Well, we have officially reached the end of the offseason with training camp starting tomorrow morning at the Comerica Center. The Dallas Stars are currently undergoing media day by getting their pictures taken and doing stuff for in-arena videos. While all that was going on, reporters spoke with theDallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill and Head Coach Glen Gulutzan about the upcoming season. Here are some of the quotes from both Nill and Gulutzan's interviews.
Dallas Stars Media Day: Contract Talks
One of the main questions that Nill answered was the contract extensions of Thomas Harley and Jason Robertson. Nill said that both players are priorities and that things are in a holding pattern because agents and teams are trying to determine the market before contracts get offered. It doesn't surprise me that's where negotiations are right now. The last thing a player wants to do is quickly accept an offer, and another guy gets more money.
Both Harley and Robertson are vital parts of the organization, and Jim Nill wants to make sure that both players get paid what they deserve. Nill preached patience while the negotiations are underway with both players. Things might not really happen until next offseason, with how busy the schedule is this season with the Olympics happening this year. It's not going ot happen overnight unless something really develops.
Dallas Stars Media Day: Mavrik and Nils
Two players that Gulutzan said who needed to up their game this season are Nils Lundkvist and Mavrik Bourque. He is going to give them ample minutes to prove to him that they belong on the roster. With all the offseason losses this summer, both of these guys need to take their game to the next level. The Stars won't do much without their contributions to the team and the organization. If both players want to stick around for a while, it's time to step up or shut up this season.
Dallas Stars Media Day: Line Shuffling
Gulutzan also said that he plans to shuffle players around in the lineup until he finds the perfect line combinations this preseason. It sounds like a plan because the Stars have all this unique talent on their roster, and it's not going to shine if they aren't paired with the right players. I can't wait to see what Gulutzan's line combinations will be for opening night in October. Those are the main things that were brought up during media day. Happy Training Camp Eve, everybody.