Dallas Stars Get Ales Hemsky Back; Will He Produce?

Ales Hemsky is back from a lower body injury that sidelined him for two weeks. Just in time for the road trip to California, can he figure out how to begin producing again?

On July 1st, 2014, the Dallas Stars front office was alive and making plenty of noise, considering it was the first day of the free agency market opening. The Stars had just come off of an exciting 2013-2014 season that ended with them clenching a playoff berth for the first time in five years.

Stars GM Jim Nill was focused on rounding out the team’s seemingly rough edges by adding one or two prime players in the offseason. He ended up doing just that.

At around 11:00 a.m. CST on July 1st, the Dallas Stars officially announced that they had dealt F Alex Chiasson and a few prospects to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for F Jason Spezza and a prospect.

The trade was no doubt one of the biggest of the offseason, considering right-handed sniper Spezza, who had spent his entire career with the Senators, had joined up with the Stars already-powerful offense. Spezza had requested a trade after seeing the current struggling state of the Senators organization and the possibility of a rebuild. Then 31, he was insistent on having a chance to win the Stanley Cup, and the Stars offered him that opportunity.

Just moments after Spezza had been dealt, another transaction came across the Dallas Stars feed. Ales Hemsky, who had spent the last 20 games of the 13-14 season with Spezza on the Senators, signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Stars. Hemsky, who had spent the entirety of his career in Edmonton, was traded to Ottawa just before the trade deadline that year.

Hemsky had a reputation in the recent past of being a 35-45 point per season player, and his addition on the Stars clearly looked like a positive. But as the season wore on, there were some setbacks that the Stars had not anticipated.

First off, it took Hemsky a little while to settle in. After spending his entire professional career up north, he went as far south as possible in the NHL to join a team filled with primarily youth. Secondly, he played the majority of the year with a dysfunctional hip that later required surgery in the offseason. All in all, Hemsky ended his first year in Dallas with 32 points (11-21-32) and a -8 on-ice rating.

Overall, his season was not a complete bust. He produced at certain points in the year, and sometimes those points were crucial such as overtime goals. But the two main obstacles mentioned above were presumably what kept Hemsky from having an excellent year with the Stars.

After the offseason surgery, Hemsky finished up rehab and was expected to be much better. Entering his second year with the Dallas Stars, he had been offered another opportunity to scale up and down the lineup to see where he produced the best. After a strong start in the year, Hemsky has slowed down exponentially in regards to points production.

Ales Hemsky put out one goal and five assists in his first four games of the year. He lit up the scoreboard while playing with the Stars second line. But since then, there has been a downturn. Hemsky endured a 13 game streak where he tallied no points this year. The skid began on November 14th against the Minnesota Wild and ended December 15th vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is currently on a five game pointless streak.

Hemsky took a puck to the leg on December 29th while blocking a shot against the Blue Jackets. After initially believing that it was a short-term injury, the Stars were forced to put him on injured reserve, where he currently sits. But after fully practicing on Tuesday, it looks like he will be back in the lineup come Friday night when the Stars take on the Ducks.

This is a critical time for both sides. The Dallas Stars have hit a minor slump so far throughout 2016 and the Chicago Blackhawks are making them pay for it. After coughing up the title of first place in the NHL to the Washington Capitals in early January, the Stars are now just a slim two points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks for first place in the Central Division and Western Conference overall.

Meanwhile, Hemsky needs to reconfigure his play and get back in the points column before it is too late. The Stars need Hemsky to produce, and his play recently has proven that he can if he locks in.

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“I thought he was really good,” Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said about Hemsky after the Stars game on December 17th. “I thought Ales could have had two or three goals. He had a couple great looks, moved the puck really well and skated very well. His energy level was a lot higher than some of the other guys.”

Lindy Ruff has seemed to like the play of Hemsky, especially over these past few games. It is true that his energy on the ice is always high and he constantly looks for ways to set teammates up in the offensive zone. But Ruff has a difficult time in finding a constant place for Hemsky to fit in the lineup.

“You can tell that I’m trying to get him somewhere he can fit where I can get him a few more minutes. When he plays like that, it’s something that I want to get done,” Ruff stated on the 17th.

It is a difficult scenario to be in for the 32-year old winger. With a team as stacked with offensive talent as the Dallas Stars are, it can become difficult when adjusting the lines and trying to mold a player like Hemsky into the mix. The Stars are simply trying to create a perfect balance with their lineup, and it can be a struggle.

Next: Stars Next Road Trip To Beach Should Be An Easy Affair, Right?

Let’s hope they find that balance before tomorrow night when they kick off a three-game trip to the coast. Starting with the Anaheim Ducks, the trip promises to be a good one. Let’s hope for the Dallas Stars and Ales Hemsky’s sake that they figure it out in time.

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