Dallas Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski has taken a lot of heat the last couple years. The immediate returns for Dallas on the midseason 2010-11 trade that sent Goligoski to Dallas from Pittsburgh in exchange for James Neal and Matt Niskanen were positive ones. In the seasons since then, however, the trade has been lopsided in Pittsburgh's favor.
When Goligoski first came to Dallas, he gave the team a much-needed spark on the power play and racked up five goals and 15 points in 23 games after the deal. The team missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, but the play of the undersized American defenseman down the stretch was one of the reasons the team even got close.
Things went downhill in the next two seasons.
Goligoski struggled with injuries and inconsistency in first half of the 2011-12 campaign but stepped up his play in the second half to finish the season with nine goals and 30 points in 71 games. Once again, the Stars' playoff hopes came down to the final week of the season and the club fell short.
In last year's lockout shortened season, Goligoski got off to a slow start. Then-coach Glen Gulutzan made him a healthy scratch in one game before Goligoski started to round back into form. He played reasonably well offensively thereafter -- finishing the season with 27 points but just three goals -- but was victimized defensively on several key losses down the stretch of the season. For the third straight year, the Stars entered the regular season's final week with a chance at the playoffs. For the third time, the club missed out.
This season under new head coach Lindy Ruff, Goligoski opened the year paired with another offensive-minded veteran defenseman, Sergei Gonchar. To say the pairing did not work out was an understatement. They were a defensive nightmare and Goligoski wasn't producing any offense from the back end, either.
Through the first nine games of the season, Goligoski was held pointless and posted an unsightly minus-10 rating. Just as Gulutzan did last season, Ruff scratched Goligoski for one game. Upon his return, the coach mercifully broke up the unsuccessful experiment of playing Goligoski in conjunction with Gonchar.
In the 18 games that have followed, Goligoski has quietly been one of most reliable Stars. He's posted a pair of goals, nine points, and a plus-13 rating at even strength. Goligoski has gotten back to using his strengths -- his skating, passing and shot -- and is an important cog in triggering the breakout.
With the recent injury losses of Stephane Robidas (fractured right leg) for four-to-six months and Trevor Daley (high ankle sprain) for about a month, the 28-year-old Goligoski has become even more important to Dallas.
First of all, he and Gonchar are the only experienced NHL defensemen currently skating regular shifts for the Stars. Secondly, Goligoski is eating a lot of minutes. He's played 30:13 and 27:31 in the last two games. Get used to seeing those sorts of heavy-duty TOI totals for awhile.
In Saturday's game against Philadelphia, Goligoski played one of his best games of the season, despite the team's continued futility on the power play. He made some outstanding passes out of own zone, a couple good pinches on plays and a tough keep at the point at even strength. At the end of the day, he had compiled a pair of assists and a plus-four in the Stars' 5-1 win.
Goligoski is never going to be a shutdown defenseman. He's always going to have to be paired with a taller and bigger-framed partner to balance off his lack of size. Even so, when he plays the way he did against the Flyers, he is still a highly effective player.
For the Stars (14-9-5) to stay in the Western Conference race for the long haul, the club is probably going to need to seek a little more help on the blueline. In the interim, the team is going to rely on burgeoning Brenden Dillon to be its main shutdown defenseman and on Goligoski to be the primary puck mover.
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