The NHL Draft Lottery took place on Saturday night. While the Dallas Stars weren’t lucky enough to crack the top three this time around, they still earned the 13th pick. That should definitely grant them a player on the verge of NHL readiness.
The luck just wasn’t in the cards for the Dallas Stars this year.
After pulling off a rare feat and clinching the third spot in the draft order via the NHL Draft Lottery last year, this year was different. At the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery on Saturday night, the Stars missed out on a top three pick. But that’s okay.
The Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, and Montreal Canadiens were all chosen as the top three teams. Only two of the 15 teams that missed the playoffs finished higher than the Stars in the standings, and neither were selected for a top three spot. With that being said, the Dallas Stars will select 13th in the upcoming 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Dallas is likely hard at work in their draft scouting process, and they now know where they will be picking. With that comes estimations regarding which players will be available and which players will best fit the Stars’ needs.
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But a significant part in picking no. 13 is that Dallas will get themselves a really good prospect. Their pick should be on the verge of NHL readiness and could even be ready for big league play in his first two years. With that being said, it’s crucial that the Stars make the right choice.
After finishing at a mark of 42-32-8 with 92 points this season, the Dallas Stars are on the outside of the playoff picture yet again. It’s their third time to miss the postseason in the past four years and leaves a lot left to be desired.
Though there were improvements from the disastrous 2016-17 season, glaring problems were still present. The Stars dipped in late February after three solid months of hockey. That dip eventually led to a full-scale collapse in March and bumped Dallas from the playoff picture.
And now they are back to the drawing board yet again. The 2017 Draft was good to the Stars in the fact that it gave them Miro Heiskanen at third overall. Heiskanen had an outstanding season as an 18-year-old in Finland’s top hockey league and is expected to be skating for Dallas (or at the very least, Texas) next year.
This draft won’t necessarily grant Dallas a bonafide shot at a franchise-altering defenseman, but it will give them options. The 13th pick isn’t one to neglect or cast aside by any means. The Stars now have to decide which players are the best options for them at that spot that can make an immediate impact.
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The Dallas Stars will make the 13th selection on the floor of the American Airlines Center in front of their home crowd. Knowing the pressure and environment they will be in, it will most definitely need to be a good one.