The Dallas Stars need a new head coach and the search has already begun. But on top of finding the coach that will lead the team back to the playoffs, they also need to hire one that trusts every player on the roster.
“Trust is a must. That’s what 23 says.”
This is a quote from the movie Get Smart that has stuck with me for some reason ever since I first saw the movie 10 years ago. Steve Carell is fanaticizing to Anne Hathaway about his respect for Agent 23 in the U.S. spy agency called Control. He is merely quoting an agent he idolizes and is trying to align his work with after recently being promoted to the level of agent.
It’s a non-memorable quote buried in the middle of an average comedy and yet, I somehow always circle back to it. Maybe it’s because of the lesson that it can teach the Dallas Stars.
Trust is a must, after all. In any sports organization, there has to be an abundance of trust. Otherwise, the team will never reach maximum success. This success almost follows a chain as well.
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The owner has to trust that the general manager will build the best team possible. The GM has to rely on the coaching staff to use the lineup given and make a contender out of it. The coaches have to trust that the players will put forth their best effort, build chemistry, and win games. And the players have to trust each other throughout the season in their search for success.
So yeah, trust is a must in professional sports. Without it, there is chaos and uncertainty. And it’s fair to say that trust (or a lack thereof) is one of the main reasons the 2017-18 Dallas Stars missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In early March 2018, the Stars were in a terrific spot. They had just put together an impressive February run, had ascended into third place in the Central Division, and looked like a playoff lock. Then a disastrous month of hockey happened, and here we are.
The Dallas Stars missed the playoffs for the eighth time in ten years and have another long offseason to deal with. One of their first of many tasks? Finding a new head coach.
A few days following the end of the season, Ken Hitchcock retired from coaching. After spending one season in his second stint with the Stars, he felt it best to step down after 22 years behind the bench.
The Stars had taken a chance on Hitchcock by hiring him last offseason. And though he instilled some good changes in Dallas, he still couldn’t get the job done. So, they need a new bench boss yet again.
Pucks and Pitchforks
Nill announced on the day of Hitchcock’s retirement that the search has already begun. And while there are plenty of qualities that the GM needs to take into account, there’s one thing that stands above the rest: trusting the players. That means EVERY player on the roster.
This past season, one of Hitchcock’s biggest weaknesses in coaching the team was that he seemed to play the “favorites” game. If there was a player that fit his philosophy that he thought added something to the lineup, that player was guaranteed to always start. But if a player played a different style of game than Hitchcock was looking for, he was given a minimal role or scratched from the lineup entirely.
The best examples are Jason Spezza and Julius Honka, though there are plenty of others.
In 2016-17, Jason Spezza scored 15 goals and tallied 50 points in a season where he missed 14 games due to injury. This year, Spezza was healthy for the entire year and played in 78 games. But instead of being the 50-60 point produce that the Stars know him as, he scored eight goals and put up 26 points. That’s a substantial drop-off that isn’t typical for any NHL player, especially a veteran like Spezza.
So what was the cause for this drop-off? Part of it does have to do with the fact that Spezza is approaching 35 years of age and isn’t the prolific scorer Dallas signed to a four-year deal back in 2014. But he can definitely still be an effective second/third line center and put up 45+ points in a season.
A primary factor in his horrific season was simply that Hitchcock didn’t trust him. He didn’t play the kind of system that Hitch was looking for and that resulted in Spezza seeing his minutes heavily reduced, constantly being shifted through the lineup (even mid-game), and never being given a true chance to excel in certain situations. That likely led to frustration and confusion and only further hindered no. 90.
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The same can be said about Julius Honka. The young defender was expected to have a breakout year in his first full season at the NHL level. After making confident strides in 2016-17 and proving that he can succeed at the NHL level, the 22-year-old entered training camp as a shoo-in for a roster spot.
But by the end of the season (and a lot of angry supporters of the newly-founded #FreeHonka movement), it’s clear that things didn’t go as planned. Honka is known as a confident and creative defender that enjoys handling the puck and contributing heavily on offense. And when he didn’t necessarily conform to Ken Hitchcock’s gritty, “anchor down” style, he headed to the press box on most nights. Honka saw an almost four-minute reduction in playing time from last season and barely started half of the year (42 games).
And when he was in, he hit a wall offensively (which is usually his bread and butter). Last season, Honka put up one goal and five points in 16 games. This season, he had one goal and four points in 42 games. Not the ideal first full season in the big leagues.
Devin Shore, on the other hand, is a player that Hitchcock trusted due to his work ethic and determination to do whatever was asked of him.
Shore turned in a -30 rating this past season, which happened to be the worst on the team. And yet, he still played in all 82 games. That’s because Hitchcock trusted him, even if it turned out to be a risky move for the success of the team.
Whoever Jim Nill decides to hire as the next head coach needs to have that sense of trust that all teams need. They need to come in with an open mind, work with ALL of the talent they are given, and craft something exponential from it. That is very possible with the Stars’ current roster, so there really aren’t any excuses.
But leaving players in the dark because they don’t “fit the mold” is a recipe for disaster. The Dallas Stars have a talented group that is capable of doing great things, but only if every member gets a chance to contribute.
Next: Five Players That Reached New Heights For Stars In 2017-18
If the new head coach fosters to the younger talent he has and finds way to help them grow and develop to the NHL quickly while also giving veteran players a significant role on the team, the Stars could go far. But it all boils down to trusting the talent he is given.
After all, trust is a must.