In case you missed it, Dallas Stars CEO Jim Lites took to the media yesterday to voice the recent frustration he and owner Tom Gaglardi are having with the play of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.
From The Athletic:
“These guys are not good enough. They’re not good enough for me, they’re not good enough for the owner, and they’re certainly not good enough for the general manager, who I can’t speak for, but it’s not good enough for the job he’s done,” Lites added. “But we’ve had meeting after meeting after meeting. The accountability on the ice is not there.
From the Dallas News:
“We don’t question their desire to win, but they think it’s easy, and that’s what bothers me. There’s just too much complacency in their games. Lack of attention to detail, and that’s what we need. Accountability and attention to detail and hard work.”
For a more in-depth look at Lites’ comments, check out Taylor’s article from earlier this morning: [Defending Big D]
Here’s what Lites had to say about his interview once it went public:
Jim Lites on his comments about Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin:
“I hope the response is that they show me.”
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) December 28, 2018
Ownership might be blaming Benn and Seguin for the team’s shortcomings, but have they considered a different approach?
If Dallas’ front office wants to look for people to blame for why their team is consistently mediocre and irrelevant they can start by looking in a mirror. https://t.co/MrlGsIITUX | @NHLonNBCSports
— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) December 28, 2018
Moving on, here are some roster moves that were made yesterday, in addition to Roope Hintz being called up from the AHL:
Gavin Bayreuther has been reassigned to the Texas Stars. Connor Carrick has been activated from IR. Dickinson and Hanzal have been placed on IR. https://t.co/gxrLnED4iB
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) December 28, 2018
Sean Shapiro breaks down the Stars’ top prospects in his latest piece:
Who are the best prospects in the Stars’ system, and how do they project in the NHL? @seanshapiro ranked the top 20 and provided background on all of them. https://t.co/s3cvsHTMWy
— The Athletic (@TheAthleticDFW) December 28, 2018
Speaking of top prospects:
Stars prospect Jason Robertson had four assists tonight in the USA’s 8-2 win over Kazakhstan at the World Junior Championship.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) December 29, 2018
Around the League
The Pittsburgh Penguins extended Jake Guentzel for 5x$6M, but was it worth it? Quite possibly:
Jake Guentzel’s red-hot start could have caused problems for the Penguins’ cap situation. Instead, he and Pittsburgh landed on the perfect deal. @THNJaredClinton explains why Guentzel’s extension is a home run:https://t.co/szM5d2VYAa
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) December 28, 2018
What should we look forward to in 2019? Here are a few (maybe implausible) ideas:
The Wysh List has dropped. Among the hawt takes:
– 15 bold predictions for 2019
– a rant on NHL All-Star Game “voting”
– The Week in Gritty
– John Tavares Jersey Foul
– Much more! https://t.co/lvX59AWVUc— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) December 28, 2018
If you don’t vote for Joe Thornton, you’re no longer my friend:
The Three Stars of Comedy hall of fame class of 2019 is here, and it needs your votes. Plus a look back at the Vegas outdoor game, power-ranking the Seattle GM options and lots more in the Friday Grab Bag. https://t.co/kZUBaXr3et pic.twitter.com/bJEqHoSt78
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) December 28, 2018
(Just kidding, but seriously: how could you not vote for Jumbo Joe?)
Finally…
The Stars play the Detroit Red Wings tonight, and several other playoff bubble teams are taking the ice as well. Here’s a glimpse at what’s on the line: