In their moments of desperation, the Canadiens’ players could call their fellow Dallas Stars to find a listening ear.
Like the CH this summer, the Stars surprised the hockey world with an unlikely appearance in the Stanley Cup final in 2020.
And like the Canadian, nothing has been going well in Dallas since. The Stars missed the playoffs by four points last year. They sit sixth in the Central section this fall with a 3-4-2 record, but no regular wins.
Nothing, however, foreshadowed such a crush, with this beautiful amalgamation of veterans in the prime of life and young people.
But much like the Canadiens this year, key Stars players have been lost after this long run in the playoffs. Number one center Tyler Seguin has played just three games, his winger Alexander Radulov, 11. And like Montreal, Dallas lost Corey Perry’s leadership and timely goals after reaching the final.
In the absence of Seguin and Radulov, the youngsters took pole last year. Roope Hintz, 24, held the position of first center and amassed 43 points in 41 games. Jason Robertson, 21 last season, was one of the NHL’s top rookies with 45 points, including 17 goals, in 51 games. Denis Gurianov, then 23, a first-round pick, 12e in total, in 2015, continued to produce as part of an attacking trio. Unfortunately, that was not enough.
Seguin and Radulov have made a comeback this year, but the youngsters are down. Hintz has a meager assist in nine games. Gurianov had one goal in eight games before being dropped from the squad in the team’s most recent game. Robertson has only appeared in three games due to injury, but he’s not causing as much concern as the other two.
We would like to see the Ty Dellandrea center, 13e Total picks in 2018 unlock, but he was fired in the American League at the dawn of the season and he amassed just one point in seven games with the Texas Stars. Dellandrea was drafted one row ahead of Flyers Joel Farabee. But he is only 21 years old and we will have to wait a little longer before sticking a label on him.
We would like a better offensive production from captain Jamie Benn, but at 32, he will never be the 87 or 89 point player he once was.
Rare ray of light in Dallas, the performance of defenseman Miro Heiskanen, 22 and third overall in 2017. He is the team’s best scorer with seven points in nine games and he averages 25:21, two minutes of more than the second in this regard, Ryan Suter.
The other two members of this famous top 3 in defense, John Klingberg and Esa Lindell, are no more than a shadow of themselves. They have two points to two in 15 games.
In such a context, it is easy to understand why the Stars have the worst offense in the League (1.89 goals scored on average per game), ahead of the Arizona Coyotes (1.30) and behind the Canadian (2.00 ).
The Stars, however, have an efficiency rate of 22% in numerical superiority, which says a lot about their productivity in numerical equality …
Hoping to create some offense, Dallas just offered a promotion to 20-year-old attacking defenseman Thomas Harley, 18.e choice in total in 2019, three ranks after Cole Caufield to locate you.
“He can help us create offense,” Rick Bowness told reporters in Dallas this week. Suter, Klingberg, Lindell and Heiskanen will still play a lot, but we’ll see with him. We have a hard time scoring and he’s an attacking defender. He will help us. “
No, playing in the Stanley Cup Final is not a sign of long-term prosperity. And youth development remains a very inexact science …
The feat of the day
PHOTO JOHN E. SOKOLOWSKI, USA TODAY SPORTS
Auston matthews
After being limited to a single goal in his first six games, Auston Matthews scored two on Wednesday and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0. Toronto is starting to emerge. With three consecutive victories, the Leafs join Tampa in second place in the Atlantic section, while the Red Wings slowly slide down…
Quote of the day
When I played my first game with the Predators in 2005, I could never have dreamed of seeing my jersey retired 16 years later. This is the ultimate individual recognition. I thank the Predators organization and the city of Nashville. I can’t wait to celebrate this moment with my family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff and fans.
Goalkeeper Pekka Rinne, whose jersey removal ceremony will take place on February 24.
2004 eighth-round pick, Rinne comes to 19e rank in history in terms of victories with 369, ahead of Tom Barrasso and Carey Price. He played his 13 seasons in Nashville.
The number of the day: 0
The Arizona Coyotes lost 3-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. Their number of victories this season: 0. Number of points in ten games of their best defender last year, Jakob Chychrun (41 points in 56 games): 0. Painful reconstruction.
To read
1- Laurent Duvernay-Tardif gets closer to Montreal, with this exchange that sends him from Kansas City to New York. The details of Miguel Bujold.
2- Kevin Gilmore’s record as president of CF Montreal is not brilliant, writes Alexandre Pratt.
3- In a lengthy press conference, Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff explained why he did not resign even though he was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks management during the assault on Kyle Beach. Katherine Harvey-Pinard explains.