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John Nyberg Joins The Dallas Stars, Stephen Johns Could Be Out

By Sophia Horst

Feb 7, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns (28) warms up before playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns (28) warms up before playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Stars sixth round NHL draft pick in 2014 might be finally paying off. On Thursday, May 18, the Stars signed the defenseman John Nyberg to a 3-year entry level contract.

John Nyberg, only 20 years old, just finished a full season with the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). In 49 games he posted 7 goals and 8 assists. He’s a two-way defensive player that likes to be on the offensive attack. He could be a good addition to the Dallas Stars this coming season.

Nyberg Replacing Johns

I believe signing Nyberg means the Dallas Stars are going to leave Stephen Johns unprotected in the 2017 Expansion Draft. Nyberg is 6’3″ 203 lbs which is just a bit smaller than Stephen Johns.  And Johns only had 3 goals and 6 assists in 61 games with the Stars this year . Johns also had some trouble with his positioning which allowed a good amount of odd man rushes. While it’s said that Nyberg shares this same problem, he’s more offensively inclined than Johns and could put up more points.

The two won’t be anywhere close to being top defenseman in the league next season but both could play a small role on any team. I wouldn’t be surprised if both are in the AHL for a decent amount of time next season. They both need to  improve on their weaknesses.

Even if Johns is left unprotected the Stars might still have him for next season if the Las Vegas Golden Knights take one of the Stars unprotected offensive players instead. This is probably more likely especially if Roussel or Eakin is left unprotected. This would also mean that Johns and Nyberg would be competing for the same spot along with a lot of other defense players from the Texas Stars.

Next: Stars 25th Anniversary and Retiring Jere Lehtinen Jersey

I’d be more interested in seeing Nyberg on the Stars lineup than Johns at the beginning of the season. New is just more exciting and I don’t want any problems with last years team to come back again this coming season. Give the young Swed a shot!

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