Dallas Stars’ Ideal 2017-18 Opening Night Defensive Lineup

The Dallas Stars have experienced a lot of change on the blueline in the off-season; change that will be evident on opening night. Here’s the perfect defensive structure the Stars can deploy.

With the third overall pick in the 2017 National Hockey League Entry Draft, the Dallas Stars selected Finnish defenseman Miro Heiskanen from HIFK Helsinki of Liiga, the top-tier hockey league in his native Finland. It bolsters the prospect pool for the Stars, but his impact will not be immediate.

Heiskanen will likely play one more season with HIFK, then come over to Texas, whether that’s in the Austin metropolitan area (American Hockey League) or that of Dallas (NHL). Until then, other left-handed Stars d-men must hold down the fort at American Airlines Center.

Dallas is in good shape until Miro arrives on the scene, however. With one year left on the contract belonging to veteran Dan Hamhuis, who was arguably the Stars’ most consistent defenseman last season, and the acquisition of lockdown lefty Marc Methot from Las Vegas, by way of Ottawa, the Stars have no concerns in their top four.

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Dallas has always, under whichever coaching staff, tried to pair an offensively-minded defender with a stay-at-home type. It makes for three-zone dependability and for offensive production, which is all any coach can ask for. This season will be different, as not only will the Dallas Stars implement this system, but all three pairs will be the efficient lefty-righty alignment.

With a plethora of youthful, skilled righties on the Dallas depth chart, the opening night defense is really all about how the lefties fit in with the proclivities of the right-handed defensemen. John Klingberg, Julius Honka, and Stephen Johns can presumably be penciled in as the players that will drive the most offense on the Dallas blueline, and all three shoot right.

Hamhuis, Methot, and second-year defenseman Esa Lindell will be the players responsible for a defensive presence – something head coach Ken Hitchcock will preach routinely. All three are left-handed shooters and can make transitions easier with their smooth styles.

But that’s just the top-six. Right-handed Greg Pateryn will most likely make the opening night squad, whether or not the former Montreal Canadien will suit up for the Stars’ October 6th matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. In addition, one of Jamie Oleksiak or Patrik Nemeth, two southpaws long mired in the development stages of NHL solitude, could earn a roster spot as a seventh or eighth defenseman.

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Nonetheless, let’s take a look at the defensive pairs based on our projections for opening night (barring any injuries, trades, etc):

FIRST PAIR: MARC METHOT AND JOHN KLINGBERG

It’s rather obvious that Jim Nill seeked to provide the defensive discipline on John Klingberg’s pair that was left unfilled with the departure of Alex Goligoski. Esa Lindell, a rookie last season, was asked to cover that hole, but the task was far too much to ask Lindell of.

Methot has years of experience being the stay-at-home option with Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, a two-time Norris winner that generates offense like it’s nobody’s business. Klingberg plays the same style of defense, so Methot will be a natural fit.

Klingberg, despite posting 49 points (10th in NHL defensive scoring) last season, had a measurably down year. His possession numbers faltered (49.5% Corsi For Percentage, as opposed to 55.3% in 2015-16). Methot will hold his own in the defensive zone and allow Klingberg to do work offensively, hopefully leading Klingberg to the 70-point ceiling he possesses.

Klingberg is one of the NHL’s premier offensive defensemen, boasting the fifth-most points amongst defensemen over the past two seasons. With Methot to balance out the responsibilities in the Dallas Stars’ zone, Klingberg will return to offensive greatness.

SECOND PAIR: DAN HAMHUIS AND JULIUS HONKA

After three highly successful years in the American Hockey League with the Texas Stars, Julius Honka is primed to make the NHL club right out of training camp as a 21-year-old rookie. Honka is a smooth-skating, electric offensive defenseman that drives possession at astronomical rates.

That means there’s nobody better to learn from than wise, collected defenseman Dan Hamhuis. Hamhuis, a 34-year-old lefty and a 13-year NHL veteran, has one year remaining on his contract and was used in one role last season: a safety blanket. Hamhuis upped the play of any defenseman he saw time with with his calm demeanor and intelligent playmaking.

Hamhuis has for awhile been a three-zone force in the NHL, but with the Stars, has been used more as a stay-at-home, defensive defenseman. Nevertheless, the talented defender will be an extremely impactful player this season in the role of a mentor and sidekick for Honka.

Hamhuis and Honka will be about as good of a second pair as there is in the National Hockey League. If all goes according to plan for the Dallas Stars, these two will see plenty of time in all situations.

THIRD PAIR: ESA LINDELL AND STEPHEN JOHNS

Although Esa Lindell was relatively impressive playing with John Klingberg last season, it needs to be remembered that the Finnish defender is only 23 years old. His potential is high, but he’s arguably still getting used to the pace of the NHL.

In order for Esa to succeed, he has to be given the right partner and right circumstances. Stephen Johns is that; the two were extremely successful in all capacities when playing for the Texas Stars, and with Johns being right-handed and Lindell using his left, the will align seamlessly in the NHL.

Both Johns and Lindell were heavily discouraged to do the things they’re best at under Lindy Ruff, but under Hitchcock, they will almost surely have more leeway to be riskier and make slick plays. These two together felt like they had been playing for 15 years when we saw them in Cedar Park in the 2015-16 season.

It’s as though Johns and Lindell balance each other’s flaws out and commit to a team concept as a pair. There’s no single “offensive” defenseman and no “stay-at-home” guy; they’ll hopefully be paired together and further work on their excellent chemistry.

HEALTHY SCRATCHES

This one remains to be seen. The Stars are carrying nine NHL-ready defensemen into training in mid-September, and at least one waive, trade, or cut will have to be made. It’s likely that those transactions will pertain to Greg Pateryn, Jamie Oleksiak, or Patrik Nemeth.

Oleksiak and Nemeth have long been in the Dallas Stars system and have not developed into the players the Stars projected having. In the case of Pateryn, we really have no clue as to what he can do: he was the return from Montreal in the Jordie Benn trade and only played 12 games, but put up a decent three assists.

One or two of them will have to be taken to the metaphorical dog pound, but it really isn’t their fault; Dallas just has one of the best defensive prospect systems in hockey. Ideally, Pateryn will be the seventh defenseman, as his ability to play in any role at any time is valuable.

Greg Pateryn, a righty, has shown with Montreal that he can sit for awhile, play the next day, and perform well. Nemeth and Oleksiak generally have to string together a few games before playing up to their capabilities, and with the defensive depth the Stars have, it’ll be hard to find them a spot.

Of course, a lot can change and one of the three in question could get injured, or one could jump up the depth chart with an impressive training camp.

Next: Stars Have Vital Mix Of Experience And Youth

The Dallas Stars have been defensively flawed in many of their recent seasons. This year, however, the Dallas defensive core might be more of a strongsuit; a mix of veteran smarts with youthful exuberance has worked elsewhere and can be just as successful in the Lone Star State.