Dallas Stars Solve Defensive Problem By Adding Marc Methot
The Dallas Stars added Marc Methot yesterday and quickly balanced out their defensive unit. He’s bringing a lot to the Stars blue line, and it will help them greatly in the short term.
Defense wins championships. The Dallas Stars know that, the NHL knows that, and the sporting world as a whole knows that. But sadly, it seemed as though the Stars had completely forgotten about that during the 2016-17 season.
In 2015-16, it looked like Dallas had found a loophole around this fact, and that was outscoring the defensive inefficiencies. Sure, the Stars had a relatively solid defensive group that year, but their offense carried the weight in an offensive-heavy scheme.
After falling two rounds short of the ultimate prize, that defensive group was scrapped and replaced with a relatively younger and less experienced one. When the Stars attempted the same strategy this past season (even amidst a flurry of injuries on the offensive side), they were significantly less successful.
The Dallas Stars posted the second worst season in their franchise history, going 34-37-11 with 79 points. They were the most disappointing team in the NHL, falling quickly from Stanley Cup contender to Western Conference cellar dweller in a quick 82 games.
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When the early offseason arrived, it was clear that change had to happen on multiple fronts. Stars GM Jim Nill had avoided it for too long; it was time to make some serious renovations. The crease, the defense, the coaching, you name it; everything needed a good touchup.
So he got to work. Within the first month, he parted ways with head coach Lindy Ruff after four seasons with the team and replaced him with former Stars’ coach and defensive mastermind Ken Hitchcock. He also traded for goaltender Ben Bishop, effectively giving Dallas a new, reliable starting goaltender.
This all happened within the first month, giving Dallas Stars fans plenty to get excited about. All of this change was good, but they still had not fixed their ultimate flaw: the defense. Luckily, that fix came on Monday evening.
Just around dinner time, the news broke that the Stars had traded a second round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and goaltending prospect Dylan Ferguson to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for defenseman Marc Methot. The value was rather lopsided in the deal, with Dallas definitely getting the better end of the deal.
The Stars apparently had their eye on Methot for a while, and there had been plenty of rumors to support this. But now he’s on his way to Dallas, and that’s a done deal.
So what is he bringing to the Dallas Stars next year? It can all be summed up into two words: complete balance.
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In 2016-17, the Stars’ blue line was in a close running with their crease for most disorderly area of the team. The defense lacked the proper level of skill and could not make up for it as the season went along, primarily due to ineffective coaching. Dallas ended the season 29th in goals against, which helped in contributing to their overall demise.
That’s why this offseason was so important: they needed to fix the blue line in more ways than one. They now have the necessary coaching AND the group of players.
So where does Methot fit into all this and why is he the last piece of the puzzle?
When the offseason began, the Stars already had five defensemen on their roster who would be starting next season. Those five are John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Stephen Johns, Dan Hamhuis, and Julius Honka. Of those, Lindell and Hamhuis are the only two that can play on the left side.
Methot is left-handed, which now gives Dallas three lefties and three righties. Not only does that give them excellent balance, but it also gives the Stars’ options. The left side is entirely interchangeable now. The three lefties can be scaled anywhere throughout the lineup and can be paired with just about any of the righties. That gives Dallas plenty of options going forward.
But the biggest thing Methot brings to Dallas is a stay-at-home mindset. The Stars have tried stocking their defense with offensive defensemen for too long, and he will help change that.
With Ruff at the helm, Dallas was an offensive beast, but lacked defensive support. The forwards rarely came back to help, the defenders would get caught in the offensive zone too often, and their formations behind the blue line were sloppy and ineffective. That’s because Ruff is an offensive, “score first” coach.
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With Hitchcock now behind the bench, all of that is going to change. But even with a new coaching style, it’s imperative that the Stars have some defensive-minded players to balance out the offensive forces of John Klingberg, Julius Honka, and Esa Lindell. Methot does just that.
He’s got decent size at 6’3, 220 lb. and is committed to playing in the defensive zone. He doesn’t give up an easy pass, makes it tough to get into the attacking zone for the opposition, and is calm under pressure. He always makes the smart play in the defensive zone and keeps the puck out of the high-threat areas.
Methot is not known for putting points on the board, considering he has 120 points in 579 career games. But luckily, that’s not what the Stars need him for. They need him for what he is best at: playing defense.
It’s likely that after playing the last two seasons with Erik Karlsson that Methot will get a chance to play first line minutes with John Klingberg next year. That’s a big step to take in your first season with a new team, but his philosophies will balance out rather well with Klingberg’s, giving them a threatening one-two punch at the blue line.
This trade did a lot for the Dallas Stars. It balanced out their blue line, gave them another defensive defenseman, and now gives the Stars a defense that they can match toe-to-toe with some of the best offenses in the league. Now the Stars will only have to deal with one target come July 1, being the right wing position.
Next: Stars News: Dallas Making All The Right Decisions
It’s a move that needed to be done, and for Nill to get it done for so cheap, it’s another downright steal.
And after all, who doesn’t love a good steal?