Rest of NHL catching up to trendsetting Stars

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This article was published 26/10/2016 (3261 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DALLAS — Not so long ago, the Dallas Stars were trendsetters — the vanguard of a fresh emphasis on speed and offence in hockey.

How quickly things change in a copycat league such as the NHL.

“I don’t think we’re ahead of (the transition) — we’re even with it now,” said Stars GM Jim Nill Tuesday night.

“Everyone’s caught up and everyone’s figured out how certain teams have played and had success and we’re starting to see it more and more.”

That doesn’t mean Nill has given up on winning titles, however. After all, the Stars’ arsenal includes Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, perhaps the most lethal forward combo in the game.

“We’re an exciting team,” said Nill. “We have high-end talent and there will be some exciting moments but we pride ourselves that if we play the right way, we’re not giving up that many chances… I really think the league has adapted a lot. Pittsburgh won the (Stanley) Cup and teams are starting to adapt that way.”

Nill’s club, coming off a Central Division title last season, is 3-2-1 entering tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre.

The Stars are struggling to survive a slew of injuries to key personnel. Forwards Patrick Sharp (concussion), Jason Spezza (undisclosed), Jiri Hudler (illness), Ales Hemsky (groin), Cody Eakin (knee) and Mattias Janmark (knee) were all out of the lineup Tuesday when the Stars beat the visiting Winnipeg Jets 3-2.

“We had a tough training camp,” said Nill. “Jamie (Benn) had the (core muscle) surgery and was probably 50 per cent for training camp. He only played one exhibition game. Tyler (Seguin) missed all of training camp (with a hairline fracture in a heel) and we lost two guys the first two days of camp. We lost Eakin and then Janmark. Eakins is out for six, seven weeks and Janmark is probably done for the year.”

For now, Nill has no plans to seek a remedy via trade.

“You gotta be careful,” he said. “I want to wait and see what we’ve got here first. I believe in these players and they believe in themselves. And we’re going to get guys back. Sharp’s going to get back, Hudler’s going to get (healthy).”

The goalie equation

‘Really, to start the year, they’ve probably been our two MVPs. So that’s kinda calmed the waters’– Stars GM Jim Nill

Nill has heard the grousing about his expensive goalie tandem.

Veterans Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi, who carry annual cap hits of US$5.9 million and US$4.5 million, respectively, are not generally considered elite puckstoppers. Nill doesn’t seem to care about perception.

“That was a big question mark all summer, and my response is something had to go right because we finished second in the league (last season) and they both had 25 wins,” said Nill. “Really, to start the year, they’ve probably been our two MVPs. So that’s kind of calmed the waters.”

Lehtonen’s meltdown in Game 7 of a second-round series loss to the St. Louis Blues last spring was memorable.

“Kari Lehtonen had a tough night and everybody remembers that and nobody remembers the game before that he won by himself against St. Louis,” said Nill.

outdoors in Big D?

If you include an expansion franchise starting up in Las Vegas next season, the Stars are one of nine NHL teams that have never participated in an outdoor game.

Nill is hoping to change that.

“We’ve talked about it,” he said. “It’s different down south, but we do have AT&T Stadium here (home of the NFL’s Cowboys) and the Cotton Bowl — there’s options. So, if there’s something down the road, it’s in the league’s hands. We’d be very open to it.”

The Stars, who moved to Texas from Minneapolis prior to the 1993-94 season, are a going concern in Dallas. The club had a 26-game sellout streak at American Airlines Center before falling just shy of a sellout with the Jets visiting Tuesday. Five straight non-playoff seasons between 2008-09 and 2012-13 were a tremendous drag on attendance.

Now, in Nill’s fourth year at the helm, the team has a passionate, growing fan base.

“Our attendance has been very good,” said Nill. “Our season-ticket base… grew from 4,000 to 11-12,000 now. We’ve got the hockey buzz back. We’ve got an exciting team. The youth hockey is really growing… I think hockey’s back on the map.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14