Radek Faksa is love, Radek Faksa is life. The middle-six center posted four goals (including a shorthanded sizzler on March 31), two assists, and 15 shots in the month – which also led to a team-high 21.4% shooting percentage in March. The ideal second-line center is making a case to be a regular as the middle-man on line two come next season.
Consider the gravy licked.
John Klingberg is my favorite hockey player. He might have fallen off the lead in points by an NHL defenseman, but with a two-point night on March 31 to total a goal and nine assists during the month, he finds himself just a point behind the leader with three games left on the year. What a wonderful wasted season.
Klingberg will almost certainly lose in the Norris Trophy race, as no defenseman in hockey’s modern era has won the award after missing the playoffs (if Erik Karlsson can’t do it, no one can). Nevertheless, it’s a major accomplishment in its own right to pace all blueliners in point scoring, and he could land on the ballot of finalists with a good final week.
Alexander Radulov has had better months than what March brought him, but nobody — absolutely no one — will be upset with Rads’ four-goal, eight-assist effort in a month from hell. Of course, the player that will reach down to the very bottom of himself and find a little extra juice to play with is always going to be an Alex Radulov type.
I’d mark his first season as a Star up as a success, but Radulov probably wouldn’t. That’s exactly the kind of player you should want on your squad.
“JAMIE BENN IS A BAD LEADER. JAMIE BENN SHOULD HAVE THE ‘C’ TAKEN OFF HIS CHEST. JAMIE BENN CARES MORE ABOUT HIMSELF THAN THE TEAM.”
Jamie’s March stats (his eight goals, his eight assists, his playing of center and wing, his deplopyment in all situations including tough penalty kill time, his standing at only a -2 for a team that lost 11 games this month, his 54.3 CF%), and his fourth season with 70 or more points say otherwise.
He isn’t the one responsible for the team’s implosion. but okay
I don’t have to do anything to explain why Tyler Seguin is tops on the March power rankings, but his March stats are hilarious to me and I’m doing it anyway. Eight goals, 13 assists, 83 shots, over 363 minutes of ice time (most amongst forwards), and something only three players have done for the Dallas Stars since their move to the Metroplex: he scored his 40th goal on the season.
but uh… uhh, does he fit the culture? And I know, I’ve already bagged on Chiarelli in this very article, but holy crap.
Next: Dallas Stars Can Leave These Things Behind Come Next Season
Thanks for reading the March edition of Dallas Stars power rankings. After the conclusion of the season, we’ll post a big ‘ol 2017-18 season-wide power rankings, cool? Cool.