One of the great things about doing Links is that people often help me out by tossing an interesting and (usually) pertinent link my way in time for its inclusion in these daily little vittles. This is great because teamwork makes everyone stronger and all that garbage, but it’s also great because it means I basically have other people doing my job and I get credit for it.
With that in mind, thanks to denniso for the heads up on this interview with Esa Lindell from Hockeysfuture.com. Here’s a portion of it:
Dallas Stars prospect Esa Lindell is coming off a career year in which the 6’3″, 200 pound defenseman put up 14 goals and 35 points in 57 games. This was good enough to not only earn him a spot on Team Finland at the 2015 IIHF World Championship, but also got him a cup of coffee with the AHL’s Texas Stars to conclude the season.
Lindell’s World Championship was a good one, as he chipped in a goal and six assists to go along with a +5 rating. After a surprise loss to the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, Esa spoke to Hockey’s Future.
Hockey’s Future: Ice hockey legend Jaromir Jagr got the better of Team Finland tonight. What are your thoughts now that the tournament is over?
Esa Lindell: I am just empty. So empty. The Czechs played very well and I can’t say much to that. Just drained now. If you don’t count this game, it has been a good tournament for Finland. After the initial loss to the USA, we had I think four shutouts in a row. Then we won two tight contests to get to the playoffs. We played pretty good just about every game, but today it wasn’t enough.
*snip*
HF: So that means that heading over to the Stars is the plan. Your Finnish teammate, Jyrki Jokipaaka, plays for the Dallas Stars. What has he told you about life in the organization and Stateside?
EL: He’s told me about life in Dallas and in Austin. He’s played and lived in both. I’ve also seen things now, because I played five games with the Texas Stars at the end of the year to get a feel for things there. I really like that they play simple, straight-forward hockey. The guys there treated me very well. It’s a nice place.
There’s a bit more there (and some other interviews as well), so give it a li’l ol’ read, hmm?
Esa Lindell may not go all Klingberg on us this fall–really, we have no right to expect anyone to do that again, ever–but the Stars’ defensive cupboard is pretty stocked right now, and it likely will remain so even after the roster shakes out come next September. Lindell’s skillset is tilted a bit towards the hockey boomstick right now, as evidenced by the Finnish power play doing nothing but feeding him throughout Worlds. That’s okay, though, because you really cannot have too many solid, large, offensively capable defensemen. Lindell is already quite good, and he’s still going to get better, because defensemen take time to develop and stuff. After all, that’s why Ekblad deserves the Calder for #doingwhathedidatsoyounganage and everything, right?
I’m going to be out for the next few days, so be nice to your new Links babysitters. You’re all grounded if I hear one word about any fighting or arguing while I’m gone.
Some goofball named Josh talks about his first Stars playoff memory from 1997 over at [WFAA]
Another great game last night, although defense was more or less optional this time around. The Lightning proved themselves worthy of the title “Dallas East” (except for that they’re in the playoffs and all) as they pulled a 6-5 overtime victory out of their first home game in the Western Conference Final. [NHL]
There are lots of fun numbers from the Chicago/Anaheim marathon Tuesday night. Kimmo Timonen did not play very much hockey. [TSN]
Mike Babcock is going to be with the Maple Leaf Hockey Club for eight years, or less if they fire him. Buffalo misses out on their second big target of the offseason, which probably feeds their martyr complex just fine. [Detroit News]
No, seriously, Buffalo really are not thrilled about how the Babcock thing went down. “But…but…we had a deal!” [Pro Hockey Talk]
The Boston Bruins have a new GM, and he is their old assistant GM, Don Sweeney. Claude Julien continues to sweat, but let’s be honest, you know he’s gone either this year or next. [Boston Globe]
Ottawa have extended the Hamburglar, which means that (probably) Robin Lehner is not long for that wretched place. [SI]
Meanwhile, Philly decided to sign a 32-year-old Russian defenseman. Their blue line needs help, but…well, I guess we will see. [Philly.com]
Our friends over at In Lou we Trust are getting ready to publish bushels of passing data, and they’ve tracked the Stars as well as many other teams. Should be fascinating stuff to keep an eye on. [ILWT]
Finally, a former Devils icon is joining St. Louis as an assistant GM, and it is Martin Brodeur:
