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STARS MAILBAG: Nashville, trades, Oettinger, and an update on Nichushkin

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I had a lengthy interview with Mike Modano on Thursday morning for the book I’m working on, 100 Things Stars Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.

(This is a shameless plug, I know. But please consider buying it when it comes out).

And while I’m saving the bulk of the interview for the book, I did take a minute to ask Modano about the Nashville Predators playoff run and watching hockey take hold of a  so-called “non-traditional market,” this spring.

It took Nashville a bit longer to reach the final, but it’s a bit reminiscent of what Dallas did in the late 1990s. It’s a situation where there was already a dedicated and strong fan base, but playoff success really took hockey fandom to the next level.

“I think fans just had never seen anything like this before, they had never seen the grind of a playoff season and how long it takes. How long it goes on for, the energy and enthusiasm and excitement,” Modano said. “Every game how crucial it is. Every game, every save, every shot. And it just kind of grows and grows, and you’ve got two months of that.

“So there is such a level of excitement and it just builds and builds and fans were just drawn to it,” Modano added. “For a couple years there in Dallas it was the hardest ticket to get in Dallas in the spring. Now Nashville is a little different since they only have the (Tennessee) Titans, so not as much rivalry or competitiveness on the sports page. But like Dallas it was always a football town, and that’s a challenge.”

And they key to meeting that challenge, which Dallas ran into, is maintaining success.

“But what they’re doing in Nashville right now is special,” Modano said. “The key is people get spoiled and you have to keep it up, because they expect it. They want that same feeling the next year. And we did that in Dallas for a while until it tailed off a bit.”

Shameless plug part two: The book will be coming out through Triumph Publishing in October 2018. Should make a great holiday gift for the Stars fans in your life.

Let’s get started with the mailbag.

It’s possible, but not probable.

A trade for Jordon Eberle would give the Stars a top-six right winger, which is on their offseason wish list.

The big question, however, is what would Edmonton want in addition to Eakin in that deal? You also have to consider any trade could also mean losing another player you were planning on protecting in the expansion draft.

If the Stars traded for Eberle he would obviously be protected in the expansion draft. That means either Antoine Roussel or Brett Ritchie would likely have to be exposed to Vegas.

This where you have to hold the internal debate is Eberle worth at least three assets (at least two in trade and one in expansion) in total? And is that the best deal for a right wing on the market?

Those are internal questions the Stars would have to answer with such a deal.

Kari Lehtonen will most likely be the back-up this season. Lethonen may actually do well in a back-up role, he’d have less pressure and there is belief that he’s still an efficient NHL goalie for 20 to 30 regular season games.

Antti Niemi will most likely be bought out during the buyout period that starts on June 15. Dallas will try and trade him, but it’s hard to see a deal developing after his showing this past season and his monstrous contract.

I’ve pretty much accepted that it will happen, but the Stars are still keeping their options open.

For that reason, nothing has been communicated to Antti Niemi yet about him not being a member of the Dallas Stars next season.

It’s unlikely, but there still is an option that Niemi could be the back-up if Dallas finds a trade partner and moves Kari Lehtonen.

I put together my scouting report of Jake Oettinger yesterday and I’m impressed with the Boston University goalie.

I really like his positioning and I think he fits the ideal of mold of an NHL goalie. I have yet to break down all of the options for the Stars second pick, but I’m leaning toward picking Oettinger if I’m part of the Stars management group.

You can read my full scouting report on him here.

For more on Oettinger I asked Wrong Side of the Red Line contributor Taylor Raglin to send me his notes on the goalie. Raglin was on the BU beat and watched Oettinger in person throughout this past season:

For me, what stands out about Oettinger is his poise. His size (6-foot-4 with a 205-pound frame that will only continue to fill out) is often what people notice first, but it’s immediately obvious that he plays the game with a maturity that’s tough to find in an 18-year-old thrust into a premier starting job at the collegiate level. His positioning really shines — filling up the net with pure size is one thing, but knowing how to use that size and move laterally is another.

He looks to already have a knack for making the kinds of saves that the Stars so desperately needed at times this season, when games are tight one way or another and a big save on a breakaway or prime scoring chance can make a slim lead seem bigger or keep you in it if you’re down. He also seems to have some of that killer instinct it takes to carry the team in front of you, and he proved it against North Dakota in the opening round of the NCAA tournament (56 saves in a 4-3, double-OT win).

