A lot has been written (or talked) about Julius Honka and his future with the Dallas Stars and the NHL in general. If you’re tired of reading speculation and just want to know who Dallas trades him to (if at all) and for what, then imagine what Honka himself feels like:
“For me, it’s just like waiting and waiting for it to happen,” Honka said. “It’s gonna happen, I hope so. But I don’t know when. We’ll see. Hopefully soon.”
Honka last played on January 15th and was passed over multiple times in the depth chart by AHL call-ups. That has to very discouraging for a young player trying to establish themselves in the NHL, but the Finnish defenseman has been trying to approach everything with a good attitude:
“It’s like every day in life I need to stay positive,” Honka said. “I just want to play and be in good shape. I need opportunity, and I’m sure I can get the best out of it when I get it… If it’s not in Dallas, it’ll be somewhere else. “There are still a couple of weeks’ time, and we’ll see what happens. It’s gonna be good for sure. I’ve worked hard, and I’m ready.”
You can read more from Sean Shapiro here.
Stars Stories
Speaking of Honka, I always forget how many Finnish players the Stars have, especially on the blueline:
Back on the ice in Victory Green 👀
The Finns (and Klinger! 👋) reunited this weekend in Lahti, Finland to compete at the 2019 @smliiga Alumni All-Star Game. pic.twitter.com/MWsq85pC17
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) August 18, 2019
On that note, John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen cracked the NHL Network’s Top 20 list:
Some serious star power on that list 🌟#NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/YIjc5xqTYL
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 19, 2019
Around the League
How do the Stars stack up compared to the rest of the Central? Better than you might think:
Stanley Cup blueprint: How the Central teams stack up to the Blues. From @CraigCustance.https://t.co/80xsCdIZoT
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) August 19, 2019
It feels like eons ago, but Sebastian Aho opens up about his signed offersheet and what it means going forward:
Why did Sebastian Aho decide to sign an offer sheet from the #Canadiens?
He reveals the reason to @reporterchris https://t.co/irFSyNDhnV
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 19, 2019
The answer is offsides review and every other choice is wrong:
If you could eliminate one rule in the NHL today, what would it be?
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) August 19, 2019
The New Jersey Devils might make a big jump up this season, and Jack Hughes is a big reason why:
Given all the changes in New Jersey this offseason, there’s no shortage of x-factors heading into the 2019-20 campaign.https://t.co/zeHIHPwY44
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) August 18, 2019
Finally, the Vancouver Canucks have signed GM Jim Benning to a three-year extension. Because…. umm… well, you see…
BREAKING: The @Canucks have signed GM Jim Benning to a contract extension, per @FriedgeHNIC.https://t.co/JtG42Qdfkq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 16, 2019