Dallas Stars Need More Than Marc Methot For Defensive Improvement

The Dallas Stars have been in over their head on the defensive end for a while, and there are signs that their offseason moves may not improve the situation right away.

We’ve been analyzing the Stars’ offseason moves for weeks now, and there are many reasons why we think they will snowball and make the team into something better than it was before.

However, my main talent in life is finding the one negative thing to nit-pick at in the midst of a good situation. And even the hockey world is not safe from my talent.

So in all the mulling over of the Dallas Stars’ offseason, the prevailing theme to me is that the offense and the goaltending have garnered much more attention and will result in more noticeable improvement in the 17-18 season.

But if you’ve watched Stars hockey at all in even the last few years, you know that the Dallas Stars’ real Achilles heel lays elsewhere- squarely in the defensive end.

And while Dallas has added Marc Methot into their defensive mix, not much else has changed so far on their roster or for their prospective defensive outcome in the new season. Throwing Ben Bishop into the mix is a good start, but it’s not realistic to expect a defensive improvement from the addition of a good keeper.

You may see fewer goals against, but it’s probably not going to relieve us of the tension and agony we’ve been conditioned to feel as the Stars stumble with the puck behind the blue line and blunder themselves through defensive play after defensive play.

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But let’s start off by saying that if a problem is looking to get fixed in the Dallas Stars’ defense corps, adding Marc Methot is a good start (hint, the key word here is start).

He’s a big player- 6’3 and 228 pounds. At this size, he fits into the category of big-bodied players that the Stars seemed to lean more towards during the last few seasons. The upside of this, though, is that he’s a left shot and his style of play is a stay-at-home style, meaning he is more defensive minded than some of the other Dallas defenders.

Credited with being able to keep his cool and not let the game get inside his head, Methot also has experience playing with Erik Karlsson in Ottawa, inviting assumptions that he’ll be a great, grounding fit for John Klingberg, providing a pair that melds the yin and yang of size and skill that the Stars have been struggling to find balance between.

As good as this new player and this potential match could be for the Dallas Stars, it’s not enough to overhaul their defense. As of now, the Stars still have some weak links on their roster. In the past season, several defensive players were criticized for not being dynamic or consistent enough.

Among these players, at times, have been Dan Hamhuis, Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak, Stephen Johns, Greg Pateryn, and even John Klingberg at times. If we’re being honest, we’ve pointed the finger at about every player on the Stars’ defensive roster for something during the last season.

That’s not a super concerning thing. Every player is going to have his ups and downs. The problem for the Dallas Stars is that they have not yet stumbled upon the defensive pairs that will provide the team with the best chemistry.

Ken Hitchcock will hopefully provide a massive boost to the defensive scheme. Last season’s troubles could largely be blamed due to Ruff’s lack of defensive focus. But it will be up to the defensemen to realign and buy into the new system if they are going to take the next step forward.

Although it’s obviously not yet been tested, the Dallas Stars should explore the Methot-Klingberg pair and, if it’s the perfect match we’ve been hoping for, move on from there and try to replicate the best of both worlds approach in the other defensive pairings.

Although not every player is a Methot or a Klingberg, the fact that Methot is a veteran presence who can hopefully share his mental approach to the game is another plus. Even if the Stars can’t get the perfect combinations throughout their entire defense, perhaps they can at least start with reforming its automatic mental response to failed plays and tough games, which is usually what digs the Stars so deep they often can’t get back out.

Next: How Fans Can Start Preparing For 2017-2018 Season

So while Marc Methot may be a great addition to the Dallas Stars, he’s not going to do all the work for them. The management should keep a good thing going and try to incorporate the benefits he’ll bring to the team on a wider scale. This could help the entire defense get closer to the competitive ideal the Stars have in mind.

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