something like that. It is also unlikely that he will be sent off for a Top 2 defenseman, though Dallas does need one. But there are other names in Big D that would be more attractive for a Rob Scuderi or Andrew Ference. But this is unlikely.

And they will NOT buy out his contract so no need to even think that.

The Stars are rising and Garbutt is a key to the top. His penalty trouble is a cause to be suspicious but Lindy knows how to get him in to line. He can help this team go very, very far. His numbers are on the rise and his talent is difficult to find nowadays. The extension was a good idea by the club and is a step in the right direction. We need certain pieces and will hopefully gain them in the offseason, but Garbutt does not need to be a part of these talks, there are plenty of other players that can be instead of him. The Stars are almost ready for a Cup battle, are you?

Comments if you got em down below. GO STARS