The concern with drafting goalies in the first round is that they’re notoriously difficult to project, but I think Oettinger’s combination of size, positioning and maturity makes him a safer bet than most. He thinks about and understands the game at a high level, plays beyond his years and has the raw talent to continue to improve on an already impressive start to his collegiate career.

The Stars would be remiss to not at least consider using their second first-rounder on him to replenish what’s been an inconsistent goalie pipeline.

Had a chance to watch Shea Theodore closely in the AHL last season, including a trio of playoff games against the Texas Stars. He’s an impressive defenseman and I would want him as part of my team.

And I think he’d be a good fit in Dallas. He’d mesh well longterm with Stephen Johns or Julius Honka, could even turn into the long-time top-pairing defenseman on the left side.

The problem is the cost. Prying Theodore away from the Ducks would likely cost a king’s ransom, with Anaheim already crunched a bit on the defensive end by the expansion draft.

Theodore is exempt from the expansion draft, so unless you floored the Ducks with an offer, they don’t plan on giving up a player that should be a big part of their team next season.

Brendan Smith.

Left-handed defensemen that you could probably sign in the $3 to $3.5-million range for a two or three-year contract. He could be a good fit on the left side with Stephen Johns.

It’s a move that the Stars needed to make and it’s reportedly going to be Jim Bedard.

Jim Nill wouldn’t confirm that hiring on Friday, but did say Bedard was one of the candidates for the job. We likely won’t get an official announcement on coaches until after the Stars hire their assistant coaches in the NHL.

There is a real possibility the Texas Stars will have a young goalie tandem of Philippe Desrosiers and Landon Bow in goal next season, which means having a goalie coach at each practice will will have even more of an impact.

Depends on how many moves Stars make in the offseason and how Mattias Janmark’s knee looks after missing a full season.

Elie will be part of the NHL team next season, I think the biggest question is whether he’s on the opening night roster or the first call-up from the AHL.

The Texas Stars should be better next season.

Having a goalie coach should help the issues in the crease. Roope Hintz should add a nice spark and Denis Gurianov has potential to be an elite AHL player next season before eventually grabbing a full-time NHL role in time for the 2018-19 season.

https://twitter.com/JosephFishpaw/status/867933543690678273

The Stars will consider signing a veteran goalie for the Texas Stars, I’ve been told as much.

But in the end I think they’ll decide to go with Desrosiers and Bow because they want to see if a prospect can step up and be ready to back-up Ben Bishop after Lehtonen’s contract expires.

Riley Tufte is progressing on schedule and he played for an NCAA championship with Minnesota-Duluth as a freshman.

He had a slow start to the season, but that was a bit expected after an injury and he was making a major jump from high school competition to the NCAA. Once he found his stride and was healthy, Tufte was a dominant forward for Duluth and I expect him to make a big jump next year at the collegiate level.

Tufte was always going to be a bit of a long-term project, but that project is on schedule.

No plans to sign Aleksi Mäkelä or Matej Paulovic.

Stars brass stopped considering them prospects a couple seasons ago.

We don’t know how Ken Hitchcock feels about Stephen Johns yet and I haven’t had too much interaction with the Stars new (well sort of new) head coach yet. He’s in the midst of driving to Dallas as we speak, so it’s something that will be addressed sooner that later.

Hitchcock is high on Honka, Lindell, and Klingberg. He told me as much after his introductory press conference. He also indicated that it was hard to really judge the Stars defense last season with how they were handled, so he still had reserved time to make judgement on all players in the defense core.

That’s a trade I’d be on board for.

Jake Muzzin is a possesion-driving defenseman and he has a reasonable cap hit at $4 million for each of the next two seasons. Certainly would improve the Stars for this season and there are several viable prospects that would still be available at No. 11.

Chicago doesn’t want to move Niklas Hjalmarsson, but they are being crunched by the cap and have to do something for cap relief. Hjalmarsson could be the guy they move to make room and create flexibility under the salary cap.

I’ll throw this trade idea out there.

(Please note this is an original idea. I’m not reporting this or hearing anything on this front.)

The Anaheim Ducks are going to have expansion issues. Depening on which route they decide to go, the Ducks are in a position to lose one of their top four defensemen (Kevin Bieksa’s no-movement clause complicates thing for them) or a top-six forward.

If the Ducks are going to go with the eight-player protection route (as opposed to seven forwards, three defensemen), that could mean right wing Jakob Silfverberg is on the market. If Silfverberg is on the market the Stars could put together a package that includes an expansion exempt forward (Devin Shore) and a prospect or a draft pick.

