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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Denis Gurianov’s Future

Posted on by Tyler Mair

The Dallas Stars have several pending restricted free agents to decide upon this offseason. A couple of them — Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger — are in for a nice payday, but perhaps the most intriguing one is Denis Gurianov.

The 2015 first round draft pick has always been a divisive player, adored by many fans for his offensive flair but a source of frustration for the Stars’ coaching staff:

…there’s often such a divide between those on the outside watching Gurianov and those inside the organization, particularly the coaching staff. The tangible traits you see from Gurianov on the ice can be captivating. They simply stick out more than missed assignments or mental lapses that aren’t always vividly evident in a sport that’s fast-paced and has so many moving parts.

When those lapses happen, though, Gurianov not only hurts himself but he starts to limit the players sharing the ice with him

There’s not really a question as to whether or not the Stars give him a qualifying offer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they plan on keeping him. If the team is ready to move on, they could opt to trade him:

The decision that needs to be made is whether Gurianov is most valuable to the franchise on the ice in a Stars jersey or as a trade chip. The Stars need to make a decision this summer, but that doesn’t have to be the end. It could be a topic worth discussing before next season’s trade deadline or again next summer.

You can read more from Saad Yousuf here.

Stars Stories

Over the weekend, Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen won gold with Team Finland at the World Championship:

On Monday, Stars prospect Mavrik Borque scored in overtime to extend the Shawinigan Cataractes’ season:

Similarly, Wyatt Johnston and the Windsor Spitfires staved off elimination to force a Game 7:

Unfortunately, Logan Stankoven’s incredible playoff run — including four hat tricks — is over, as the Kamloops Blazers fell in Game 7:

Around the League

The Conference Finals started with a bang, as the Colorado Avalanche squashed a late comeback by the Edmonton Oilers, winning 8-6:

It was an electrifying game featuring two of the best players in the league, and there’s still more to come:

Don’t expect as many goals tonight, however, as Andrei Vasilevskiy the Tampa Bay Lightning takes on Igor Shesterkin the New York Rangers.

Down Goes Brown offers his thoughts on what teams should takeaway from this year’s final four teams:

On the other side of the spectrum, the Montreal Canadiens are sticking with Martin St. Louis as head coach:

Speaking of the Candiens, they’re expected to pick Shane Wright first overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, but Corey Pronman has a different player ranked number 1…

Finally, in women’s hockey news, the Toronto Six have a new general manager:

Talking Points