Dallas Stars Defense Set To Thrive With Dan Hamhuis

Yesterday was a day of mixed emotions for the Dallas Stars community. Amidst losing and re-signing different veteran players, the Stars made one key addition in free agency. This addition could turn the Dallas blue line into a threatening force.

Free agency is such an intriguing time of year in the NHL. Starting in the October prior, rumors and speculations begin to emerge about where potential free agents could land in the offseason following.

The reports and rumors become more consistent and wild come June once the Stanley Cup is awarded.

Months and months of speculating all come to a pinnacle on July 1st, and then it all happens so suddenly that some people miss out on some of the moves across the NHL. All that time spent speculating, and then 90 percent of the signings happen in a matter of minutes. It’s like planning a year in advance for a one-day vacation.

It happened yet again yesterday when the free agency market opened up at 11:00 a.m. CT. By 11:50, the majority of the total moves made yesterday had already happened, including just about all of the big-name superstars.

All of the hype was over almost as quickly as it started. The Dallas Stars were one of the teams in the trenches over the first few minutes.

Just moments after the free agency window opened, homegrown forward Colton Sceviour departed from Dallas to a new deal with the Florida Panthers. A few minutes later, forward Vernon Fiddler inked a deal with the New Jersey Devils, ending his five year term with the Stars. Meanwhile, Dallas stayed quiet in the acquisition column.

While the departure of these two players hurt Stars fans emotionally much more than it actually hurt the team’s chances at success, it was disappointing to see Dallas staying quiet. But around an hour into the period, that all changed when defenseman Dan Hamhuis signed a two-year deal with the Dallas Stars.

Sit back and take that in for a second: Dan Hamhuis is coming to Big D. With all of the rumors flying around claiming the Stars’ interest in Ben Bishop, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Brian Campbell, it’s interesting how they ended up with Hamhuis. Maybe he was their primary target all along? Or maybe he was simply the last resort when the other ideas fell through.

The Stars have definitely been interested in Hamhuis for some time, which lends some credibility to the first assumption above. Back at the February 29th trade deadline this past season, Hamhuis waved his no-trade clause and all signs were pointing for his departure to Dallas.

Instead, Vancouver became a bit stingy with the size of their return, and the deal fell through. The Stars ended up going with Kris Russell as a plan B that day, who is now an unrestricted free agent (that has yet to be signed, might I add).

Hamhuis stated in his conference call with the Dallas media yesterday that he had expected to be traded to the Stars back at the deadline. He said that waiving his no-trade clause eventually made it easier to transition away from his favorite childhood team and home for the past six years.

So now the 33-year old Dan Hamhuis is the newest member of the Dallas Stars blue line.

The Stars defense has seen its fair share of struggles over the past few seasons. After going from a decent defensive group in 13-14 to a disgraceful, smoldering tire fire group in 14-15, Stars general manager Jim Nill found a way to stabilize the lineup with a healthy mixture of veterans and youth.

It still had some kinks this past year, but was much improved from the year before and helped carry the Stars to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But then the offseason came along, and half of the starters exited via free agency.

That being said, the Stars looked as though they would be preparing for another disastrous season with primarily young and inexperienced players on defense. Instead, Nill signed Hamhuis and completely changed the picture.

If you don’t know much about his past in the NHL or his style of play, just know that Hamhuis could completely revolutionize the current group of Stars defenders and turn them into a dangerous group.

Just from past years of watching Hamhuis, there are a few things that stick out in his play that could be of aid to the Stars.

First off, he is a sniper. Hamhuis can find a hole in the goaltender from the blue line through traffic and capitalize on it. His skill on the offensive side of the puck is established, and tends to join offensive rushes on the mismatch. He not only snipes, but can also drive to the net when needed.

He can play physical and has a history with laying out the hip check. At 6-1, he is the height of the average Stars defenseman. But the 209 pounds makes him one of the bruisers on the blue line. Dallas will need him to bring his physical game to the rough and tough Central Division, because the Stars cannot afford another year of getting beaten to a pulp along the boards.

During the conference call, Hamhuis said that he loves playing on the penalty kill and can play on the power play if necessary. He will definitely need to help on the power play in the absence of Alex Goligoski, and could help on the penalty kill in Jason Demers‘ absence.

Overall, the Stars will need him to be a defensive defenseman. If they decide to put him on the top pairing (Nill mentioned that he believes Hamhuis will get top-four minutes), he will need to counter John Klingberg‘s offensive tendencies. He can definitely help out on offense, but will need to restrain himself a bit. It does not seem like that will be a problem.

Lastly, Dan Hamhuis is a leader and a veteran. 2016-17 will be his thirteenth season at the pro level, and Dallas will be his third team. His career numbers are impressive, playing in 872 regular season games and tallying 303 points (55-248-303) as well as an outstanding +81 on-ice rating.

must read: Three Things To Watch For In Stars' Free Agency

“I’ve got 12 years of NHL experience and a lot of international experience, as well, so I feel confident in that role,” Hamhuis told Mike Heika in a conference call with Stars personnel. “It’s a role I embrace. I’ve got a very open mind coming in and want to help any way I can.”

Hamhuis wore the alternate captain “A” for the Canucks last season, and definitely earned it. At 33, he will be the second oldest member of the Stars defense, so some leadership and advice will most definitely be necessary. Besides Johnny Oduya and Hamhuis, the rest of the Stars’ projected defensive starters are 28 or younger.

In the end, Dan Hamhuis is just what the Dallas Stars needed. A veteran defenseman that helps out in more ways than one and a player that will aid in establishing a consistent defensive effort from the Dallas blue line.

“You look at all of the boxes that could be ticked off — fit in the community, on the team, role on the team — and the Stars had so many of those boxes ticked off,” Hamhuis told Heika. “And one of the biggest boxes is they are in a window to win right now.”

Next: Stars Say Goodbye To Hard Workers Fiddler And Sceviour

The Stars are definitely in a window to win right now, and Hamhuis moved them that much closer to the Stanley Cup. That’s a win-win if we’ve ever seen one.