Dallas Stars: Calling Up Denis Gurianov Could Have Positive Payoff

After dropping a third straight game on Friday night, the Dallas Stars are in need of an early-season energy boost. That boost just might be found in a call-up to fill an open roster spot. And of all the candidates, Denis Gurianov is the best choice.

“What do the Dallas Stars need right now?”

You might have found yourself asking this question at some point over the past week. And after the recent turn of misfortunes that the Stars have faced, it’s a reasonable question.

One week ago, the Stars were 3-1-0 on the season. They opened their season on a promising note, outscoring their opponents 17-11 and knocking off some quality teams in the process.

But all of the early season hype turned into doubt and heavy questioning after Dallas turned in an 0-3-0 record this past week. The Stars started the week with losses to Ottawa and New Jersey on the road and followed it up with a loss on home ice to Minnesota on Friday.

With that, the Stars dropped to 3-4-0 on the year. As a result, the team’s concerns took center stage.

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Is there enough scoring? Does this new coaching staff have all of the answers? Is there a developmental problem with getting the young players ready for NHL action? Are the Stars on track for another year of mediocrity?

Doubt is a funny creature. In addition to it causing people to question something that seemed so promising and certain just days prior, it also causes them to look at every alternative option in an attempt to fix things. And sometimes, those alternatives are options that they might have marked as unreliable just a few months before. After all, no option seems like a bad option when things are going wrong.

Enter Denis Gurianov. The 21-year-old is currently riding a hot streak to start his 2018-19 campaign with the Texas Stars and looks like one of the Stars’ most promising prospects at the moment.

But that wasn’t the case just five months ago.

Back in the months of May and June, the Texas Stars were in the middle of a Calder Cup Playoffs run that ended one win short of a championship. They spent the first three rounds defying the odds and putting together a remarkable run with an unlikely lineup. On top of that, there were plenty of Stars, both young and old, providing strong and consistent production.

Gurianov wasn’t one of them. After a 2017-18 regular season campaign that included 19 goals and 34 points for the second-year forward, Gurianov had hit a wall in the postseason. He finished the playoffs with two goals and five points in 16 games and was scratched for six contests down the stretch. For the majority of the postseason race, he looked inconsistent and lost while on the ice at times.

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That’s not a good look for a former first-round pick that was selected 12th overall by the Stars in 2015. He was considered a stretch at the time and has since found himself attached to doubt and uncertainty as he has struggled in AHL play while players drafted later than him are flying high in the NHL.

But after a rough run last summer, Gurianov got to work. He spent the offseason improving his play, trying to better incorporate himself in the Stars’ system and scheme.

As training camp and the preseason got underway, Gurianov quickly began showing a new side to the Dallas Stars. He had an impressive camp and followed it up with one goal and four points as well as a +4 rating in four preseason games with Dallas. He was a part of one of the last sets of roster cuts made by the Stars and put a new edge on display in Jim Montgomery‘s system.

But even with that positive stretch, it still seemed as though there was a long ways for Gurianov to go before he could be considered an NHL option.

And yet, there’s a chance he could be called up to Dallas in the coming days.

The Stars announced early Saturday morning that the team assigned forward Roope Hintz to the AHL. After building a solid case through the preseason, Hintz was selected to round out the Dallas roster and made his NHL debut on opening night against Arizona.

But it turned out to be a short-lived stay. Hintz only played in five games with Dallas, posting no points in just over 12 minutes of average ice time. His lack of production stood out in a big way when he skated in place of Alexander Radulov on Friday night against Minnesota. While playing alongside Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, Hintz wasn’t able to generate anything besides two shots on net.

As a result, the Stars believed it best to send him down in hopes that he can access the energy and play that he carried throughout training camp and the preseason.

With that being said, however, there’s a spot open on the roster. With Stephen Johns still on the injured reserve list and Alexander Radulov and Valeri Nichushkin recovering from injuries, the Dallas Stars only have 22 players on their active roster, 13 of which are forwards. Would they really consider calling up Gurianov, though?

Well, there’s a chance. GM Jim Nill was in attendance for the Texas Stars’ game against the Iowa Wild on Saturday night down in Cedar Park, Texas. And though it’s not unnatural for him to make the trip with Dallas being off until Tuesday, it’s interesting considering the situation with Hintz and the open roster spot coming earlier in the day.

It becomes even more interesting when you notice that Gurianov entered the night with a goal in each of his past four starts. He followed that streak up with a fifth on Saturday night with Nill in attendance and now has five goals and seven points in seven games this year.

The hot streak might be occurring at the perfect time for the young Russian winger. That’s because Dallas is in serious need of depth scoring at the moment.

After Benn, Seguin, and Radulov dominated the scoresheet through the first four games, the Dallas Stars have tallied only two goals in the past three games. Those goals have come from defenseman John Klingberg and second-line center Jason Spezza.

In other words, the depth scoring problem is still sticking out like a sore thumb for Dallas. It was one of the main pieces in their downfall during the 2017-18 year and looks as though it could severely cripple them for a second season in a row.

But if Gurianov enters the mix, he could have a chance to not only give the Stars a boost using his hot hand, but also to earn a second look for a roster spot. It would give him an extra shot of confidence in his game and give him a chance to continue producing on a large stage.

He’s got the size and speed to make an impact at the NHL level, but it all comes down to the mental aspect and whether he can make it happen or not.

Now, there’s no guarantee that the Dallas Stars call him up. Even though the current situation seems to favor a call up, there’s been no rumor that he is on the way. It’s simply speculation at this point.

If Dallas does bring him into the mix, though, it could turn into a beneficial endeavor.

And considering that the team is in need of a spark right now, why not give it a try?