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Dallas Stars Blogger •
Another game, and another uninspiring loss.
In virtually any profession when things aren't going well it generally helps to go back to basics. The same logic applies to sports, and it especially applies to hockey. Get the puck, dump the puck, establish the forecheck, and get the puck towards the net. The KISS method would do the Stars some good.
The physical game is nonexistant at this point. I don't know if the Stars can simply say "we need to establish a forecheck". The problem is deeper than that. The fire is out for some reason, and the cop out that the new system is causing it doesn't cut it. We know something is broken. Mike Ribeiro looks uncomfortable, the defense isn't covering anyone, the power play sucks, they don't hit anyone, they have no forecheck, and they don't win nearly enough board battles.
We all know the issues at this point. All of the issues were in play last night against the Coyotes despite the one powerplay goal. Rehashing them and coming to the same conclusions about what needs to happen internally for improvement would be boring for you to read, and boring for me to write.
At this point we know the defense needs help long-term. The forward group has gobs of talent, but they are missing that physical force. What do they have to spare? They have forward depth that could interest other teams. If you really wanted to get crazy you could move a Mike Ribeiro. Steve Ott would interest some other clubs, but if he gets back on track he can help the Stars immensely. Neal, Richards, Eriksson, Modano, Lehtinen, Morrow, Wandell, and Benn are forwards that I can't imagine will move.
What that leaves us with is Fabian Brunnstrom. He has been playing well with Tom Wandell, and if he continues to improve and get his hands dirty he will be a really good player in the NHL. However he could be more valuable to another team which is why in the past few days we've heard his name pop up in trade rumors. Nashville, Carolina, and Pittsburgh have all been publicly connected to Fabian, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find out that 4-5 more teams are interested. He has the talent to be a top notch player, and the Stars know it.
How much value does he have on the market though? The Stars have no reason to move Fabian so they would need to improve the roster in a meaningful way or improve the prospect depth. I don't think you can trade Brunnstrom and improve the forward mix without involving another top 9 forward. The logical place to look for improvement would be on the backend, but good draft picks, a goalie prospect, and good value in general could all be considerations I suppose.
Carolina, for me, isn't much of a match. The Penguins and Predators however could be interesting. Both organizations have solid defensive depth in prospects, but their availability is probably questionable at best. Does Pittsburgh move Simon Despres in a deal for Brunnstrom? Do the Predators move Jon Blum, Ryan Ellis, or Charles-Olivier Roussel? These are the type of prospect names that would interest the Stars, but they probably aren't available.
Both organizations have younger defenders on the active roster too. Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski are patrolling the blueline for the Penguins. Cody Franson, Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter, and Shea Weber would be the Predators young guys. Goligoski and Letang are both very talented, but neither player addresses the defensive issues in any meaningful way. Goligoski I could see being available, but I can't imagine Letang being available. I can't imagine any scenario where Shea Weber would be available either, and I have a hard time seeing a scenario where Ryan Suter would be moved. Weber or Suter would be amazing additions to any team, but they're too good and young to be moved I would think.
The one guy on the Penguins or Predators pro rosters that I could see being moved is Dan Hamhuis. He theoretically can be a very good defender in the league, but he has struggled to reach the full potential the Predators saw in him when they took him 12 overall in 2001. He is in a unique situation in Nashville. The Predators never spend much money. Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are much better defenders. That duo plus Hamhuis combines to make 10 million dollars this year, and Hamhuis is about to be a UFA. Teams with little cash will generally horde the prospects, and moving Hamhuis opens up another roster spot for a young defender. Hamhuis has also struggled this season on a pairing with Kevin Klein, otherwise I doubt he would be available. Fabian and Hamhuis are virtually a wash salary-wise also.
Dan Hamhuis is the one NHLer on any of the three rumored teams that I could see moving, and I think adding him to the Stars roster could have a positive impact. The Stars don't have to make a move though so unless they get what they feel is fair value no move has to be made. I don't think anything is imminent because of that, but I wouldn't rule anything out either. The Stars are clearly missing something, and whatever it is isn't going to come from within. We'll see if anything happens. The Stars don't play again until Wed. so Joe Nieuwendyk has some down time.
josh.lile@hockeybuzz.com
In virtually any profession when things aren't going well it generally helps to go back to basics. The same logic applies to sports, and it especially applies to hockey. Get the puck, dump the puck, establish the forecheck, and get the puck towards the net. The KISS method would do the Stars some good.
