On Friday Ken Hitchcock said he’s moved into the second phase of roster construction for his NHL team.
Instead of looking to make cuts, now the Stars are looking for players to step up, grab roles, and earn their spots. Theoretically it’s a somewhat open competition for NHL jobs and Hitchcock will force management to worry about the contract numbers later.
That’s good news for Jamie Oleksiak, who continued to receive praises from the head coach after a 4-0 win against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday evening.
In that shutout victory Oleksiak was paired with Esa Lindell for most most of the night and he had 20 minutes, 56 seconds of ice time. He was also busy on the penalty kill and spent 5:20 on the ice while shorthanded.
After the game Hitchcock used the word excellent to describe Oleksiak’s play.
The defensive dynamic was already interesting enough, now Oleksiak seems to be a legit contender for not just a spot in the lineup, but even a spot in the top-four defenders based on Hitchcock’s comments.
If Oleksiak wins a job on the right side what does that mean for Stephen Johns and Julius Honka? Honka is the easy player to send down because of his waiver-exempt status, but Hitchcock has spoken at length about his third pairing being a group of specialists. And Honka has been running the second power play unit in practice, wouldn’t that indicate he’s part of the team? So does that mean Johns could be on the outs?
There is also the possibility that Oleksiak’s play could (and this is just speculation) force another unexpected move. Are they confident enough with the young defense to part with Dan Hamhuis in a trade? Hamhuis is in the final year of a contract and has a 15-team no-trade list, so that would also come with it’s road blocks.
Overall it’s going to be something to watch as the Stars start to trim the numbers today in training camp. There is only one practice group today and it’s going to consist of around 30 players, so what will the defensive pairs look like? Will they give us a better idea of the current pecking order.
There will likely be some cuts today, but any players that have to released will have to be put on waivers and clear before being sent to the AHL on Monday.
Mattias Janmark
Two seasons ago Mattias Janmark was one of the best stories in the NHL when he went from likely spending the season in Sweden to earning an NHL roster spot out of training camp.
After missing an entire season due to a genetic knee disorder this preseason story is even better for Janmark. Through two preseason games he hasn’t just looked good, he’s looked great.
The speed that defined his game is back and don’t be surprised if we see that line of Janmark, Jason Spezza, and Brett Ritchie on opening night.
Housekeeping Notes
– I’m recording a podcast this morning with Ryan Satkowiak. That should be posted this afternoon.
– Martin Hanzal has started skating with the team again after being absent from team practice with an ankle injury. He may play Monday or Tuesday, but expect him to make his Stars preseason debut next Saturday in Minnesota.
Today’s Schedule
The Stars have one group practicing at noon in Frisco. Like all practices in Frisco it’s open to the public.
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