Happy Monday everyone! I hope you enjoyed some good soccer/tennis/baseball/summer yesterday. This is definitely the quiet part of the hockey year and as such we’ll be switching to a M/W/F Links schedule for a little bit. So while they will be less frequent, they will be more jam packed with Link-y goodness. Anyways, have a great week!
As has been discussed ad nauseam, goaltender has not been a position of strength for the Stars for much of the last decade or so. While things have been looking up (crossing my “stay healthy” fingers) lately, after Marty Turco left many would posit that one of the main reasons the Stars have missed the playoffs 8 out of the last 10 years is because of who was between the pipes. The future might not be quite as bleak, however:
Colton Point and Jake Oettinger give the Dallas Stars hope for a bright future at goaltender.
On July 1, Point, selected by Dallas in the fifth round (No. 128) of the 2016 NHL Draft, signed a three-year, entry-level contract rather than return to Colgate University for his junior season. Oettinger, selected by the Stars in the first round (No. 26) in the 2017 draft, will return to Boston University for his junior season.
The apparent stability that the Stars have in the crease for the time being will allow Point and Oettinger time to develop and be ready for when the team needs to move on:
The two prospects should have time to develop: Starting goaltender Ben Bishop, 31, heads into the second year of a six-year, $29.5 million contract and will be backed up by Anton Khudobin, who signed a two-year, $5 million contract with Dallas on July 1 after leaving the Boston Bruins as an unrestricted free agent.
See more from Jeff Miller at the NHL’s main site. [NHL]
Stars Stuff
He wasn’t with the Stars for long, but he was great when he was here (and everywhere else):
Wow. Someone put together “Dave Strader’s Greatest NHL Calls”. Truly the best. @TheVoiceDS #straderstrong #NHL #hockeyhalloffame https://t.co/JJrNRl3Xoy
— Trevor Strader (@tstrader4) July 15, 2018
Around the League
Terrible news out of Canada today. Ray Emery getting into a goalie fight with a giant smile on his face is one of the greatest all-time highlights:
We are saddened by the news of Ray Emery’s passing. Our condolences go out to Ray’s family and friends. https://t.co/nMNCdJQSyY pic.twitter.com/Pjy2QwcuB8
— NHL (@NHL) July 15, 2018
Oliver Bjorkstrand re-upped with the Blue Jackets yesterday. [NHL]
Phillip Danault got a nice little 3-year deal from the Canadiens:
The @CanadiensMTL have agreed to terms on a new three-year contract with Phillip Danault
Keep up to date on the latest key signings right here
→ https://t.co/to7rfjplkM pic.twitter.com/q0Ph4RPADR— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) July 15, 2018
Jared Clinton takes a look at 5 guys who could become very rich soon, including our one and only Tyler Seguin:
Five other upcoming UFAs who could follow Fleury by inking big-money extensions, writes @THNJaredClinton https://t.co/QAZT5y8rFm pic.twitter.com/yAB3vpakmq
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) July 15, 2018
In brief: nope!:
Do the Hawks have the space to land a big-named player like Max Pacioretty or Erik Karlsson? pic.twitter.com/CPNxFYZsMR
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 16, 2018
(It’s a slow news day): I always had an irrational hatred of Scott Niedermayer. I think it was just because he was on the Devils:
“For them to honor me in that way means a lot.”
Scott Niedermayer will become the 8th player in NHL history to have his number retired by 2 teams as the @AnaheimDucks will raise #27 to the rafters in February. #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/T1s0GrsWVx
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 15, 2018
This is the only acceptable way to play golf:
This man is a legend. @TJOshie77 pic.twitter.com/8CdAJgEYf5
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) July 15, 2018