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Dallas Stars Prospect Stephen Johns Could Start This Season

By Josh Clark |

On July 10th, 2015, the Dallas Stars made it clear that their offseason adventure was not over, contrary to popular belief. During their annual Party In The Park event, Stars commentators Daryl Reaugh, Dave Strader, and Josh Bogorad announced the details of the trade to the Stars fan base in attendance.

The Stars traded forward Ryan Garbutt and defenseman Trevor Daley to Central Division rival the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Patrick Sharp and defenseman Stephen Johns. The Blackhawks were suffering from issues with the salary cap and knew they would have to unload one or two big names, and it ended up being Sharp and Johnny Oduya. The funny thing is, the Stars ended up taking both off the market.

So with a new look to the lineup, the Dallas Stars will start to mold together a winning combination for the 2015-2016 season. Though 2014-2015 was a disappointing year for many Stars fans who had high expectations, the 2015-2016 looks as though it may be one of the brightest ever.

The Stars offense, as you may know, left no stone unturned last season. Once the 82 game campaign had officially ended, the Stars were second in the NHL in goals scored and were viewed as one of, if not the best offense in the league. Each line had it’s own witty chemistry and sheer unpredictability. Altogether, they were an unstoppable force.

That was until you made your way to the defensive and goaltending departments. This is where the struggle truly settled in, and ended up being the main reason the Dallas Stars did not qualify for the postseason.

The Stars managed to rebuild their crease, signing veteran Antti Niemi and officially creating a two-headed goalie system. This will create an efficient route of alternating goaltenders for the Stars going forward. The past few years have been difficult, but they seem to have finally found two winning goaltenders that will compete and make each other better in the process.

The defense might be the biggest enigma at this point in regards to the Dallas Stars lineup. As mentioned above, the Stars traded for a defenseman on the cusp of becoming a full-time NHL player in Stephen Johns. With this acquisition, the Stars now sit with nine NHL-ready defensemen, and only six open starting spots. Seven of these nine defensemen are either at or below the age of 27.

There is a plethora of young talent on the team, but something sticks out in Johns’ case. All of the other players competing for spots in the Stars scheme have NHL experience. Johns has not played in a single NHL game, though many Chicago writers have expressed their enthusiasm about him starting for the Hawks, even as early as this coming season.

Johns is part of a rare breed of hockey defensemen. Not only is he an American-born player, but his personal statistics help him to stand out among the rest. Standing at a decent height of 6-4, Johns is a right-handed shot that can deliver a crushing body-check. Not only that, but his ability to move with the puck is phenomenal, and he has a savvy scoring side to him. All of these characteristics are hard to find in a single hockey player.

Last season in the AHL, Johns posted 4 goals and 21 points in 51 games with the Rockford IceHogs. In the playoffs, he tallied 3 goals and 7 points in 8 games, putting him on almost a point-per-game pace. All of this together gives Johns a real shot at becoming a starter for the Stars. If not on opening night, possibly sometime throughout the season.

Since beginning with the Stars as GM in 2013, Jim Nill has not been known for trading players away for mere prospects. Nill knows how to scout, and his eagerness to package Johns in the Sharp deal makes Johns’ chances at an NHL starting role that much more respectable.

The fact of the matter is, there will be competition in training camp. Nine people will enter, but only six or seven will truly leave as a member of the Dallas Stars club. Many have taken to counting Johns and Jamie Oleksiak out right off the bat. But with Nill, you never can tell what he is going to do next. After all, how many people expected John Klingberg to enter the NHL mid-November and become a contender for Rookie of the Year? If you think you did, you should stop lying to yourself. Nill knows what he’s doing, and he knows which players will set the team on the right path to success. We just have to speculate until September.

Next: Stars Recent Moves Cap Biggest Offseason Yet

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