The Dallas Stars defense needed all the help it could get from NHL veterans after an offseason of significant loss. So far, their newest addition has been able to provide that help.
Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers, and Kris Russell. These were the three veteran defenders that the Dallas Stars lost to the 2016 offseason either via trade or free agency.
After a second round exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, these three defensemen were all in line for contract renewals. They had all been regular starters on the Stars’ blue line throughout the final half of the season and into the postseason.
The options were up in the air, and just about every Stars fan had a different opinion. Some sided with the “keep Goligoski and let Russell and Demers go” theory. Others thought that the “hang onto Demers and break ties Goligoski and Russell” was the way to go. And then there were the people who sided with the “get Russell for cheap and then choose between Goligoski and Demers” idea.
With all of these theories floating around, Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill caught a lot of people by surprise when he traded the rights to Alex Goligoski to the Arizona Coyotes on June 16. He stunned the remainder of Stars fans on July 1 when he decided to officially let Demers and Russell depart from Dallas.
This is when the panic began to settle in. The Stars had tried running with a youth-filled blue line during the 2014-15 season, and things ended on a very sour note. Dallas was 26th in goals against and ended the year seven points away from a playoff spot.
With their departures, the only Stars defender that had played more than four NHL seasons was Johnny Oduya.
So the Stars definitely needed some help. And at around 12:45 on the afternoon of July 1, they got that help.
Nill reached out and signed free agent defenseman Dan Hamhuis to a two-year contract with an AAV of $3.75 million. Now he’s almost two months in with his new club, and things are going well.
“It’s been good,” Hamhuis said. “I feel really embraced by the players and the team. The city has been great for my family adjusting to a different country, city, and way of life. When the family is happy it makes everything a little easier and better.”
Prior to moving to Dallas and playing with the Stars, Hamhuis had spent the past six seasons of his career with the Vancouver Canucks. Before that, he played six seasons with the Nashville Predators (the team that drafted him 12th overall in the 2001 NHL entry draft).
Hamhuis has really enjoyed not only playing with the Stars, but also the way things are done in regards to hockey in Big D.
“Certainly the team is not under the microscope here like it is in Vancouver,” Hamhuis stated before the Stars home game against the Canucks on November 25. “There’s tons of radio shows and newsprint that probably overanalyzes everything. Unfortunately, a lot of times it is spun into a negative context.”
“That’s one thing I’ve enjoyed here in Dallas is you have your writers that cover the story and great fans that support us. I feel like you’re not under the microscope as much and that as a team you can sort through your issues without having a whole city in your dressing room.”
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The Stars have used Hamhuis in a variety of different roles since he debuted on opening night back on October 13. He seems to thrive in whatever situation the Stars put him in and has proven to be one of the Stars’ most consistent defenders this season.
“I’m trying to figure out the hockey,” said the 6-1 British Columbia native. “There are a lot of small things that are different with how the team plays. I’m trying to learn on the fly, learn through mistakes, and trying to crack them as quick as I can.”
So far this year, Hamhuis has tallied no goals and five assists in 24 of the Stars’ 26 games. He’s only logged a mere eight penalty minutes and is at a minus-3 rating. He’s skated anywhere from 25:07 to 15:39 in a given game and is averaging 19:57 on the ice per game. He also has the second highest Corsi (possession) rating among Stars defenders with 51.5 percent.
The most influential part of Hamhuis’ game is that he has been the flexible d-man for Dallas this year. Wherever they have needed him, he’s been there to fill the void. If it’s helping out on the power play, running the penalty kill, or even shifting through the lines and pairing up with different players, he always seems ready to adapt.
More recently, his job has entailed being paired with the Stars’ younger defensemen. His veteran presence has definitely rubbed off on the rookies and young d-men in a big way. His newest partner is Julius Honka, who made his NHL debut on November 21 against the Minnesota Wild.
“It’s a role I’ve had a lot through my career of playing with younger defensemen,” Hamhuis said. “I’ve always enjoyed it. I love their energy and excitement for the game when they first come in. Honks has been no different. He’s a real smart player, he skates well, he’s got good vision on the ice, and I feel like we’ve worked well together so far.”
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As the season rolls along, the Dallas Stars find themselves in a relatively unfamiliar hole of mediocrity. It seems like the Stars have followed a loss-win-loss-win pattern through their schedule this year. They are 10-10-6 after a dominant 3-0 win in Colorado last night.
If this team is going to get back on track to playoff aspirations and overall success, they are going to need to play exactly as they did yesterday on a nightly basis. That all starts with success on defense, and Dan Hamhuis is going to be one of the prime factors in making that happen. Now that he’s finally settling in with his new club, it seems as though that won’t be a problem.