The Dallas Stars are in Boston tonight to face off with the Bruins as they quickly try to close out an ugly season on somewhat of a positive note. Their defensive lineup will look a tad different, and that’s a good thing.
It’s back to Boston tonight for Tyler Seguin as he makes just his fourth trip to TD Garden since trading in his black and gold for Victory Green on July 4, 2013.
But this visit has a bit of a different mood to it. During the past three seasons that the Dallas Stars have gone through Boston, they have either been in a good spot in the NHL standings or it has been too early in the season to tell.
This year, the Stars’ fate is already clear and its not a pretty one. On Monday night, Dallas was mathematically eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoff race. Though they had put together a steady push over the past month or so, it simply wasn’t enough to counteract the ugly beginning to the 2016-17 season that they had.
Now they sit at a record of 31-34-11 with 73 points. In one season, they have dropped from Central Division champions to 11th overall in the Western Conference. Everything seems to be a mess. This could potentially go down as the second worst season in Dallas Stars history, and that’s rather unbelievable to think considering the talent that Dallas has on their roster.
Dallas Stars
It’s been a puzzling ride to say the least for the Stars this year, and it’s about to get more puzzling as the offseason approaches. With plenty of UFA decisions to be made, an expansion draft that will cause one Stars player to pack his bags and head to Vegas, and an Entry Draft that will likely see Dallas holding a top-six draft pick, it will be an offseason filled with information to follow.
But for now, the Stars are simply focused on finishing out the season on some sort of strong note. They had an impressive 4-1-1 streak going before losing it on Tuesday night due to a late-game collapse against the Montreal Canadiens.
Now they are in Boston and things are just as bleak as they were two weeks ago. But maybe there will be a hint of light in tonight’s game. That’s because the Dallas Stars recalled defenseman Julius Honka on Wednesday afternoon. That could work wonders for their blue line to close out this season.
The 21-year-old defenseman was the Dallas Stars’ first-round pick in 2015 as a result of their poor performance defensively in the 2014-15 season and the relatively high draft pick that followed (14th overall).
He’s been in the AHL since then, playing with the Texas Stars, and has quickly turned into their most efficient defender. He made his NHL debut earlier this season against the Minnesota Wild in November and finished the game with an assist and a +2 rating.
Honka has only played 10 games with the Dallas Stars this season, which may be confusing to some Stars fans considering how effective he has been. Sure he’s not the biggest or scariest (5-11, 195 lb.) defender like Stephen Johns or Jamie Oleksiak, but Honka’s game relies on speed and possession. He’s an excellent two-way defender who has plenty of upside for the years to come.
All in all, he’s got four assists and a -4 rating at the NHL level, along with five hits and five blocked shots. His Corsi is unbelievable at 58.5 percent and only speaks further about his capabilities on the blue line.
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If the Dallas Stars want a good chance of making the end of the year a promising one, they need to leave Honka in the lineup. Not only has he proven that he gives them a strong chance of winning, but it will help him develop further for next year when he likely becomes a full-time starter.