Sample size is important for proper evaluation. It’s even more important when a new coaching staff takes over and the team often goes through the “new coach bump” or needs time to adjust to a new system. Though it’s still early, the Stars have reached the one-quarter mark of their season and sit atop the division (though the two teams behind them, the Avalanche and Jets, have games in hand and have had head-to-head success against the Stars).
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Here’s an in-depth look at how each player has performed thus far. Please note, player grades are assigned relative to expectations, so if a fourth-liner receives a similar mark to a top-line player despite a significant production disparity, it’s because their roles are different and they’re graded on different scales.
Forwards
Jamie Benn — A
Benn began the season with five points in his first 10 games, including zero goals. In the 12 games since, he has 19 points, including 10 goals, all in November. This month has been the most productive of Benn’s career, which is astounding, considering what his prime looked like.
Like Joe Pavelski, Benn’s impact also goes beyond his play on the ice. He has played most of the season on a line with Wyatt Johnston and Ty Dellandrea, which seems to have rejuvenated his play but also comes with some growing pains of helping a couple of kids adjust to the NHL. Benn has done a great job of that and continues to be a captain who has the pulse of his locker room.
Matej Blumel — Inc.
Blumel has had a strange NHL season, constantly in limbo due to cap reasons and bouncing between the AHL and NHL. In the six games he played in Dallas, Blumel showed a knack for those scoring looks he’s had since Traverse City. He wasn’t able to convert them as effectively as he did in the prospect tournament or the AHL, but that’s part of learning the NHL.
Ty Dellandrea — A
Dellandrea made one of the strongest first impressions on the new coaching staff, and it began before they ever saw him on the ice themselves in training camp. Pete DeBoer and his staff were impressed with Dellandrea’s Game 7 in Calgary when they watched that game together in the offseason. Dellandrea didn’t disappoint, playing well in camp prior to his injury to earn a top-six spot in the lineup to begin the season.
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Dellandrea has found his home in the lineup on the third line but he’s a key tool for DeBoer, who has mentioned that if he had more players like Dellandrea on the team, they would have an easier time fleshing out the lineup. Over the course of a season, there will be injuries throughout the roster and Dellandrea is the type of player that can be plugged in pretty much anywhere as a band-aid solution. Dellandrea has also been one of the faces of the Stars’ elite penalty kill. He ranks sixth in the NHL among all forwards in short-handed time on ice and leads the team in penalties drawn with 13.
Radek Faksa — C+
Faksa deserves credit for the recent heater he was on when he scored four points in five games, including three goals. If that’s the turning of a new page, the Stars will be thrilled, but at this point, it’s hard to view that stretch as an anomaly. Faksa’s season outside of those games has mostly been disappointing. Some of that can be attributed to playing on the fourth line but Faksa bears some responsibility for it, too. He is still an effective penalty-killer and effective in the circle, which are two areas where he does have value to the Stars.
Luke Glendening — A-
Similar to Joel Kiviranta, Glendening doesn’t have an offensive role on the team. He’s in the lineup to kill penalties, win faceoffs and not be a liability. He’s mostly excelling in those roles. Glendening leads the Stars in short-handed time on ice and is No. 3 in that category in the entire league. He still has his touch in the circle and leads the Stars in faceoff percentage at nearly 64 percent.
Glendening does lead the Stars forwards in penalties taken with eight but, unlike Kiviranta, he also gets some back as he’s third on the team in penalties drawn with seven. Glendening is a gritty player, leading the Stars in blocked shots with 21, and if he can just cut down on taking some of those penalties, there’s not much more you could ask of him.
Denis Gurianov — D
Consistency has been a challenge for Gurianov throughout his career, including this season under DeBoer. After Gurianov had a good game against the Blackhawks, DeBoer was asked what he wanted to see from Gurianov and he laughed and said, “Do it again.” There was plenty of truth behind the light-hearted remark.
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Gurianov’s inconsistencies aren’t just game-to-game but they come shift-to-shift. He’s gotten opportunities up and down the lineup, from the second line to the third to the fourth. In the moments he puts everything together, Gurianov shows the kind of player who can be a really solid middle-six option. When he’s disjointed, though, it brings down everybody on the ice playing with him. DeBoer has been patient with Gurianov without coddling him. This system would appear to be exactly what the doctor ordered for Gurianov. It’s up to him to figure things out.
Roope Hintz — A
Jason Robertson’s meteoric rise, resulting in well-deserved attention, has cleared the way for Hintz to be the Stars’ most underrated player and one of the most underrated players in the NHL. Hintz is one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL and gives the Stars value at even strength, on the first power play unit and as a penalty-killer, where he has one of the team’s four shorthanded goals.
An injury caused Hintz to miss a game last week, breaking up his consecutive games points streak he had running alongside Robertson’s, but he went 12 consecutive games with at least one point. Hintz is the engine of the Stars’ top line, which is one of the best in the NHL. He’s arguably the Stars’ most complete forward, with a complete tangible package to go alongside the ability to see and think the game at a high level.
