Stephen Johns’ burst onto the scene in late-2015-16 gave everyone who follows the team an unbelievable sense of hope and potential with the 6’4″ righty. Maybe he won’t be as great as advertised then, but Johns has bounced back effectively from last year’s down season.
Johns, currently out battling a concussion, is playing 18 minutes a night, taking on big PK minutes, and driving offense at all times (55.3 CF%). At 25, there’s still a lot to be seen out of Johns, and I like what he’s shown early on this season. Let’s make that trade look even worse for our friends in Chicago.
Ah, the curious case of Stars center Jason Spezza. Spezza has been relegated to the second power play unit, playing 13 minutes a night IF HE’S LUCKY. It’s extremely worrisome to think of this version of Spezza as the new normal.
Spezza has still been relatively decent for Stars forwards; his five assists is sixth amongst Dallas Stars centers and wingers, although he is still searching for his first goal of the season. Spezza looks slow and out of shape, but remains a smart player with great hands. Hopefully he comes bac- wait don’t say “back,” that wouldn’t be fair.
I have always wanted to see how Kari Lehtonen would perform with a goalie on the Dallas Stars roster who is clearly better than him. It’s safe to say that with Ben Bishop in the room, Lehtonen is the backup, but one of the better reserve goalies in hockey. His experience and dependability will pay dividends later in the season.
His 1-3 record is not indicative of his performance this season. Lehtonen has appeared in relief of Bishop of twice and has started two games, looking increasingly better as time goes on. After his performance against Calgary on Friday night, it looks like the fan favorite is back to his winning ways in the Stars’ crease.
Marc Methot is not an impressive offensive player, but is a flawless complimentary player for guys like that. Methot has seen ice time with Honka, John Klingberg, and others, being the sturdy and reliable blueliner his reputation suggests he is.
Methot has zero points this year on a blueline that has generated a good amount of offense, but that’s much less worrisome than relaxing. Methot is a calming presence with great situational awareness, exactly what Jim Nill brought him in to be. If he’s playing 20 minutes every game and being a force shorthanded, it’s a win.
I don’t want to tell everyone that Dan Hamhuis has been quietly good this season; nobody will believe me. Aside from a bad game or two, Hamhuis has given the Stars reliability and three-zone responsibility. His possession metrics don’t check out (and I’m normally an analytic believer), but Hamhuis has had a decent-to-good impact on the Dallas Stars this season.
If you don’t like Hamhuis, it’s the last year of his contract with the Stars, so take solace in that. If you like winning hockey teams, take pride in Dan Hamhuis surveying the blueline nightly. His legs aren’t the same, but his five points in 10 games alongside Jamie Oleksiak is impressive to think about.