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Dallas Stars Daily Links: How The Stars Can Move Forward With Benn And Seguin

Posted on by Kathleen Tibbetts

However excited you may be over the Dallas Stars’ current and rising prospects, their future success will probably depend on the activation of their talented (and highly paid) veterans. The paradigms for this picture are Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin – whose very best days are behind them, but who can and must be more of a factor on the ice next season.

The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf took a long look at the Benn-Seguin situation and summarized what’s possible, and impossible, in his latest article. First, forget about moving either player, whether through trade or buyout:

The entire league is operating under a flat salary cap so any team that might be an acceptable consideration for Benn or Seguin likely wouldn’t have the cap space to bring on those contracts for older depth pieces who have been producing at a middle- to bottom-six rate. And teams that have cap space and would be eager to take on contracts are probably teams that neither Seguin nor Benn would waive their no-move protection for. Both players are still chasing the Stanley Cup, something that has eluded Benn his whole career and Seguin since his teenage year in Boston….

The NHL is a business. Even before weighing pros and cons on the ice and in the locker room, the contracts are not movable. They can’t be traded for the foreseeable future, if ever, and they certainly can’t be bought out. Any conversation about their future for the duration of their contracts not being in Dallas is not a worthy one.

So how can the next head coach capitalize on the skills and hockey sense they both still possess? Yousuf examines their cases:

Even in its current state, Seguin’s play has dipped but it hasn’t fallen off a cliff. He and the Stars are fortunate that he no longer needs to carry the burden of being the team’s top line centerman. That job is now in the hands of Roope Hintz, who still has one year left at $3.15 million AAV. If Hintz continues to play well on the top line and Seguin handles his business on the second line, the cumulative money allocation for the top two centers would be pretty much on par, at least for next season before Hintz gets his raise in 2023….

A checking line role could be an intriguing possibility for Benn. He’s not a great defender but if that element of his game improves, playing next to [Radek] Faksa could be a solution. As a power forward, Benn has always played with physicality. In recent years, the physicality has become more of his game than his skill or scoring ability.

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

Stars Stuff

Here’s your annual reminder that Jamie Benn might have chosen a different professional league in which to shine.

Logan Stankoven has had himself a season, and has two – two – postseason awards to show for it. [Dallas Stars]

Around The Leagues

About Last Night…In Playoffs Action

The Tampa Bay Lightning struck back in a 3-2 win to cut the New York Rangers’ Conference Finals lead in half.

Evander Kane has provided another Rorschach test for hockey fans, and it’s up to you to decide whether the NHL has dealt with it appropriately.

Is Patrice Bergeron the greatest two-way forward in hockey history? There’s a case to be made now that the Boston Bruins legend has won a record-breaking fifth Selke Trophy.

Greetings From Beautiful Boise

As the ECHL trade deadline approaches, the Idaho Steelheads have published their protected list from the 2021-22 season.

Finally

Let’s discuss. Is normal.

Talking Points