After a disappointing season of being misused and not fitting in, defenseman Julius Honka is looking for a bounce back season in 2018-19. But with the Dallas Stars getting involved in trade talks and Honka’s name being in the mix, the question must be asked: is he a trade chip?
The #FreeHonka movement became rather prevalent among Dallas Stars fans during the 2017-18 season. It centered around one common theme: getting young defender Julius Honka more playing time.
But it turned out to be much easier said than done. Honka played in 42 games for the Stars last season and spent the other 40 games in the press box. Not the best ratio.
Let’s go back and set the stage for a minute. Julius Honka was picked 14th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2014 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old defenseman proved to be an impressive prospect and one of the best defenders in the class. He’s a quick skater with solid puck-moving skills and impressive scoring capabilities.
Immediately after being drafted, Honka jumped into the AHL and turned into a top defender for the Texas Stars. He put up eight goals and 31 points in 68 games with Texas in his rookie season. And after a little over two years of helping the Texas Stars along as a cornerstone on their top defensive pairing, Honka finally got the call.
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He made his NHL debut on November 21, 2016 in a game against the Minnesota Wild. Many Stars fans and media thought it was a long overdue debut, and Honka helped back up that opinion. In his first game, he tallied an assist, put five shots on net, and skated an impressive 21:01. All who hoped that Honka was an important piece of the Stars’ defensive future were reassured with this performance.
Honka played in seven more games while other Dallas defenders recovered from injury. In that eight-game span, he posted three assists (with one coming on the power play) and a -7 rating along with 21 shots. He was skating good minutes each game and proving to be just what the Stars had bargained for, though the offensive numbers weren’t as high as expected. But considering he was a rookie playing in his first eight NHL games, an adjustment period was expected.
The defender returned to Dallas in January for two more games, posting an assist and a +3 rating. And as the Dallas Stars closed out a rough and ugly 2016-17 campaign, Honka was called up to skate in the last few games. In the final six games of the season, he scored his first NHL goal (an impressive overtime winner against Arizona) and skated an average of 17:20.
Everything seemed to be going right in Honka’s case and it was assumed that he would be a full-time Dallas Stars starter for the foreseeable future.
But all hope of that shifted dramatically in the 2017-18 season. As Ken Hitchcock took the helm as head coach for the Stars, many young players were sent down the depth chart. Honka was the number one victim.
After a rookie campaign filled with promise, Honka fell heavily to the standard of “veteran favoritism.” Simply put, Hitchcock’s “defense first” approach didn’t include an offensive-minded, puck-moving youngling like Honka.
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When it was all said and done, the 22-year-old only skated in 42 games for the Stars and put up one less point (one goal, three assists) than he did in his 16-game rookie showing. He also skated almost four minutes less on average (13:01) than in 2016-17. That’s not a good way to develop a top defensive prospect and help him adapt to the NHL style.
As the offseason got underway, everyone assumed that with the hiring of Jim Montgomery, who preaches speed and aggressive possession, as the new head coach, Honka was set to be a staple in next year’s lineup.
But what if Honka isn’t on the roster next season at all?
Back on June 5, Craig Custance of The Athletic put together a big board of 20 players around the league that might be traded during the 2018 offseason. A few of them have already found new homes, while a few of them re-signed with their current teams. But there are a couple that are still stuck in the middle, though trade talks are continuing.
One of the names tossed into the mix was Julius Honka.
"“The Stars missed the playoffs last year because of a lack of depth up front. Their forward group is top heavy in part because the high-end prospects in the organization are on defense. Honka is ready for regular NHL duty. The Stars also have the talented Miro Heiskanen coming.GM Jim Nill would love to add a top-six forward to his group, and Honka may be the best currency to make it happen.” -Craig Custance, The Athletic"
His reasoning behind it may not be the most in-depth, but he makes a good point.
Of all of the player holding somewhat significant trade value on the Dallas Stars roster that Nill might want be willing to give up, Honka is likely at the top of the list.
Though it wasn’t entirely his fault, the 2017-18 season was a rough one for the defenseman. He wasn’t able to showcase his talents on a consistent stage. But when he did, the same potential from his rookie season wasn’t necessarily present. Hitchcock continuously scratched him for Jamie Oleksiak in the first half of the season and stuck primarily with his same six defenders in the second half when the roster was healthy.
Honka is a good defender. He’s got the right speed and size for an offensive defenseman, can outlast the opposition, protects the puck well, can quarterback a power play unit, and has an accurate shot from the blue line. On top of that, he’s 22 years old. His ceiling is still arguably very high.
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But if the Dallas Stars can find themselves the right deal in the coming days or weeks of this offseason, it’s hard to think that they wouldn’t consider packaging Honka if he’s needed as part of the return.
He carries impressive value considering his skills and age. Any team that is trying to rebuild their defense and add a potential future top-pairing defenseman might look into adding Honka.
But in what situation would Nill consider parting with him?
The thing is that Jim Nill seems to hold his first-round picks in a higher light, regardless of their development or production. On July 1, he consistently raved about how Valeri Nichushkin was a top-10 pick and therefore should have a significant impact on the team next season. But Nichushkin’s numbers both in the NHL and more recently in the KHL suggest that he may not be much more than a depth player for Dallas this coming season.
It’s likely that he holds Honka to a similar standard.
Nill did pull an “out of the blue” move by signing veteran defenseman Roman Polak on July 1. Polak is a right-handed shot and has a long NHL resume. And even though he’s expected to be a seventh defender, there’s a chance he may have to play a bigger role.
We’ve got another poll for you, Stars fans. If there’s a deal on the table that would make the Stars better but the return price is Julius Honka, would you trade him?
— Blackout Dallas (@BlackoutDallas) July 10, 2018
Honka’s name has recently been tossed around by Stars fans and NHL analysts as a potential trade chip. In a poll we put up yesterday on our Twitter regarding whether voters would trade Honka in a deal that would make the Stars better, the answer was almost unanimously ‘yes.’
If, for example, the Dallas Stars could trade Honka in a package for Erik Karlsson or Artemi Panarin, it’s hard to think that Nill would turn it down.
The Stars defense is already young and impressive as it is and will likely only get better in the years to come. The prospect system is set up nicely and the defenders currently in Dallas are already taking impressive steps in their own careers.
Next: Who Could The Stars Target In A Trade This Summer?
Honka could very well be kept by the Dallas Stars and turn into another long-term option on defense for the team. But with all of the rumors floating around about big-name players being linked to Dallas (like the right-handed elite defender Karlsson), his name may very well be included in talks.
But it will likely only be in a deal that would absolutely make the Stars better right now.