Dallas Stars Loan Julius Honka To Texas Stars For Good Reason
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars loaned defenseman Julius Honka to the Texas Stars today, and it’s caused quite the ruckus. But it’s the best move for both Honka and the team FOR RIGHT NOW.
It’s crazy to think that even after an exciting 2-1 win over Vancouver on Monday night, Dallas Stars fans would be moaning and even raging. But that is what is happening.
On Tuesday morning, the Dallas Stars announced that they had loaned defenseman Julius Honka to the Texas Stars (AHL). The 21-year-old defenseman has played in six games for Dallas this season. In the other six, he has served as a healthy scratch.
As the news broke, plenty of Dallas Stars fans voiced their displeasure. And if you know the Stars, you know that this is not the first time that these grievances have been aired.
Honka has been the constant hot button subject of the Stars’ defense since his first call-up on November 21, 2016. He had a strong NHL debut, tallying an assist and a +1 rating along with five shots and 21:01 of ice time. And ever since then, there’s been an influx of love for no. 6 among Stars fans.
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That love carried on throughout the remainder of the 2016-17 season, even when Honka was sent back down to the AHL. The 2014 first-round pick only played in 16 games for Dallas last season, but made his presence known and helped create promise for the future.
As the offseason wore on and turned into training camp, the expectations were high for Honka. Many expected him to be a definite NHL starter, potentially in the top four just behind John Klingberg. His speed, smarts, and offensive authority made him a favorite to be one of the Stars’ biggest strengths on the blue line.
But that’s not what happened. Instead, Honka was passed up by a few different defenders throughout training camp and the preseason and started the season as a healthy scratch. This sent many Stars fans into an uproar. There were claims made, like “his talent is being wasted on the bench” and “he’s better than a lot of the guys they have out there.”
Whatever your thoughts on the matter might have been, Honka did not play until the third game of the regular season.
Since then, he’s played in six games, tallying no points and a concerning -4 rating. His turnover numbers are up, his offensive production is down, and his presence on defense is lacking. It’s not a horrific start to the year for him, but not an ideal one either.
When the news broke yesterday afternoon about the loan, people began their usual outrage. The fact that Honka is “performing better than other Dallas defenders” was brought up as a primary argument.
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But the Dallas Stars made the right move in this case, at least at the current moment. Honka’s production is definitely not where it was expected to be coming into the season, and he’s been streaky at times to start the 2017-18 year. As a result, he’s fallen behind.
Giving him extra time in the AHL to enhance his skills and continue to mold himself into the defensive player Dallas wants him to be is a great idea. The extra playing time will be beneficial in helping Honka achieve that goal.
And the primary reason is simply because of the extra playing time. With Texas, Honka will likely get top-pairing minutes and have a chance to further prove himself and work on his play. If he had stayed up in Dallas, he would likely continue sitting in the press box, playing maybe once a week.
His last performance with the Stars ended in a -3 rating and plenty of turnovers and mistakes against Colorado. That’s not the easiest thing to bounce back from when you’re under the coaching staff’s microscope.
The Dallas Stars made the right move sending Honka back to the AHL. It’s still professional-level hockey and gives Honka a new chance to prove himself. He will play a lot of games in a short amount of time and have plenty of exposure and opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Stars defense is already stocked enough with seven skaters vying for six spots. As the Dallas defense continues to build chemistry and grow, the starting spots will become more clear and structured. The defense is doing decent at the moment and should only get better as the year goes on.
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If Honka plays his style of game and continues improving, he’ll be back up with the Dallas Stars before we know it. The NHL is a business of change and is constantly shifting. If he can earn not only playing time, but also a starting spot in the NHL through his AHL play, Jim Nill and Ken Hitchcock will give him his chance.
Though it may be difficult, continue trusting the process on this one.