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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Hockey is Back

The Dallas Stars may not play until Thursday, but as of today, the NHL 2021-22 officially begins!

Instead of a lead today, let’s just all take a moment to bask in what this means. It’s the return of the usual division structure, only with the Arizona Coyotes now joining the Central Division. It’s the debut of the Seattle Kraken, who start their inaugural season tonight in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. That game will be on ESPN, which hosts hockey for the first time since 2004.

Perhaps the best thing, however, is that we will have a normal, 82 game regular season. Fans will be in the stands, teams will actually have days off in between games, and yes, you can expect regular content from us here at Defending Big D.

This season is going to be memorable by default — let’s hope the Stars make it extra special.


Stars Stories

Taylor wrote about this yesterday, but don’t expect the “opening night roster” from last night to be the same by Thursday:

Miss the preseason action? Here’s a quick look back at how the Stars fared:

And here’s the standouts from training camp, from MVP to the biggest concern:


Around the League

If you haven’t started drinking the Kool-Aid yet, Dallas is tied with three other teams for the most Top 100 skaters on The Athletic:

Meanwhile Greg Wyshynski ranks Dallas in the middle of the pack for the upcoming season:

Speaking of ESPN, what exactly should we be expecting from their hockey coverage?

And as to not be left out, don’t forget about TNT:

The Montreal Canadiens are kicking off their season with a bang, extending Nick Suzuki to an eight year, $7.875M AAV:

With the Kraken making their debut, here’s a deep dive into various inaugural seasons in NHL history:

And unlike the most recent expansion team, Seattle wasted no time in naming a captain:

Talking Points