The physical game is nonexistant at this point. I don't know if the Stars can simply say "we need to establish a forecheck". The problem is deeper than that. The fire is out for some reason, and the cop out that the new system is causing it doesn't cut it. We know something is broken. Mike Ribeiro looks uncomfortable, the defense isn't covering anyone, the power play sucks, they don't hit anyone, they have no forecheck, and they don't win nearly enough board battles.
We all know the issues at this point. All of the issues were in play last night against the Coyotes despite the one powerplay goal. Rehashing them and coming to the same conclusions about what needs to happen internally for improvement would be boring for you to read, and boring for me to write.
At this point we know the defense needs help long-term. The forward group has gobs of talent, but they are missing that physical force. What do they have to spare? They have forward depth that could interest other teams. If you really wanted to get crazy you could move a Mike Ribeiro. Steve Ott would interest some other clubs, but if he gets back on track he can help the Stars immensely. Neal, Richards, Eriksson, Modano, Lehtinen, Morrow, Wandell, and Benn are forwards that I can't imagine will move.
What that leaves us with is Fabian Brunnstrom. He has been playing well with Tom Wandell, and if he continues to improve and get his hands dirty he will be a really good player in the NHL. However he could be more valuable to another team which is why in the past few days we've heard his name pop up in trade rumors. Nashville, Carolina, and Pittsburgh have all been publicly connected to Fabian, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find out that 4-5 more teams are interested. He has the talent to be a top notch player, and the Stars know it.
How much value does he have on the market though? The Stars have no reason to move Fabian so they would need to improve the roster in a meaningful way or improve the prospect depth. I don't think you can trade Brunnstrom and improve the forward mix without involving another top 9 forward. The logical place to look for improvement would be on the backend, but good draft picks, a goalie prospect, and good value in general could all be considerations I suppose.
Carolina, for me, isn't much of a match. The Penguins and Predators however could be interesting. Both organizations have solid defensive depth in prospects, but their availability is probably questionable at best. Does Pittsburgh move Simon Despres in a deal for Brunnstrom? Do the Predators move Jon Blum, Ryan Ellis, or Charles-Olivier Roussel? These are the type of prospect names that would interest the Stars, but they probably aren't available.
Both organizations have younger defenders on the active roster too. Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski are patrolling the blueline for the Penguins. Cody Franson, Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter, and Shea Weber would be the Predators young guys. Goligoski and Letang are both very talented, but neither player addresses the defensive issues in any meaningful way. Goligoski I could see being available, but I can't imagine Letang being available. I can't imagine any scenario where Shea Weber would be available either, and I have a hard time seeing a scenario where Ryan Suter would be moved. Weber or Suter would be amazing additions to any team, but they're too good and young to be moved I would think.
The one guy on the Penguins or Predators pro rosters that I could see being moved is Dan Hamhuis. He theoretically can be a very good defender in the league, but he has struggled to reach the full potential the Predators saw in him when they took him 12 overall in 2001. He is in a unique situation in Nashville. The Predators never spend much money. Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are much better defenders. That duo plus Hamhuis combines to make 10 million dollars this year, and Hamhuis is about to be a UFA. Teams with little cash will generally horde the prospects, and moving Hamhuis opens up another roster spot for a young defender. Hamhuis has also struggled this season on a pairing with Kevin Klein, otherwise I doubt he would be available. Fabian and Hamhuis are virtually a wash salary-wise also.
Dan Hamhuis is the one NHLer on any of the three rumored teams that I could see moving, and I think adding him to the Stars roster could have a positive impact. The Stars don't have to make a move though so unless they get what they feel is fair value no move has to be made. I don't think anything is imminent because of that, but I wouldn't rule anything out either. The Stars are clearly missing something, and whatever it is isn't going to come from within. We'll see if anything happens. The Stars don't play again until Wed. so Joe Nieuwendyk has some down time.
josh.lile@hockeybuzz.com
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