Why John Klingberg Can Save The Dallas Stars Defense

The Dallas Stars made a plethora of moves today, including sending Valeri Nichushkin back to the injured reserve list for a questionable amount of time. This means that Curtis McKenzie, who played rather well against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night, will get to play with Dallas for a couple more games.

But the big move that was announced was the organization’s decision to call up defenseman John Klingberg from the Texas Stars of the AHL. Klingberg will be up in time for the Stars matchup with the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night in the desert.

All non-Stars fans are wondering why the Dallas Stars now have eight healthy defensemen on their roster, with only six spots open. But if you are a Stars fan, you know exactly why.

The Dallas Stars defense has proved to be a plague this year, and they cannot seem to find a cure. It mainly comes down to the fact that they simply do not give effort for a full 60 minutes, EVER. Some nights they will decide to play the first 40 minutes and forget about giving any effort in the third period. Some nights they will reverse it and give it their all in the last two periods but start out in a rut and ultimately face a gap they cannot overcome in the last two periods. Either way, the losses continue to pour in and they now face an 0-5-2 record through their last seven.

The defense is the main group to blame and Jim Nill seems to have finally had enough. Calling up John Klingberg was a move that not many were expecting but one that will prove to be bountiful for the Stars down the road.

Klingberg is 6-2, 180 pounds, and just a shave over 22 years old. He was injured and recovering from groin surgery throughout the offseason, leading to a dissipated style of play through training camp and the preseason, which ultimately led to his permanent assignment to the Texas Stars of the AHL.

Now that he is fully recovered and back to action, he is almost unstoppable down in Cedar Park. He has four goals and eight assists through 10 games, placing him in second among defenseman in the AHL for points. He has a +5 rating and a mere six penalty minutes. He is a puck-hunter and plays calm and engaged when in his zone, unlike some Dallas Stars defensemen.

But aside from the fact that he will bring depth scoring and a firm presence in the defensive zone to help the Stars struggling defense, he is also a right-handed shot. The Dallas Stars currently have seven defensemen on the roster excluding Klingberg, and all shoot with the left hand. This must be some sort of ultimate record set (though it’s not a good one to own). The Stars have been ripped due to their lack of a right-handed shot this year and could seriously use the help. John Klingberg will bring in his hot stick to hopefully produce a major advantage.

But now the Stars have eight defensemen and only six suit up. Klingberg definitely needs to suit up, because if he does, expect a major turnaround from the Stars blue line. So two others take a seat. Who will that be?

If I learned anything from sitting among a mass of Stars fans last night as well as looking on my Twitter feed, it’s that a WHOLE lot of Stars fans do not like Jordie Benn’s play. If Lindy Ruff shares the same belief, he could end up taking a seat.

But most likely the two that will fall victim to the healthy scratch list will be Kevin Connauton and Jamie Oleksiak, the two that toss the sixth starting spot back and forth like a baked potato.

Who do you want to see? Will John Klingberg make his presence felt and redirect this Stars team back to the path everyone expected them to be on at this point? If Klingberg can bring energy for a full 60 minutes and motivate the rest of the blue line to follow suit, they have a strong fighting chance. 7th place in the Central Division is not the prettiest sight, and the Stars know it. Now it’s time to break the funk. Off to Arizona, it’s going to be a good one.

Lave your comments and questions below, and as always, thanks for reading!