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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Four Candidates In Search Of An Audience

Mike Heika offers a look at four coaches who could end up on the Stars’ short list. Plus, the Bolts close the deal, the Leafs extend their season, the Caps take a lead, and more.

The Dallas Stars media infrastructure is feeding the golfing-season news cycle with a pretty much continuous stream of speculation on the next head coach. Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News dives in with a look at four coaches who could find themselves on the organization’s short list.

One likely candidate is Grand Rapids Griffins bench boss Todd Nelson. A fixture in the Detroit Red Wings organization as both a player and coach, he enjoys the benefit of being already familiar to GM Jim Nill. And as the man who led the Griffins to the 2017 Calder Cup, he has recent success to recommend him:

Nelson, 48, won the AHL championship last season with Grand Rapids and has the Griffins back in the playoffs this season, so the Stars will have to be patient to interview him. Nelson likes to dictate play with an aggressive forecheck and doesn’t mind taking a few chances in the belief that controlling the puck can be a solid system of defense.

He also has been one of the few coaches to use five forwards on a power play, so he doesn’t mind thinking outside the box.

Boston University’s David Quinn could be an intriguing choice. The former Colorado Avalanche assistant has held positions in the NCAA and as bench boss of the AHL’s Lake Erie (now Cleveland) Monsters. He’s also worked in the USA Hockey development program and was just named head coach of the 2019 U.S. National Junior Team:

He...was named head coach at Boston University in 2013 and has been in that position for five seasons, leading BU to the NCAA tournament four times. Seen as detailed and inspiring, Quinn has helped send plenty of players to the NHL (among them Jack Eichel, Charlie McAvoy and Clayton Keller), so that could help in his transition if he is hired by an NHL team.

See who else made Mike’s list. [SportsDayDFW]

Pierre LeBrun had this to say about the (now apparently distant) possibility of a Bill Peters candidacy:

Around the League(s): Playoffs Edition

The Dirty Central was quiet – too quiet – yesterday. But the Avs and the Nashville Predators will resume the regularly scheduled Mutual Assured Destruction in Game 6 tonight at 6 p.m. CDT in Pepsi Center. [CBS Sports]

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning closed the deal with a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Game 5. Next up for the Bolts: the winner of the Boston Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs series.

And speaking of which, the Leafs are making a race of it with a 5-4 win over the Bruins in Game 5. They’ll return to Air Canada Centre for Game 6 tomorrow night.

Alex Prewitt takes you into the world of Zdeno Chara, and how the Bruins’ 41-year-old captain keeps his place among the league’s elite.

The Washington Capitals took their first series lead against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 4-3 overtime win in Nationwide Arena.

The Caps will have to make their play for second-round action without Andre Burakovsky. The star winger is out for the rest of the series after having minor surgery for an upper-body injury. [Associated Press via ESPN]

The 2018 Masterton Trophy race is officially a victory lap for Brian Boyle, but the Florida Panthers’ Roberto Luongo and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal also made the cut. Noticeably absent: the Stars’ Mattias Janmark, who lost 2016-17 to the rare congenital joint disorder osteochondritis dissecans and followed it up with a career year last season.

Sean Shapiro steps outside his Stars beat to explore the Texas hockey connection between Devils teammates (and former Planoites) Blake Coleman and Stefan Noesen.

Meanwhile, in the future: Seattle’s incipient expansion team could suffer unnecessarily just because they’re not the Vegas Golden Knights, writes Ken Campbell.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park (and Beautiful Boise)

The Texas Stars are in the Inland Empire, playing Game 3 against the Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings) today at 5 p.m. CDT. But you can join an official watch party if you’re down in Austin Metro.

Meanwhile, the Idaho Steelheads came through on Friday night to force Game 5 against the Allen Americans (San Jose Sharks). For North Texas fans, that means at least one more chance to catch the Stars’ ECHL team at the Allen Event Center, tonight at 6:05 p.m. CDT.

Finally

One of the Stars’ most popular alumni celebrated a birthday yesterday. Pour one out for Eddie the Eagle – and enjoy

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