Remi Elie is very fast. As a youthful bottom-six, checking line forward, the scoring output has not yet been there for the former Erie Otter, but Remi Elie is very fast. The Stars inserted Elie into the lineup, as opposed to the slower Cracknell, after his speed dominated the American Hockey League.
Elie won’t be a pure scorer at the highest level of hockey, but provides speed and intensity on every single shift. There’s a lot to look forward to from Elie and the rest of the young Stars prospect core. Plus, Remi is absolutely beautiful.
Gemel Smith is a complete NHLer and deservedly so. Smith has puck skills, great strength, quick strides, and speed to burn. All from a guy that, according to a lot of different NHL experts, has surprised many just by playing for the Dallas Stars.
There’s endless potential with Smith as a reliable, speedy, deceptive forward. Smith was recent re-inserted into the Stars lineup after making the team out of training camp, and with his speed and scoring chance generation, he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
Antoine Roussel has zero goals and one assist this season. When you’re killing penalties and skating your legs off every single shift, that’s fine, but you’d expect more out of a veteran of six NHL seasons. Roussel isn’t a scorer, but had the seventh-best points per game rate on the Stars last season.
Roussel has to chip in offensively and increase the Stars’ depth scoring output. If not, he becomes what he was before – just some super fast French dude about to break every bone in your body. That’s okay, too, but score a goal, Rous.
This season, Martin Hanzal has been one of the least effective players in the NHL for the money being sent his way. Hanzal has one goal (an empty netter, seriously), and zero assists in 11 games this season. 17th isn’t a position in the power rankings you want for a guy you’re paying $4.5 million per year.
Hanzal has been great otherwise. The main piece of the top-ranked penalty kill in hockey and a nearly-unbeatable faceoff guy, Hanzal has done his job. Still, you would like to see more point production from a guy getting that paycheck, especially on a team starving for 5v5 scoring.
It’s hard to watch Brett Ritchie’s heavy-shooting, rumble and tumble style of hockey on a Dallas Stars team that plays fast and makes plays before shooting the puck. Ritchie doesn’t really fit anywhere on the ice, or anywhere in the lineup. Brett Ritchie also doesn’t care at all, and is gonna rip pucks on net until the earth explodes.
Hopefully the guy that netted 16 goals last season, earning himself protection from the expansion draft in the process, ramps up his offensive output. Two points in 12 games isn’t enough out of Ritchie – it’s time to put your big boy… um, Britches on.