Editor’s note: This is the first part of a series previewing individual players projected to make the Dallas Stars roster heading into the 2017-18 season.
Tyler Pitlick was one of the Dallas Stars more surprising free agent signings this offseason.
During an injury-plagued, and widely disappointing, 2016-17 season the Stars learned a lot about their depth. Forwards like Justin Dowling, Remi Elie, Gemel Smith, and Jason Dickinson all had extended looks with the NHL club, and it appeared that there would be some sort of open competition for a bottom-six role in training camp.
But then the Stars signed Pitlick to a three-year, $3 million contract on July 1. That combined with the signings of Martin Hanzal and Alexander Radulov for the top-six essentially eliminated a spot those younger players could potentially grab in training camp.
So what can the Stars expect from the 25-year-old winger? And more importantly can Pitlick stay healthy?
Pitlick has spent a lot of time in the trainers room during his career. He hasn’t had a truly healthy season since his AHL rookie year with the Oklahoma City Barons in 2011-12 and last season he had season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL in December.
His knee issues first surfaced during the 2012-13 season when he tore ligaments in his knee and also dealt with a concussion. He only played 44 regular season games and took a step back after a strong playoff push as an AHL rookie in 2012.
During the 2013-14 season Pitlick got his first NHL call-up, but sustained another knee injury (this time a sprain) and only played 49 games between the NHL and AHL.
Pitlick’s knee held up during the 2014-15 season, but he missed more than three months of action with a lacerated spleen. The following season, 2015-16, he only played 37 games (all in the AHL) as he dealt with concussion issues.
He entered the 2016-17 season heathy and was playing well before he got tangled up with the St. Louis Blues’ Jori Lehtera and tore the ACL in his left knee.
For the Oilers that was the final straw and they let Pitlick walk as a free agent this summer.
While you can’t ignore the injuries, Stars general manager Jim Nill has always been a fan of Pitlick. Before the the Barons re-located to Bakersfield, Calif. the Stars saw Pitlick in close to three dozen live AHL games between 2011 and 2015.
He passed the eye test.
Pitlick is a hard-working, gritty player with some underrated offensive skills. He’s actually the ideal bottom-six prototype (when healthy) for Ken Hitchcock’s system and can score the occasional goal even with limited ice time (he actually scored against Dallas last season).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg_c8L6clKc
This past season with Edmonton he had impressed in preseason and was starting to find a nice role on the fourth line. He was averaging under 10 minutes per game, but was still creating offensive chances while being a positive influence in the defensive zone before the injury.
“I really felt for him,” Oilers head coach Todd McLellan told reporters at the time. “He was emotional. He had such a positive impact on our team.”
That seems to be a common theme with Pitlick, he’s the ideal teammate. Talking to scouts and his former coaches, everyone raves about his work ethic and his “coachability.”
Going back to his rookie season in the AHL Pitlick has been an efficient forechecker. He has decent speed — which will be tested after the ACL injury — and reads plays well when trying to defuse a breakout.
“He’s not going to get outworked in any situation,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “He can be tough to play against in the right role.”
In Dallas the right role will probably be as a fourth-line winger on either the left or right side. Adam Cracknell or Devin Shore will likely center the fourth line, depending on how the Stars want to utilize Shore, and he’s likely going to battle Curtis McKenzie for the final lineup spot on opening night against the Vegas Golden Knights.
In the end, this is a reclamation project for the Stars that comes with it’s risks. Players with just 58 career NHL games and injury history aren’t typically given three-year contracts.
So for better or worse Pitlick will be part of the Stars plans for the foreseeable future. Can it turn into a high-reward Patrick Eaves-type signing? Or will it turn into an unneeded road block for hungry (and not to mention healthy) players that will be forced to start this season in the AHL?
Justin.schmidt24 says
I’m sure he’s a decent signing but we have McKenzie for cheaper, just doesn’t make a ton of sense to me.