Dallas Stars: Five Players That Could Improve Under Jim Montgomery

1. Jason Spezza

The 2017-18 season wasn’t an ideal one for Jason Spezza. In fact, it was an absolute tire fire of a year, one that very few players of Spezza’s caliber ever experience in their careers.

When Spezza was traded by Ottawa to Dallas in the summer of 2014, the Stars had acquired one of the best centers in the game. He was still in the prime of his career and owned all of the skills of a superstar center. He had an accurate shot, won a solid majority of his face-offs, owned great puck-handling abilities, and was a great setup player for any offense, especially on the second line.

And in his first three seasons, those talents shone through. Spezza averaged almost 22 goals and over 58 points per year from 2014-17.

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But under Ken Hitchcock, his production hit a wall. The 35-year-old had his average ice time cut by over three minutes, was stretched throughout the lineup, and played heavily on the wings instead of at his natural position. He lost valuable minutes on the power play and was primarily paired with young forwards that lack the necessary scoring capabilities.

Now, part of the decline was on Spezza. He looked slower on the ice and his shooting percentage fell to 5.8 percent, the lowest of his career. Frustration settled into his play and contributed to his overall decline.

But Hitchcock did no favors in helping him adjust to a new, more defensive style. Spezza turned in some of the worst numbers of his 15-year career, scoring eight goals and tallying 26 points in 78 games. On exit interview day, he talked about how he still felt good physically and was ready for the seasons to come.

“I feel good physically,” said Spezza. “I played the whole year relatively injury-free right up until the end. I feel like I got a lot of good years left in me. Mentally, I love the game and I enjoy coming to the rink every day. It’s not a burden for me to practice or do anything. I’m optimistic about the future for me. I just have to learn from how things went this season and move forward, and that’s part of being a professional.”

He also talked about how he thinks that he needs more of a defined role in order to succeed. His roles varied greatly during the 2017-18 season, which could have contributed to his shortcoming.

But that shouldn’t happen in the 2018-19 season. In fact, Spezza should find a way to well surpass his ugly totals from last year.

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That’s because Montgomery is known for focusing on puck possession, offensive dominance, well-timed passes, and wearing down the opposition before finding an open shot.

Consequently, that’s how Jason Spezza plays his game. Of the Stars players that skated in more than 10 games last season, Spezza had the fourth-highest Corsi (possession) rating at 53.2 CF%. His game isn’t built on speed and quick transitions, but instead on possession and offensive playmaking.

Spezza will likely start the year on the second line at center, which is his natural position. He won 55.8 percent of his face-offs last season, so the results are still there. And considering Montgomery preaches using all four lines, he should get an extended opportunity both at even strength and on the power play.

It may seem unlikely after last season, but Spezza still has a lot left in the tank. He’s 35 years old, has a superstar career trailing him, but has yet to win a Stanley Cup. His window is closing quickly, so he needs to make the most of it.

As Montgomery said back in May, there’s a fire burning inside Spezza’s belly.

The love of puck possession that each side holds should give Dallas a revitalized Spezza that can fill a second line role nicely and put his offensive skills on full display.

He probably won’t be a 30-goal scorer or 60-point player, but if he claim the opportunity of playing bigger minutes and in the right situations, there’s no reason to doubt that Spezza couldn’t flirt with 25 goals and 50 points. Keep an eye out for no. 90 in the new system.