Mattias Janmark, his return from a missed season due to Osteochondritis dissecans would be a great story.

Personally I’d like to see a top line of Benn-Seguin-Radulov in October.

https://twitter.com/JosephFishpaw/status/867931265395171328

Alexander Radulov will come at a cost (likely around $6 million AAV), but the Stars have cap space to play with and it’s a move that makes the Stars significantly more dangerous on the offensive end.

Radulov showed a ton of maturity this season as he returned from the KHL and posted 18 goals and 36 assists in 76 games for the Montreal Canadiens. He still has three to four dynamic seasons remaining in his career, and he’s a player that can take over a game in the offensive zone.

There are a lot of hoops to jump through with landing Ilya Kovalchuck, including a sign-and-trade with the New Jersey Devils, and it doesn’t seem like the Stars are interested in going down that path.

I think the Stars would like to sign both Radek Faksa and Esa Lindell to longer term deals, while a bridge deal would probably benefit the players in a long run.

The Stars have high hopes that Lindell and Faksa are both part of the long-term future, so I could see every effort from Dallas to find a team-friendly lengthier deal for both players. If the two sides can’t find a lengthier contract look for something in the two-year range.

Ultimately Dallas controls the outcome since Lindell and Faksa are both restricted free agents.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk defenseman Victor Antipin just signed with the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. His teammate Chris Lee is also reportedly interested in pursuing NHL opportunities, but I don’t think the Stars are interested in the 36-year-old defender that will be 37 before the start of next season.

You’ll have to ask those people.

https://twitter.com/JosephFishpaw/status/867931995296354304

It’s not a short list. Simply too many options going into a what I expect to be a crazy month of June for player movement.

Tampa would never make that deal.

And yes, you can dream.

I think there is a good chance of that, because the Stars are going to be active in early June and add a player that makes it more complicated to protect their assets.

Don’t be surprised if the Stars used a third or fourth-round pick to protect an extra defenseman.

If I’m Dallas I would love that deal.

While I think there are promising prospects at No. 3, none have the instant impact that Jonathan Drouin would have.

However, Drouin is only 22 and is a superstar in the making. I don’t see why Tampa Bay would ever part with him, especially after they were patient with him before and dealt with his sulking incident in the AHL.

Not a trade I’d look into because of other options available this offseason.

Braden Holtby will be 28 before this season, Ilya Samsonov is only 20 and will be the incumbent in Washington in three or four years. Just don’t see the young Russian getting moved.

Devin Shore’s versatility is one of the best parts about his game and he’s comfortable in any of the forward positions.

He hasn’t played much their in the NHL, but he has played in that spot in the AHL (albeit limited time), and I think he’s the type of player that could easily make that transition to playing his off-wing full time.

No, because Versteeg is going to try and capitalize on his show-me year with Calgary and get a multi-year contract.

Someone will give it to him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lup08_kNhY

The Chicago Wolves jerseys don’t have the NHL affiliate patch on the shoulder, so I believe it’s a non-issue.

However, if they were to do anything on the jersey it would simply be a Vegas Golden Knights patch/graphic. Vegas is the officially affiliate and is paying the affiliate fee, so they would get the perks of extra marketing.

The St. Louis Blues aren’t officially affiliated with the Wolves anymore, but will be sending players to Chicago, while some will end up in other AHL cities on an as-needed basis.

https://twitter.com/tweetgrubes/status/867921239532294144

Tell your friend I’m a fan of his work.

If I had one suggestion it would be to play more show tunes.

Hemsky might be in that conversation. Hudler will not be back with the Stars.

The Stars and Nichushkin’s camp have never really broken contact. Even when he’s playing in the KHL the Stars are keeping close tabs on him.

I asked Jim Nill about that on Friday and he said the Stars have been in contact recently and they’re trying to figure out Nichuskin’s future in the next two to three weeks.

“We’ll have to see,” Nill said. “Does he want to stay over here? Does he want to come back? We’ll figure more out in the next two or three weeks.”

Alexander Rossi, but not because he won last year.

I had a sit-down interview with him back in 2014 when he was a reserve Formula One driver and he was one of the most pleasant drivers I’ve ever interviewed.

(For reference I’ve covered F1, NASCAR, IndyCar, and MotoGP amongst others. Actually covering the IndyCar race at Texas Motor Speedway next month).

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