Dallas Stars Need More Production From Jason Spezza

As the Dallas Stars get closer to hitting their stride, several players are remaining quiet in comparison to their performance in previous seasons. Jason Spezza is one player who needs to get louder in this final stretch.

The outlook we take on some of our favorite Stars players can be a bit conflicted sometimes, can’t it? Almost like they were children, they can disappoint us with their failure to meet our varied standards for scoring or what have you, but we know at our core that they are still a valuable member of the team, a core component of the Stars.

Jason Spezza has been one of those players as of late. I’ll start off by saying that this season is a harsh judge for any player perceived as underperforming, but as hard as the acknowledgment is to make, this season is indeed real life- not a practice round. No do overs.

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Last season swung a different way, thanks to healthy players and a bit more consistency than the Stars have been able to achieve this season. In the 75 games that Spezza laces up the skates for the Stars in the 15-16 campaign, he scored 33 goals and racked up 63 points. In his time with the Stars, Spezza’s most regular place is centering the top line with Benn and Seguin.

In the context of last season, that’s almost a given. Last season was one of the ones at the top of Spezza’s trajectory, if we’re talking career highs and all. Several seasons before he outdid himself with one extra goal, but nothing more. So last season was going to be a hard act to follow for him, anyway.

But one thing stood out about last season for Spezza in particular. It saw him earning the most game winning goals of any season in his NHL career. He earned 7 GWGs to not only make a career high, but to lead the entire team.

If you kept up with last season, you remember these moments pretty well, too, if you pause to think about them. If you have a vague relation of Jason Spezza to the term “captain clutch” and aren’t entirely sure why, last season is probably it.

But, as we’ve gotten all too used to saying, this season is a different story. Out of his 7 goals in 43 games played (a little over the halfway mark from his games played last season), 2 of those are game winners. Out of 7, that’s not a bad number. But when comparing those 7 to last season’s 33, you wonder what exactly changed. If he stays at the same pace, he’ll be putting up barely 14 goals by the time he finishes up his season.

Spezza’s got 3 points from the last 5 games played before the All-Star break; none of those are goal-points. If Spezza’s scoring name was made last season on those last-minute moments, what’s going on now?

In those same last 5 games, Spezza’s most common line combination has been with Antoine Roussel and Tyler Seguin. This has perhaps been a handicap for Spezza, and not in the sense of golf terminology. Let me back up by saying this: Spezza’s second most common linemates come in the persons of Antoine Roussel and Radek Faksa, with Faksa manning the center.

See where I’m going with this? If not, here we have it, plain and simple: Spezza plays better with a physical and fast linemate. Lemme stop you right there. I know what you’re thinking.

Like Roussel isn’t physical enough to quality for that spot on the Roussel- Spezza- Seguin line? Well, not in the way I’m intending.

Think of Radek Faksa and Jamie Benn. They are quick on the ice. They use their big bodies to their advantage on the forecheck and while still being nimble and fast on the ice. They are self-made men in that they make their own chances. And now that you mention it, that’s kind of the philosophy that Spezza seems to ascribe to, as well.

So let me lay it all out for you. If we want the Dallas Stars to rise above their current station and pull something amazing yet out of this season, we need to see more consistent and intentional scoring from players who’ve given it in the past.

And for that to happen, Spezza needs to lead the way with his scoring as well as GWG numbers. To make that happen, he needs to be paired up with a player like Benn or Faksa who take run of the rink and make chances happen instead of sitting back and waiting for them.

Next: Dallas Stars Are Gaining Ground With Help From Veterans

What do you think? Could Spezza’s play benefit from a little Lindy-famous line-switcheroo? Or is it something else that’s keeping that captain clutch from coming out?

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