The Dallas Stars newsroom is swirling today with recent news about waivers and opening night. Let’s take a look at all that has transpired.
As opening night continues to close in on us, the Dallas Stars are making plenty of decisions and moves. The preparation is almost complete and the season is almost here. That’s quite exciting.
Over the past few days, teams around the NHL have been downsizing and formulating their ideal lineups for opening night. The Stars are no different, and their team is quickly coming together.
There’s been a lot of movement within the organization, both surprising and expected. The Stars trimmed their roster from 62 players to 23 players from the beginning of training camp up to yesterday.
The Dallas Stars have a lot going on as they try and get prepared for this Friday when the Vegas Golden Knights come to town.
Dallas Stars
Let’s take a quick look at all that happened recently:
Patrik Nemeth claimed off waivers by Colorado
On Monday afternoon, the Dallas Stars made one final round of cuts to their roster in preparation for opening night. Along with a few reassignments of young players to the AHL, the Stars waived Curtis McKenzie and Patrik Nemeth with the intent of assigning him to the Texas Stars.
Earlier this morning, the announcement came through that McKenzie had cleared and successfully been reassigned. But Nemeth, on the other hand, did not.
Patrik Nemeth was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche on the waiver wire. The 25-year-old defenseman was drafted by Dallas in the second round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Since then, he has spent time in the AHL and NHL within the Stars organization.
While Nemeth never truly solidified himself as a starter for the Dallas Stars, he has plenty of upside. He’s a solid defensive defenseman, uses his reach well, can play a shutdown role, and can efficiently move the puck out of the zone.
The Stars had a defensive overstocking that they needed to deal with, and Nemeth simply ended up being the odd man out. Dallas will carry eight defenders to start the year, and Nemeth was no. 9 on the depth chart. That being said, waiving him was a requirement. It’s just unfortunate that the Stars lost him.
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But a fresh start might be what is best for both sides. The Stars needed to move on from their defensive logjam and focus on the future and Nemeth simply needs a new system that he could potentially be a big part of.
The Avs are apparently already planning to make Nemeth an influential part of their scheme, so all we can really do is wish him the best at this point. Meanwhile, the move relieves plenty of pressure from the Stars’ blue line.
Opening night roster announced
The Stars made it official this afternoon when they announced their final roster for opening night.
The roster consists of 23 players (13F, 8D, 2G), including 18 returners from the Dallas organization. The other five are additions made during the 2017 offseason.
Here is the lineup.
Forwards
Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, Mattias Janmark, Jason Spezza, Brett Ritchie, Antoine Roussel, Martin Hanzal, Tyler Pitlick, Devin Shore, Radek Faksa, Adam Cracknell, Gemel Smith
Defensemen
Marc Methot, John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Stephen Johns, Jamie Oleksiak, Dan Hamhuis, Julius Honka, Greg Pateryn
Goaltenders
Ben Bishop and Kari Lehtonen
More from Blackout Dallas
- Dallas Stars Traverse City Tournament: Who had great performances?
- Grushnikov and Stankoven lead Dallas Stars to 6-3 win over Columbus
- Dallas Stars prospects look to wrap up tournament with a win
- Burn the tapes: Dallas Stars prospects lose 5-1 to Toronto Maple Leafs
- Dallas Stars look to continue success today against the Maple Leafs
The official starting lineup has yet to be released, but the final roster is a good starting spot in making estimations. Go ahead and start predicting what you think it will look like. But also don’t forget about Ken Hitchcock’s unpredictability.
Ken Hitchcock’s quotes
Earlier today, Hitchcock talked to the Dallas Stars media after practice. A few things were discussed in the interview, but let’s take a look at a few of the significant notes.
First off, Hitchcock mentioned the status of Julius Honka. He talked about how he believes that Honka is not a starter just yet, but that he still has a chance to prove himself and earn a spot. He expects Honka to work closely with assistant coach Rick Wilson in improving his defensive game.
Hitchcock also addressed Gemel Smith making the final roster. Smith was definitely considered one of the long shots to earn the final spot on offense in a deep and padded forward class. But somehow, his play shone through and bested the rest of the group in competition. Hitch pointed out that Smith will get playing time but is expected to make the most out of his opportunity.
There are always chances to bring other talent up to replace Smith, so he will have to stay consistent in his play. In 17 games last season, the 23-year-old scored three goals and tallied six points. If he can keep that up while playing in the bottom six, the Stars very well may have found their next depth forward weapon.
Next: Vegas Will Empty The Tank Against The Stars
There’s a lot to keep an eye out for as these final days pass, so keep your Stars’ sources close. The interesting part is just about over and the fun is about to begin.