So the Stars have inked another promising young defenseman to an entry-level contract, as Finnish prospect Esa Lindell signed a three-year deal with the Stars. Lindell was drafted by the Stars in the third round of the 2012 draft, after posting impressive numbers with Jokerit in the Finnish Elite Junior League during the 2011-2012 season. And by impressive, I mean he led the league in scoring with 51 points in 48 games.
The following season saw a drop in his production as he bounced around between Juniors, 2nd Division, and debuted with Jokerit in the Elite League. This past year saw him play the entire season with Jokerit, and, although his production slipped off with the move to the Elite League, he did represent Finland in this year’s World Junior Championships, where he had five points and was a part of the gold medal winning team.
And no, we won’t be seeing him anytime soon.
Dallas Stars Prospect Esa Lindell played with Jokerit who are moving to the KHL. He has signed to join Assat in the SM-Liiga.
— Huw Wales DBD (@HuwDBD) May 7, 2014
But hey! You’ve already got Nemeth and Gaunce and Oleksiak to look forward to next year. Let’s not get greedy!
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And talking more about prospects, Josh Bogorad takes a look at what’s happening with the Texas Stars as they continue their Calder Cup Playoff run. [On the Radar]
Oh yeah, the Rangers–Penguins game. The Rangers lost. At home. Again. [NHL.com]
And yes, their power play continued to suck. Add 2 to the number of failed attempts mentioned in this article, since they were 0-2 last night, and also gave up a shorthanded goal. Woops. [Puck Daddy]
Elliotte Friedman’s 30 Thoughts. 19 through 22 focus on the Stars. [CBC]
Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money is made. [Biz Journals]
Surely it’s Patrick Roy’s award to lose? But, as is customary, the NHL named two other finalists for the Jack Adams. [Winging It In Motown]
Weekend plans? No? Well then go to Allen and support the Americans in the Central Hockey League Finals. [Sports Day DFW]
So Milan Lucic is apparently up there with Corey Perry in the ranks of Untouchables. [Puck Daddy]
Nothing like some good old playoff trolling, and of course it would be the LA Kings to do it. [Puck Daddy]
And lastly, Marek Malik is retiring from the NHL, so let’s take a moment to remember when shootouts were awesome… and then go back to hating them completely.