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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Mattias Janmark Prompts a Change in Plan

Posted on by Melissa Flandreau

Having Mattias Janmark on the opening night roster was a surprise to everyone—including Janmark himself. Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt spoke with the rookie about his arrival in the NHL.

“Of course, if everything went well, I had hopes to stay here, but I didn’t expect that,” Janmark says. “For every week that went, you got closer. Just tried to play my game. That was a good thing. I wasn’t nervous or anything. Just came here, no expectations and all, just tried to perform every day. But no, I didn’t feel any pressure at all, because I had a good plan. I knew I’d get great practice at home with Frolunda.

General manager Jim Nill described the reaction to Janmark’s impressive camp and preseason, and how that affected the team’s plans for the season. He was careful to emphasize that Janmark earned his roster spot—nothing was given to him.

Janmark also mentions that he drafted Patrick Sharp on his fantasy hockey team (he apparently finished second in his league last year).

“I’m giving him some space,” Janmark jokes. “If he doesn’t produce, I will tell him further on, but for now, just giving him his space.”

There’s plenty more in the article (also of note, Janmark and John Klingberg are housemates), which you can see for yourself at the link. [SI]

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The Stars won their fourth straight game last night with a 2-1 defeat of the Flyers. Josh shared his thoughts here, Robert’s got you covered on Afterwords, and Mike Heika has the recap.

Jamie Benn scored a goal last night, which means…

Both Lindy Ruff and Flyers coach Dave Hakstol hail from Warburg, Alberta—which Ruff jokingly called a “coaching hotbed”—and the two talk about their relationship, as well as the death of Ruff’s younger brother, Brent, who was killed in a bus accident while playing for the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. [NJ.com]

Bruce LeVine chatted with The Hockey Writers about the state of the Stars‘ defense, playing in the Central Division, and much more. [THW]

After slotting in at No. 16 in Sports Illustrated’s last Power Rankings, the Stars shot up to No. 4 this week (and that was before yesterday’s game). [SI]

Bad news for the Blackhawks—although he seems it most of the time, Duncan Keith isn’t actually invincible.

Elliotte Friedman shares 30 Thoughts with you, including insights on Bruce Boudreau’s future and Peter Horachek’s opinions on Phil Kessel. [Sportsnet]

After you read those, here are a few Thoughts on Thoughts. [The Score]

Please enjoy this picture of Steve Ott.

It’s not over until it’s over. Or that’s what these teams are telling themselves after slow starts to the season. [ESPN]

Twenty years after being paralyzed during his first shift for Boston University, Travis Roy is focused on his foundation and funding research and treatment for spinal cord injuries. [NHL.com]

Despite John Tortorella just saying no NHL teams had reached out to him…

Sidney Crosby scored last night (and tallied two assists), so everyone can stop freaking out. [CBS Sports]

Meanwhile…

Having a goalie tandem has worked out well for the Stars so far (knock on wood, etc.), but the Flames aren’t quite as keen on the idea and want either Jonas Hiller or Karri Ramo to step up. [The Hockey News]

And finally, Evander Kane took a helicopter to yesterday’s Blue Jays game. Because, well, why not?

Talking Points