Some of the hype, rumors, and flat out pipe dreams of the NHL free agency have come to fruition and some have fizzled out. With the announcement of New York Islander Captain John Tavares headed to Toronto, the hunt to sign is back underway.
Scoreboard
The Dallas Stars have proven they have no problem getting the puck in the net. The first line of the team is undeniable one of the top lines in the league. Jaimie Benn, Tyler Seguin have been a veritable Dynamic Duo that rivals that of DC Comics Batman and Robin. A foodie would say peanut butter and jelly of sorts. They go together like tuna fish and duct tape for the NASCAR fans. You get the idea. Bottom line the two of them make brilliant combination. The hurdle we found ourselves with at the end of the 2017 season was keeping the other team from scoring more.
Defense Questions
AllStar John Klingberg did a phenomenal job on the ice. The support for team while Klingberg was off ice, well, it left a few things to be warranted. The highly sought after Ottawa Senator Marc Methot was added to roster last season. Great for team. Great for morale. However, the health of Methot didn’t hold up. He was riddled with injury and therefore missed some very important games. Goalie Benn Bishop finished the season with a .916 SV% with a respectable 2.49 Goal Against Average. In the defense didn’t hold up, and unfortunately the Dallas Stars missed the playoffs.
Defense Answers
Two huge additions were made on the defense side of puck, back up goalie from Boston Bruins, Anton Khudobin and defenseman from the Toronto Maple Leafs Roman Polka.
Anton Khudobin landed a 2 year contract with Stars hockey club to play goalie behind Ben Bishop. Bringing a record from the 2017 season of 16-6-7 with a 2.56 GAA and .913 save percentage, this seasoned vet from Bean-Town looks to be a perfect fit to Ben-Town.
Roman Polak, a 12 year veteran in the NHL, was signed to a 1 year deal. Standing 6ft 2in, and at 235 lbs, this native of Ostrava Czechoslovakia is expected to bring a huge physical aspect to the Dallas Stars. Roman Polak lead Toronto during post season with 17 blocked shots and a respectable 24 hits.
Other notable additions
The Stars announced Sunday the return of forward Valeri Nichushkin back into the line up. This 23 year old landed a 2 year contract worth $5.9 million.
From Colorado, Blake Comeau 3 yrs, $7.2 million, LA left wing Micheal Mersh 2 yrs, Arizona Coyote Joel Hanley 1 yr, and from Tampa Bay right wing Erik Condra.
This weekend has been very eventful for Stars fans and across the entire NHL. We’ve seen a lot of moves made with plenty talent still available, I’m certain there will be more excitement to come.