Wyatt Johnston — A
It’s been an impressive start to the season for Johnston, who continues on an upward trajectory. As recently as the Friday, in the 21st game of the season, DeBoer evaluated Johnston as the Stars’ best player in the game, aside from Robertson. DeBoer backed up his words by playing Johnston in critical minutes down the stretch during that game and wanted to play him in even more key minutes in overtime. Johnston is third among NHL rookies with five goals and is 15th in points.
The Stars deserve a lot of credit for their handling of Johnston, too. They’ve allowed him to play his natural position as a center and have flanked him with a talented player and de facto bodyguard on the ice in Benn and a workhorse on the other side in Dellandrea. They’ve also used him consistently on the power play. Off the ice, they set him up with the most valuable landlord he could ask for in Joe Pavelski. It’s the perfect mix of earned opportunities based on merit and slowly bringing a player along in his comfort zones.
Joel Kiviranta — C+
Kiviranta’s role on the team isn’t about his contributions on the scoresheet, which is why his three goals in the first eight games, including a short-handed goal, were surprising. The Stars don’t need him to be a scorer, and expecting him to be that in his fourth-line duties wouldn’t be fair.
But they need more than the 14-game scoreless streak he’s on, and they definitely don’t need him to be one back of the team lead in penalties taken by a forward (seven). There’s no questioning Kiviranta’s effort and willingness, evident also by his team-leading 43 hits and role on the penalty kill, but if he’s not going to produce much offensively, he at least needs to cut down on the mistakes that put the Stars in a tough position.
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Mason Marchment — B
Marchment has shown that his late NHL breakout last season in Florida was not a fluke. He’s meshed well in Pete DeBoer’s system and has been a valuable piece next to Tyler Seguin as Seguin enjoys a comeback season. Marchment is a unique blend of skill and size that the Stars don’t have enough of. His 13 points rank sixth on the team but his 7.79 individual expected goals, according to Evolving Hockey, are second on the team to Robertson.
Marchment needs to show more consistency. He has had multiple stretches of four consecutive games without a point, and is currently without a point in his last two games. He’s in a good spot on the second line and on the second power-play unit, so he should be able to eliminate the dry spells from going that long.
Joe Pavelski — A+
Here’s some context for how good Pavelski continues to be for the Stars: He’s led the team in scoring the last two seasons, including a career-high 81 points last season. Through 22 games, Pavelski is on pace to set a new career-high this season in points with 89. Even if he doesn’t maintain this pace, the fact he consistently shows up and consistently produces is remarkable, not to mention doing it all at 38 years old. He’s scoring points, beating opponents and doing one hell of a job holding off Father Time.
But that’s only half of Pavelski’s impact. Pavelski was a seventh-round pick in 2003, always somewhat limited in his physical abilities. That hasn’t stopped him from carving out one of the great hockey careers in the 21st century and he’s doing all he can to pay it forward. Robertson and Hintz would be phenomenal no matter what, but their excellence has been bumped by playing on a line with Pavelski, and vice versa. Pavelski houses 19-year-old Johnston and has helped launch the career of the Stars’ most promising prospect. Players like Robertson, Johnston and Dellandrea have credited parts of their game to watching Pavelski, and that doesn’t include the times Pavelski has taken young players under his wing. His impact on the ice and off, in the present and for the future, is immense.
Jason Robertson — A+
After scoring 41 goals last season, Robertson signed a four-year deal at $7.75 million AAV after a training-camp holdout. Robertson was arguably the NHL’s greatest bargain last season when he was still on his entry-level deal. Now, with a rich bridge deal, he is still a bargain.
Robertson leads the NHL in goals with 18, one more than Bo Horvat in Vancouver and two more than Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. His 35 points trail only McDavid (36). Through 22 games, he’s scored 18 points at five-on-five and 12 on the power play. He’s riding a 15-game point streak, which is padding his own Dallas Stars record. Last week, he posted three consecutive multi-goal games and has had clutch scores down the stretch multiple times to steal the Stars some points. He’s not only the best player on the Stars right now but is also squarely in the early conversation for the Hart Trophy.
Tyler Seguin — A-
Seguin is finally removed from a litany of injuries that were highlighted by hip, quad and knee operations in 2020 and 2021. One of the big points for Seguin this past offseason was being able to settle back into his consistent routine. That has translated into the early parts of this season. He began the season with a three-apple showing in Nashville and has 18 points through 22 games, despite being moved to the second power-play unit.
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There have been moments of vintage Seguin, in toe drag goals and assists. They aren’t happening as often as they once did but they’re showing up in more than just flashes. The biggest thing, though, is consistency. Seguin has not had a stretch this season in which he went scoreless in more than two consecutive games. With Hintz’s emergence, Seguin simply needs to be a really good second-line centerman. Despite a rotating cast of right wingers, he’s been playing that role well.
Defensemen
Jani Hakanpaa — D
There isn’t much to rave about with Hakanpaa’s start to the season. He comfortably leads the Stars in penalties taken with 12. Accoridng to HockeyViz, the Stars 28 percent better in expected goals per 60 minutes without Hakanpaa at five-on-five than with him. They’re also six percent better defensively at xGA/60 without him as opposed to with and 27 percent better on the penalty kill without him. Hakanpaa’s three goals are a bit of a bright light for his season so far but the Stars need more from their big-body defenseman.
