Who Dallas Stars Should Keep In Expansion Draft: Defense

In the year 2000, the NHL held their most recent NHL Expansion Draft. This draft was to help aid the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets, the two newest teams in the NHL, to start off their franchise on a strong note. Otherwise, they would have no choice but to recruit non-NHL players and hope for a free agent signing or two, leaving them years away from even being a playoff contender.

It looks as though within the next two years there will be another one. As the NHL continues to grow and hockey becomes a more saturated topic on the market, new cities and locations are looking for opportunities to grow their own market. What better way to do that than to bring in a professional sports team?

While talks have dwindled for the past two years or so, footprints are finally being made. The cities of Las Vegas and Quebec City were the only two out of 16 invited cities to complete applications and return them to the NHL. These two cities have been promised that they will be the “primary focuses” going forward.

So if these two cities will be receiving franchises before the 2017-2018 season begins, what are the steps that will be taken in order to get them off and running?

First off, there is no set date on when, if ever, these cities will get their teams. It could be before the 2016-2017 season starts, it could wait until 2020. There is no set date on when it will happen, if at all.

But if it does, the expansion draft will more than likely run the same way that it did back in 2000 when Columbus and Minnesota were the two participating. There are two potential ways that the Stars can maneuver. The first is that they lock down nine forwards, five defensemen, and one goaltender. The second is that they lock down seven forwards, three defensemen, and two goaltenders.

Obviously, when you look at it right away, it seems as though the latter option would not suit the Dallas Stars in any way. With a team that holds a high-powered offense and a semi-reliable crease, the Stars would be much better off holding onto a larger majority of their offensive threats and their promising defensemen instead of their goaltending. But, we can never know for sure which route the Stars would take, so we will look at both sides.

Yesterday, we took a look at the forwards the Stars may end up locking down. To see that article, click here. Today, we will take a look at the Dallas Stars defense.

The First Option: Five Defensemen

If the forwards situation wasn’t convincing enough that the Stars should use the first option, the defensive situation will be.

The Dallas Stars had one of their worst defensive seasons in years in 2014-2015. After multiple trades and call-ups that involved the defensive scheme, the Stars never really found a consistent lineup on defense until January of 2015. By then, it was too late to repair the damage done early in the season.

In the past two seasons, the Stars have transformed their defense from one of the oldest to one of the youngest in the league. With multiple rookies on the rise awaiting their sophomore season, it would be disappointing to see GM Jim Nill only retain three of them in the expansion draft procedures.

At first glance, the Stars have one cornerstone to their defense: John Klingberg. The 22-year old Swede had a breakout rookie season, finishing fifth in “Rookie of the Year” voting. Klingberg didn’t start his NHL career until November, but rose to the occasion quickly. As an efficient scorer and shut down defender, he is crucial to the Stars defensive plan going forward.

The other players that would be nice to have around include Alex Goligoski, Johnny Oduya, and Jason Demers. All three are veterans in the league and have spent time in more than one organization. They are all valuable leaders on the Stars blue line and know how the game works. With this point in place, they are a great addition to an otherwise young and somewhat inexperienced defense.

So there is only one position remaining. This one spot has to go to one of many fresh, young talents in the Stars defensive corps. When all factors are considered, it is probably in the Stars best interest to keep Patrik Nemeth.

Sadly, that would mean losing Jamie Oleksiak, Jyrki Jokipakka, and Jordie Benn. All three of these players have their pluses and would be difficult to part with. But that is what would have to be done in order to keep the earlier pieces mentioned above.

The Second Option: Three Defensemen

As was the case with the forwards, this may get ugly. But we will make sure to take a look at it.

While keeping Klingberg is a given, the Stars would most assuredly be losing all of their young and budding talents. The Stars are going to want as much veteran talent to stay on the blue line as they can in order to succeed. Even with losing all of the young talent, they would have to give away one of their veterans as well. Keeping Oduya seems customary considering his experience level and his playoff experience. Goligoski and Demers would be a toss up, but one of them would have to go.

On the bright side, if they follow the 2000 expansion draft procedures, only two players will be taken from each team, and the rest will sink back to their current team. So the Stars may not lose any of their defenders.

This is all a true mess. But sadly, this is how the NHL grows and the market saturates. It’s only a logical conclusion, but it comes at the expense of other NHL teams. This is how growth happens.

We’ll have coverage of the goaltending on a later date. Who do you think the Stars should keep and give up in regards to their defenders? Leave your comments below.

Next: Forwards The Stars Should Keep In An Expansion Draft

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