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Dallas Stars Daily Links: An Advance Look At Awards Season

The Stars have realistic chances to feature in four categories, writes Sean Shapiro. Plus, Seguin among the Shooting Stars, Tufte’s first pro goal is one for the vaults, and more.

As fans of Sergei Zubov know, there’s a long tradition of Dallas Stars not getting the recognition they’ve earned during NHL Awards season. Of the five bits of hardware individual Stars have brought home, only Jere Lehtinen’s three Selke Trophies were the kind that get voted on.

Could that change this year? The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro believes the team has a real chance at four different awards. One of them, naturally, is the William M. Jennings Trophy, honoring the netminding tandem that allows the fewest goals:

Last season, the Stars looked at the Jennings as a team award. It was something they wanted to win as a group but ultimately came up short against the New York Islanders.

This season, the Stars are the leader at the turn as the teams entered the All-Star Break. Dallas has allowed a league-low 120 goals, seven ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and 12 clear of the Islanders.

But Stephen Johns’ comeback from the ailment that nearly stopped Sidney Crosby could also be very, very hard to deny, unless, well, the PHWA decides to PHWA:

Johns also has a legitimate chance to win the [Bill Masterton Trophy], especially if he is able to play the remainder of this season and does so at a high level. Johns missed all of last season and the first 47 games of this season while dealing with post-traumatic headaches, and there was fear his NHL career was over.

The PHWA doesn’t vote on a midseason Masterton, but there was a vote for “Comeback Player of the Year.” It was given to Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, who has returned to traditional form after a down year in 2018-19, when he missed the first two months of the season because of a contract dispute.

There’s much more behind the paywall. [The Athletic]

Stars Stuff

Plenty of people have wondered why there hasn’t been more programming for the Stars’ Latinx fans, so this could be a good start.

You know that new All-Star Weekend event where players shoot pucks out of the stands? Tyler Seguin is doing that.

Segs has a strategy and everything.

Around The League(s)

All-Star Weekend is a homecoming game for some participants, imcluding Matthew and Brady Tkachuk.

Speaking of homecoming, what if every division got an All-Star second team? Well, for one thing, there’s probably no way they could have left out Ben Bishop.

There’s a real chance that the best thing about it will be the Elite Women’s 3-on-3. With any luck, it will raise the kind of awareness the participants are looking for.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

The Texas Stars were just about perfect in a 1-0 win against the Rockford IceHogs last night.

Riley Tufte’s first professional goal was also the game-winner.

Landon Bow, take a bow.

Finally

So many All-Star appearances...so many unfortunate jerseys. Enjoy this compendium of Seguin through the years.

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