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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Will We Get Roope Hintz On God Mode?

Hear us out: What if he has three or four levels we haven’t even seen yet? Plus, finding a win-win with the Winter Olympics, USA vs. Canada for the #WomensWorlds gold, and more.

It’s kind of amazing what Roope Hintz did for the Dallas Stars last season. What’s even more amazing is that he did it while hampered by a nagging lower-body injury.

Hintz racked up more than a point per game in 2021, when he was healthy enough to play. In fact, he more than doubled his scoring totals from the previous season, which inevitably left fans wondering what might have been – and how much more the Finnish fave might accomplish when he heals.

Stars senior staff writer Mike Heika has measured Hintz’s trajectory, and he too seems to be wondering if Hintz has a God Mode, and if we see it this season:

Hintz might be the most physically gifted player on the Stars. He’s among the fastest skaters because of his stride, but he’s also among the quickest, looking like he’s shot out of a gun at times. His size allows him to physically handle opponents defensively while also being able to muscle his way around them in the offensive zone. Since coming to North America, the high-flying Finn has been a good offensive player, hitting about half a point a game in his first full AHL season and then getting to 0.55 points per game in the NHL in 2019-20. However, Hintz tallied 22 points in 21 games in the AHL to start the 2018-19 season and then responded with last year’s huge campaign, so he looks like a guy who can sustain his new scoring level.

As it turns out, one of the biggest question marks surrounding Roope’s upcoming season could be Tyler Seguin. If both of them are fully restored, who will be the nominal first-line center? Maybe it’s best to accept that this is the sort of problem you’d like to have:

Bottom line, Hintz has a chance to establish himself as the team’s No. 1 center this year and he and Seguin could form the kind of 1-2 punch the Stars once had with Mike Modano and Joe Nieuwendyk. It should be fun to watch.

There’s more at Mike’s place. [Dallas Stars]

Stars Stuff

While the Stars enjoy their last bit of summer downtime, Victor E. Green is doing some offseason training of his own.

Around The Leagues

We hear a lot about how the Winter Olympics are just a dangerous, expensive distraction for the NHL. Adam Proteau has a few thoughts about how the league and its owners benefit.

>> Alexander Radulov has entered the chat.

And I’m assuming Jake Oettinger only got honorable mention because he’s an established, young NHL netminder who is clearly one of his team’s top two options.

This isn’t a game. It’s a showdown.

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