Joel Hanley — B
Hanley has a solidified role as a seventh defenseman. He is expected to be ready to provide competent play at a moment’s notice, when called upon. Over the years, Hanley has perfected this role and plays it well. He drew in for a few games when Miro Heiskanen was out with an injury and again for a game when DeBoer wanted to get Hanley in and felt Colin Miller needed a break to recuperate. The cherry on top was Hanley coming in when the Stars were short a forward and playing some winger. He doesn’t have any points on the season but he’s done his job.
Miro Heiskanen — A-
Heiskanen has seen the natural bump that was expected offensively in DeBoer’s system and the opportunity to quarterback the top power-play unit. His 15 points through 22 games puts him on a 64-point pace over 82 games, which would easily be the best of his young career. Aside from a hiccup here or there, Heiskanen’s defense continues to be elite. In the three games Heiskanen missed, the power play was broken, furthering his value in that area. Eight of his points have come on the power play, and he’s done an admirable job of filling big shoes.
There still feels like there could be another gear offensively that Heiskanen hasn’t tapped into. Before the season, Heiskanen acknowledged that he needed to be a little more selfish and take advantage of his special skill set by taking more risks. That hasn’t shown up very much so far this season. If this is the version of Heiskanen over the long haul, he’ll still be one of the elite blueliners in the world. If he’s able to channel that extra gear offensively, he could be at the top of that elite group.
Esa Lindell — B-
Lindell has been a solid in his role at five-on-five and has had the occasional offensive output in the first quarter of the season. The Stars ask Lindell to do a lot of the dirty work and he does a decent job in that role. There haven’t been too many instances this season in which Lindell stood out in a negative way.
Nils Lundkvist — B+
The Stars acquired the 22-year-old right-handed defenseman just before training camp began. He plays a top-four role on the second pairing with Ryan Suter but is fifth among Stars defensemen in average time on ice, which is mostly because of how many penalties the Stars have taken. With Lundkvist not killing penalties, it elevates the time on ice of players like Hakanpaa and Lindell. At five-on-five, Lundkvist is only behind Ryan Suter and Heiskanen.
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DeBoer recently took Lundkvist off the second power-play unit, which Lundkvist began the season on, playing the half wall. DeBoer chalked that up to Lundkvist still being a young, developing player and that line of reasoning applies to Lundkvist’s overall game as well. He’s shown the ability to be a solid defenseman on both ends of the ice, but more experience will help elevate his great offensive ability and improve his defensive game.
Colin Miller — B-
Miller has been fine. He’s a solid fit next to Heiskanen, which allows the Finnish star to play on his natural side. He has a rocket of a shot that probably hasn’t been utilized enough, but that’s not entirely on him. Miller is the only defenseman who doesn’t contribute on either special-teams unit, which partially led to him being a healthy scratch for a game when the coaches wanted to get Hanley in the lineup to keep him from sitting too long. Aside from that, Miller has been a decent addition to the blue line.
Ryan Suter — C
The second-season bump that happened for Pavelski a couple of seasons ago has not materialized for Suter. As somebody who kills penalties and quarterbacks the second power-play unit, Suter eats up a lot of minutes for the Stars. He’s been good on the penalty kill and fine offensively at five-on-five but hasn’t been able to drive much on the power play.
Playing with Heiskanen for the bulk of last season helped Suter, but playing with Lundkvist this season requires him to carry a little more weight. Suter has also had flashes on both ends of the spectrum, a few plays that were reminiscent of his prime and then some that were head-scratchers.
Goalies
Jake Oettinger — B+
Oettinger’s first quarter of the season has been split. In October, prior to him suffering a lower-body injury in the final game of the month, Oettinger led the NHL in save percentage at .952 and boasted a 5-1 record. In November, with the same number of games started, Oettinger has a .891 save percentage, which ranks 38th in the NHL.
Though Oettinger has had a rough November, it hasn’t been a consistent issue as much as it’s been a matter of extremes. In four of his games, Oettinger has allowed two goals or fewer. But in the other four games, he’s allowed four goals or more, including three in which he’s given up five goals. The defense in front of him as also been shoddy, which has played a role in the struggles. His full body of work thus far still lands him in the top 10 of the NHL in save percentage and goals-against average.
Scott Wedgewood — B-
Wedgewood started the season strong in Toronto and then was fantastic for most of the stretch the Stars relied on him to carry the load in Oettinger’s absence due to injury in early November. Among his nine games, Wedgewood has four with a save percentage of .930 or better and then four games at .889 or worse (and then one game at .913).
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In fairness to Wedgewood, the Stars defense has asked a lot of him when he’s been in net. In each of the seven games that Wedgewood started and finished this season, he’s seen at least 30 shots. By comparison, in Oettinger’s 13 complete games, he’s seen 30 shots or more seven times.
(Top photo of Jason Robertson: Jerome Miron / USA Today)