I know I’ve taken quite the break from the Gold Star Awards. I’m very sorry but other news came up that ended up being more valuable than these.
But here’s the next poll to get y’all through the next few hours before the Stars REGULAR SEASON schedule is released!!!!!
This poll is for YOU to choose who you think the Stars’ defensive MVP was this past year:
Trevor Daley:
Trevor Daley, the longest tenured Dallas Stars’ defenseman, had an exceptional season. While being mainly paired with Alex Goligoski on the first defensive line, the two found a way to constantly stifle offenses and produce good numbers. Daley is a true veteran defenseman when making difficult decisions, so his mistakes are basically unnoticeable. Through his season, one lower-body injury was the only thing that kept him from pulling off an 82 game season, and he ended up starting in 67. Daley pulled off a career high in the goal department, scoring 9 throughout his season, and ended up with 16 assists, which is right around his average number. His playoff stats were unbelievable, scoring 2 goals and pulling 3 assists in his 5th playoff appearance, once again setting new career records in both departments. Overall, he was a key defensive threat on the Stars’ blue line this past year.
Alex Goligoski:
Alex Goligoski had an exciting 4th season with the Stars. While mainly being paired with Trevor Daley, as stated above, the two wreaked havoc and truly became the dynamic duo of the Stars’ blue line. They worked well together and with Daley’s superb view of the ice and direct passes combined with Goligoski’s powerful slap shot from the point, the two were unbelievable. Goligoski stayed healthy throughout the season and ended up playing 81 of the 82 regular season games, scoring 6 goals and tallying 36 assists, a career high, in that time. His playoff numbers were similar to Daley’s, scoring only 1 goal but putting away 3 assists as well. Though Goligoski hit quite the ruff (hehe) patch during the regular season, he was able to find his feet and get back to it, finishing his year with some truly beautiful numbers.
Jordie Benn:
Jordie Benn is a different story. While I talked about setting career high’s on the other two, Jordie didn’t really have anything to beat, besides his 26 game performance during the lockout season. But that didn’t stop him from setting the bar as high as he could in his first full NHL season. Jordie was mainly paired up with Brenden Dillon, and the two were slotted on the 2nd defensive pairing for most of the season, though the third line was the case for a small portion of the season. Jordie used his two-way skills throughout his 78 game performance, and ended his regular season with 3 goals and 17 assists, both being career highs (duh)! Jordie pulled off no goals and 3 assists in his postseason premiere. Jordie is definitely an up-and-coming star in the defensive ranks and the Stars will be happy to of picked him up in the years down the road.
Brenden Dillon:
Brenden Dillon had a notable year as well. Mainly paired with Jordie Benn to start his 2nd season with the Stars, Dillon started in 80 games and ended with 6 goals and 11 assists. Dillon had a minor stint in the postseason after coming back from an injury suffered at the end of the season, he played 2 games but came up empty-handed. But Dillon’s physical presence is what makes him a valuable client to the Stars’ defensive firm. Dillon checks when he wants to and fights when he has to, which is why the Stars’ need him in the upcoming years. If the defense can stay up to code with a hard-hitting physical monster, they should be just fine.
Now it’s YOUR turn! Vote below with who you think the Gold Star Award should go to regarding the best defensive performance on the Stars this year: