A Look At The Dallas Stars Lacking Defense

The Dallas Stars have now played 11 games in their regular season, and they look nothing like what hockey fans pictured them to look like in the most recent offseason.

They are two-faced on the offensive side of the puck, meaning some nights they show up ready to play a fast-paced game and some nights they act slow and sluggish and not looking for a win. This duplicitous offensive performance has the Stars tied for sixth in the “goals for” category throughout the NHL. The defense, which still has not found a unique and successful strategy to use, sits at 28th place out of 30 in the “goals against” category throughout the NHL.

The offense has no real concerns at the moment, but the defense requires an aid and a quick one at that. After allowing 39 goals in 11 games, they have largely contributed to the Dallas Stars pitiful record of 4-3-4. They seem to lack the effort that a defensive corps needs to embody for the entire 60 minutes every night they are on the ice. They are slow to pucks, they inexcusably leave the netminder completely vulnerable at times for open shots, they abandon formation, they go for useless hits and checks, they turnover the puck more than most NHL teams, and are an overall mess.

The defense currently consists of seven members, with two specific players trading off the sixth position every couple of games:

Trevor Daley:

Trevor Daley is the sole leader of the Dallas Stars blue line, and he wears an “A” on his shoulder to prove it. Daley has played magnificently this year. He plays smart with the puck regardless of which zone he is in, and always finds a way to develop a play when the situation is in his favor. He is almost halfway to breaking his total goal record in a season and almost a quarter of the way to breaking his total assist record, and there are still 72 games to be played. Daley has four goals and five assists through 11 games played and continues to perform at a high rate. But with Daley’s nine points comes a -4 rating, the worst of all the Stars defensive players. The question then arises of how this is possible. The answer is that Daley spends an average of 25:52 on the ice per game. With all the time out there, he is leaving himself vulnerable to bad outcomes. Daley’s stats do not justify his efforts on the ice, but sadly they are what they are.

Alex Goligoski:

Alex Goligoski is Daley’s main partner and helps lead the way for the young and unenergetic Dallas Stars blue line. But Goligoski has not played up to his potential this year either. He has turned over a few pucks that have turned into goals and cannot seem to control his passes. He turned in a similar performance last year, before picking it up in the playoffs. Goligoski matches his partner’s rating at -4 along with zero goals and seven assists through 25:07 of average ice time. His performance can often be seen as “two-faced,” with him playing a fast-paced game some nights and others sticking behind and letting the puck enter the zone without a fight.

Brenden Dillon:

Brenden Dillon was signed by the Dallas Stars one week before the start of the regular season, and due to that he missed out on significant playing time in both training camp and the preseason. Through 11 games started, he has one assist and a -2 rating through 22:05 of average ice time. Dillon has performed rather well around the puck, especially when considering his lack of offseason practice. He chooses his checks wisely and has a knack for getting the puck out of the defensive zone during an offensive setup.

Jordie Benn:

Jordie Benn seems to have hit a slump. The 27-year-old holds a neutral rating at zero along with two assists in 22:17 of average ice time through 11 games. But his inconsistency of turning over pucks in the zone and handing goals over to the opposing team has not gone unnoticed by Dallas Stars fans, including some who have taken to social media to vent their feelings about getting rid of the elder Benn due to his lack of defensive effort. Benn is paired with Dillon and the two cannot play an “on-and-off” type of game.

Jamie Oleksiak:

After Patrik Nemeth’s season-ending injury, Jamie Oleksiak assumed the role of the fifth defenseman. He has played in seven games for the Stars this season and has a goal and an assist along with a +1 rating in a relatively small 12:46 of average ice time. Oleksiak has used his physicality in most cases, but it is not always the smartest idea regarding the situation he is facing on the ice. It looks as though this is going to be his first full season in the NHL, and he needs a little time to adapt fully.

Kevin Connauton/Jyrki Jokipakka:

Kevin Connauton and Jyrki Jokipakka have switched off the role of sixth member and healthy scratch over the last few games.

Connauton has started in seven games this season and has one assist and a +4 rating to show for it in an average of 12:24 of ice time. He has played remarkably better than last season and seems to have fully adapted to the NHL. He plays the puck well and gives up the body when he needs to.

Jokipakka has played three games for the Stars this year after being called up from the AHL. He has no statistics except a -3 rating in 13:21 of average ice time. Though his performance in training camp and the preseason was impressive, he has not looked good through three starts.

IR:

Sergei Gonchar currently sits on the injured reserve, hoping for a comeback sometime this week to officially start his season. After a horrendous first season with the Stars last year, he will look to improve in any way he can.

Patrik Nemeth is done for the regular season with an arm laceration from a skate. He was performing rather well but will not be available until possibly the beginning of the playoffs, maybe later.

So the Dallas Stars defense is set up to where the best performing players have the worst stats. A bit of a contradiction, no less.

Lindy Ruff needs to work the defense specifically in practice, even more than he has done before. They need to learn how to play with energy for 60 full minutes, make wise plays in the zone, and always play smart when around the puck along with intensity and effort.

The Dallas Stars will face the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, and San Jose Sharks, three teams with threatening offenses. If the Stars can even hope for a chance against all three, the defense will have to be up to the challenge. Four winless games have passed, and the Stars need to start climbing back up the ranks. It all starts with the blue line. After all, defense wins championships, right?

Leave your comments and questions below, and as always, thanks for reading!