Dallas Stars’ Season Ending Superlatives
Now that we’ve handed out season-end report cards, it’s time to round out the year with season superlatives!
One of the most special parts about a team is that it takes a group of unique individuals to come together to form a whole. During the season, a lot of attention goes to praising (and critiquing) the joint efforts of the team as a whole.
Now that the season’s over and the report cards are all shelved, let’s take a look at what makes some of the individual players such a valuable (and oftentimes just plain memorable) part of the Dallas Stars team.
Most Likely to Succeed
Although every Stars player contributed in some way to the successes of this season, I think we can all agree that Jamie Benn has a lot more success coming his way- at least eight more years of it.
As one of the youngest captains in the NHL and with an Art Ross trophy under his belt, coupled with multiple other honoring nominations, Jamie is primed to add heaps to the success he’s already earned as a Star.
Most Improved
So many players’ names deserve to land here. Mattias Janmark and Stephen Johns were unexpected standouts, but the nature of improvement demands a rocky start. For that, Kari Lehtonen was the most improved of the season.
We were all a little worried after last season proved that goaltending was a real fatal flaw the Stars needed to combat. And with some staff changes and the addition of the tandem system, Lehtonen was substantially more dependable this season, and was a big reason the Dallas Stars were able to push as far as they did into playoffs.
Most Intense Facial Expressions
I don’t know if you guys see stills/ photos from games as much as I do, but they’re usually taken at the least opportune and least photogenic times for everyone involved. The Dallas Star that this seems to happen to the most is John Klingberg.
I mean, he takes some slack for being the “Ghost of Gothenburg,” but it’s his facial expressions that really crack me up. Half of the live-action photos from games can be sliced and diced with photoshop to yield some pretty funny (and rather believable) versions of the classic Klingberg grimace, which, if I had to sum up in a few words, would be: “intensity intensifies.”
Most Devoted Doggie Dads
If you ever even glance at Instagram, you know which players are completely wrapped around their dogs’ fingers. Paws? Whatever. Between Tyler Seguin and Jordie Benn, you’ve never seen more devoted doggie dads.
We imagine that those are some pretty pampered pooches, but we also know that all the spoiling that occurs on the offseason is probably to offset all the time spent away during the season.
Most Heartwarming Father of Actual Human Children
Puppy love is cute and all, but it’s also great to see players who efficiently balance the game and family and seem to have their priorities straight. Patrick Sharp takes the cake on this one. You seldom miss him interacting with his girls, who are usually front and center to see their dad warm up before games.
Most Likely To Secretly Dream of Being a Lumberjack
You know I’m gearing up to rate beards on this one. Clearly, it’s between Jordie Benn and Patrick Eaves. We’ve been pretty used to seeing a bushy elder Benn, but it seemed one day we looked up and realized that Patrick Eaves had more luscious hair growing from his face than most of us have growing from our heads.
So despite Jordie’s ginger-ness and other overall lumberjack vibes, this one has to go to Eaves. After coming back from so many injuries, he’s got all the survival skills a mountain man needs. Sorry, Jordie. Try again next season?
Most Likely to Become an Alternate Captain
Time for a serious one. With looking rather short on A’s, they’ll need to russle up some new leadership in time for the new season. Given the performances from last season, I think it’s pretty safe to say that we’ll be looking at a new alternate captain in Jason Spezza.
Even currently, he adds a lot of experience and leadership to the team, so it seems he would naturally fall into that position, and we hope the Stars think the same!
Best Rookie Season
Although John Klingberg’s rookie season as a defenseman was probably pretty hard to follow, Mattias Janmark was an unexpected asset for the Dallas Stars since the onset of the season.
He scored his first NHL goal on his first shot of the season, and since then has continued to prove that he deserves to stay in Dallas and is ready to take on the game at the NHL level.
Most Likely To Hit You For No Reason
Okay, maybe not most likely to hit you. But we all know that Antoine Roussel is helping to keep the role of agitator relevant and present in the game, and we all (okay, maybe not all) love him for that.
With 123 penalty minutes in the regular season, Roussel is one of those players that other teams dread having to deal with. And that’s a good thing for the Stars. When the Rouss is loose, people stay in line!
Least Likely To Hit You For No Reason
The Dallas Stars’ defense is slowly but surely adding on some size. With that size, though, doesn’t necessarily come the outright aggression and fighting spirit that we see in our buddy Roussel.
At 6’7 and 6’4, the most you’re likely to see out of Jamie Oleksiak and Stephen Johns is some good, old fashioned hits and roughing up. But not just because you irritated them- because you 100% deserved it!
Most Likely To Sleep In And Miss Practice
Nope, not even going there.
Next: Dallas Stars Clinch Top 5 Spot In NHL Jersey Sales
Which superlatives would you assign to our Dallas Stars? Who do you think is primed to make a name for themselves (whether serious or silly) next season?