Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin Not Yet Seen In Top Players List

The NHL is releasing a list of the Top 50 Players in the league right now. So far they have named numbers 50-31, and no Dallas Stars have appeared just yet. How many (if any) will make the list?

The NHL regular season is just around the corner. In less than three weeks, hockey will be underway and the Dallas Stars will face off against the Vegas Golden Knights on opening night.

That’s exciting, but it also goes to show just how much there is to do between now and the start. The Stars, for example, have plenty of decisions, calls, and cuts to make before the season kicks off. Training camp and the preseason will help in formulating those answers.

But as the season draws near, the NHL is finding different ways to build up and intensify the hype. With that, they have compiled a list of the Top 50 players in the NHL right now.

The NHL Network spent the past month or so making different lists ranking players in the league. Best center, best winger, best defenders, and best goaltenders have all been surveyed and assorted using the NHL’s hottest stars currently.

Dallas Stars

And tonight, they will release nos. 30-21 on the Top 50 list. Over the past two weeks, they have released players 50-31. Next Sunday, they will release 20-11, and on the following Saturday, they will finish the countdown off with the top 10.

As NHL fans wait for the next ten to release, it’s a good chance to look back on players 50-41 and players 40-31. And as you cycle through the list, you will notice one interesting theme: there are no Dallas Stars listed YET.

This might seem preposterous, or it may seem completely justified. Let me explain.

The Dallas Stars are known for having some of the brightest young talent in the league. While other teams succeed based solely on veteran presence, three of the Stars’ three best players are all under the age of 29. In other words, they have yet to hit their prime.

That’s a great sign not only for the present, but also for the future. After an incredible offseason showing by GM Jim Nill, the Stars revamped a broken and disappointing roster and seem to be on the way back up. He brought in some of the best talent the market had to offer, including goaltender Ben Bishop and winger Alexander Radulov.

But how come none of these players or any current Stars are in the 50-31 range?

Before you get upset about it, let’s do a quick calculation. There are 31 teams in the NHL. Each team has a roster that can hold a max of 23 players. And just for the sake of the problem, let’s say that there are four “superstar” players on each team. That’s 124 players to choose from and fit into a Top 50.

For the Dallas Stars, their “top four” players would probably include Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, John Klingberg, and Ben Bishop. The other players either have not been playing NHL hockey long enough and at a consistent enough basis or are considered more as depth players.

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So none of those four have appeared on the list yet. Will they all eventually pop up in the Top 30? The answer is probably “no.” But that doesn’t mean that at least one Dallas Star won’t find their way onto the list.

Bishop (goaltender) and Klingberg (defenseman) did not make their respective lists in regards to position, so it seems unlikely that either would make the Top 50 overall list.

But there is still hope for both Benn and Seguin.

For Jamie Benn, it’s pretty obvious that he’ll be on the list. He is considered the complete hockey player and will do anything for his team. He can score, pass, handle the puck, skate, defend, hit, fight, and lead at an elite level, making him one of the most dangerous captains (and players) in the league.

Benn made the NHL Network’s Top 20 Wingers list that was released last month, coming in at fifth. In addition to the ranking, analysts predicted that Benn will be the no. 1 winger by next summer. He has a bright future and could have another career year in Dallas this season. It’s  logical to assume that Benn will find his way into the top ten list.

On Seguin, it’s likely that he will find his way into the top 30 as well. He’s only 25 years old, possesses incredible speed and a wickedly accurate shot, and is one of the brightest centers around.

The NHL Network put him at eighth in their recent list of the Top 20 Centers right now. He has a bright future and has proven to be one of Nill’s best acquisitions over the past five summers.

But where will he fall? When you filter in the fact that he was pinned as the eighth best center and there are wingers, defenders, and goalies that will be factored in as well, he might be spotted tonight in the release of players 30-21.

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It’s a complete crapshoot trying to figure out where these two will pop up, but just know that they will likely make an appearance. They are sizable pieces of both the Dallas Stars’ and NHL’s futures.

Tune in to the NHL Network tonight for the latest reveal!