The Dallas Stars recalled defenseman Thomas Harley today in advance of the team’s road trip to Canada.
The move is likely part insurance and part reward.
With three games on the road, and given some of the travel restrictions between the US and Canada right now given COVID-19, it’s smart to have another player available in case a defenseman ends up in COVID-19 protocols like Jani Hankanpää was last Thursday or if there is an injury to the defensive corps.
The reward part is that Harley has started really well at the AHL level this season. Head coach Rick Bowness said he wants to get him into a game on the road trip after practice today. Harley lined up next to Hakanpää at practice, and the latter has been cleared to travel. The insertion of Harley into the lineup would give Dallas a good puck-moving blueliner onto each pairing, with Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg in the lineup.
If you want more offense, maybe that’s one way of how to get there.
The Stars changed lines, again, on practice Saturday to continue trying to find chemistry. They’ve really only had one line that seems to be dangerous right now, and that’s the Roope Hintz – Jason Robertson – Joe Pavelski trio. Everyone else is still trying to find their place in the lineup.
Here’s how they practiced Saturday:
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Joe Pavelski
Michael Raffl – Radek Faksa – Denis Gurianov
Joel Kiviranta – Luke Glendening – Blake Comeau
Tanner Kero
Ryan Suter – John Klingberg
Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen
Jani Hakanpää – Thomas Harley
Joel Hanley – Andrej Sekera
Braden Holtby
Anton Khudobin