Tuesday Links: Stars Say Goodbye to Adam Cracknell

When Adam Cracknell was placed on waivers on Sunday, many fans were left scratching their heads. The forward had been one of the few bright spots in last year’s abysmal campaign, and the move seemed like a potential knee-jerk reaction to the team’s 0-2-0 start this season.

Now that Cracknell has been claimed off of waivers by the New York Rangers, where former Stars head coach Lindy Ruff is now an assistant, he’s looking forward to the next chapter of his career, even if it sounds a bit familiar to him.

"It's exciting. I know it's an opportunity for me again. It's kind of the story of my career, and I've got to take advantage of it again," Cracknell said. "Obviously, I wanted to be here, but at the end of the day, this is part of the job. I've got to go there and adjust and play my game again, and help the team win."

One of the reasons for the move was to get more speed in the lineup, as Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock feels the pace of today’s game is faster than ever before. The real question now is who earns the call up from Texas, as several players on the team have had excellent starts to the AHL season.

"There are a number of players who are playing awfully well down there who have a really strong dynamic," Hitchcock said. "They had great camps, so there is going to be a tough choice. You can't be wrong if you are picking one of the four guys. There are some players there, based on training camp and exhibition games, that deserved to start the year with us."

You can read more about what Cracknell’s departure means for the Stars’ lineup in Mike Heika’s piece here.

Mark Stepneski talks a bit about Cracknell as well as providing lines and injury updates. [NHL]

Sean Shapiro predicted Cracknell getting claimed by New York yesterday morning, plus explains why he was waived to begin with. [Wrong Side of the Red Line]

Hitchcock and Marc Methot talk to the media about the slow start:

The Stars look to rebound today against the Detroit Red Wings; here’s Mark Stepneski with preview of the game: [NHL]

It might seem weird, but today is Trevor Daley’s first game in Dallas since he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2015. [Detroit Free Press]

If you’re worried about any emergency call-ups disrupting the Texas Stars, you have no need to worry:

Miro Heiskanen is playing hockey again, and is just one of the many Stars’ prospects off to a strong start. [NHL]

Well that’s one way to spend time with your new linemate:

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Around the League

Scott Burnside gives his first power rankings since the season started, praising the Vegas Golden Knights for their strong start while putting Dallas low on the totem poll. [NHL]

DownGoesBrown meanwhile places less emphasis on current record, placing Vegas in the bottom five and keeping Dallas out. [Sportsnet]

Hard to argue with the NHL’s three stars of the week:

What’s more impressive than Alex Ovechkin’s seven goals in two games? How he got those goals to begin with, plus his all around improved offensive play. [Fanrag Sports]

Jared Clinton compares Ovechkin’s strong start to ten other players from the past 30 years in the NHL. [The Hockey News]

The Leafs-Blackhawks game last night did not disappoint, as Matthews gave Toronto a 4-3 win over Chicago in overtime.

Colorado Avalanche legend Peter Forsberg had some very choice words concerning the Matt Duchene situation:

Colorado later proceeded to beat the Boston Bruins 4-0, after which Duchene shrugged off Forsberg’s comments and insisted he’s just focused on playing well for his team and having fun. [NHL]

J.T. Brown has received some harsh backlash following his anthem protest on Saturday. [The Hockey News]

We have yet another goalie trade on our hands, though the return for this one is much less clear:

Speaking of roster moves, the Arizona Coyotes have sent down Dylan Strome to the AHL. [NBC Sports]

Whether you agree with him or not, Sidney Crosby doesn’t think attending the White House has anything to do with politics.

Finally, Vladmir Shipachyov is surprisingly still not on the Golden Knights’ NHL roster. Our friends over at Knights on Ice explain the situation: [Knights on Ice]