Dallas Stars Alternate Captains Dropping Like Flies
By Josh Clark
While the Dallas Stars have a franchise-leading captain, their alternates are a different story. They can’t seem to keep any of them around.
On September 19, 2013, the Dallas Stars held a press conference with intentions to name the new captain of the club.
Rumors had flown around for months on who the new general manager Jim Nill might pick to lead the franchise. After losing former captain Brenden Morrow in a trade near the end of the 2013 lockout season, a handful of Stars wore A’s to close out the season with no true captain.
So who would be named the new captain? That was the question on everyone’s minds. Maybe pick a veteran forward like Ray Whitney or a veteran defender like Alex Goligoski, Trevor Daley, or Stephane Robidas? Or should they go a younger route and choose defenseman Brenden Dillon (yes this was a hypothesis with plenty of support). The opportunities seemed endless.
In the end however, Nill made one of the top three best decisions of his GM career by selecting Jamie Benn to wear the “C.” The press conference alerted the media and gave them a first look at Benn’s jersey with the new letter on the shoulder.
But there was another part to the presser. Considering a handful of different players wore A’s to close out the season, Nill thought it best to pick two new alternates from a fresh slate.
He ended up selecting Whitney and Robidas, two veteran leaders that filled the roles well. Benn would spend the 13-14 season on the top line, with Whitney mainly on the third and fourth lines and Robidas rotating in the defensive ranks. In other words, Nill did an excellent job spreading the leadership throughout the lineup.
The only problem was that Nill would have to select two new alternates by the end of the playoff run. Robidas was traded at the deadline in early March of 2014 and Dallas did not extend a new contract to Whitney, who eventually retired. When Robidas was dealt, Shawn Horcoff took over the alternate position for the remainder of the season.
When 2014-15 rolled around, the Dallas Stars put up a new unit of alternates. Defenseman Trevor Daley and forward Vernon Fiddler, both veteran leaders that helped spread out the leadership in the lineup, were named the new alternates. During the 2015 offseason, Daley would be traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Horcoff signed a new deal elsewhere (though he did not possess an A at the time).
That led to Alex Goligoski being given the final alternate and joining Vernon Fiddler and Jamie Benn as the leaders. And for a third time, the leadership was successfully spread throughout the lineup.
Everything was just fine until this most recent offseason. Goligoski was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes and Fiddler signed with New Jersey as a free agent. So, now what?
Well obviously Nill has some more picking to do in the Dallas Stars’ leadership column. Knowing Nill and his history with picking alternates, expect one to be on defense and the other to be a 2-4 line forward. Some of the stronger candidates for the A’s are Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky, Johnny Oduya, and even John Klingberg and new Star Dan Hamhuis.
But one thing is clear: the Dallas Stars seem to have some trouble keeping alternates for the long run. It almost seems like a death sentence at this point if you wear an A in Big D. We’ll see who the newest members of the alternate captain class are as the season draws closer.
Next: Stars' Dark Horse Choices For Alternate Captain
Right now, the two candidates with the best chance are more than likely Spezza and Oduya. Both are veterans in different parts of the lineup and have at least a year under their belt in Dallas. We’ll see how Nill feels come August or September.