First Shift 🏒
One of the most interesting aspects of the Stars this season is the depth they seem to boast throughout the organization.
With injuries to Benn in the preseason and Duchene in the first week of the season, the forward group was tested early. Veteran free agents like Adam Erne and Nathan Bastian have stepped up (and that’s even more important with Erne getting hurt). Now, with defensemen Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist both injured, the defensive depth could be tested.
Ilya Lyubishkin was held out of practice on Sunday and his status for Tuesday’s game is up in the air. With Dallas already getting help from veteran blueliners Alexander Petrovic and Kyle Capobianco, a possible dip into the AHL is going to be interesting. But once again, Dallas will be confident in its call-up – if necessary.
Both Vladislav Kolyachonok and Trey Taylor are solid AHL defensemen, and both seem like good options to fill the void. Kolyachonok, 24, has played 74 NHL games with Arizona, Utah and Pittsburgh. The Stars acquired him from the Penguins in the Matt Dumba trade this summer. Taylor, 23, signed with the Stars after a three-year run at Clarkson University and looked really good in training camp.
To be confident in your ninth and 10th defensemen on the depth chart, that’s a pretty good feeling.
“We have excellent depth here,” said coach Glen Gulutzan. “We have a lot of options.”
Petrovic and Capobianco have already been good. Petrovic, 33, has been a late-season call-up in the playoffs the past two seasons and started this year as seventh on the depth chart. He has a goal and 4 assists in 17 games. Capobianco, 28, has played four games this season to bring his NHL total to 78.
The depth shows the impact of every department for the Stars. Petrovic and Capobianco are veterans who were signed by the front office with advice from pro scouting. Players like Taylor and forward Justin Hryckowian are free agents out of college who have been discovered by an amateur scouting group led by assistant GM Scott White and director of player development Rich Peverley.
The front office signed players like Erne and Bastian in the offseason, adding to finds like Steel and Colin Blackwell, who have been lineup regulars and huge boosts during the injury woes.
Dallas has done great in the draft in the past decade, but also has traded away draft picks in recent years to add players at the trade deadline. That means they have to make the draft picks count and also pick up some extras when possible.
“It’s a big puzzle,” said GM Jim Nill. “You have a lot of people working very hard to get all the pieces we need. And then you just hope it fits together in the end.”
At 12-4-3 so far this season, the puzzle looks pretty good.