Defending Big D 32 mins ago
Stargazing, Episode 146: NHL Ready?
Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Wes, David, Mark and Taylor discuss defense, development, and AHL mainstay Thomas Harley, because it’s the only thing we know how to do and we gotta do something. Dallas Stars hockey is almost here! But not quite! And many of us still don’t know how we’re going to watch the games! ...Maybe podcasting will help? Wes, David, Mark and Taylor thought so. In this edition: Will the Stars maximize Harley’s offensive-defenseman talents, or will he stay in Cedar Park until he starts hitting more? What about the tension between icing the...
Defending Big D 6 hours ago
Traverse City: Detroit Red Wings Survive Dallas Stars Third Period Comeback, 5-4
Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Hockey is back. Stars score three in the third, but they can’t shoot their way out of an excess of odd-man rushes in the first two periods. The Dallas Stars opened Traverse City with a loss that featured a comeback drive that fell just short as the Red Wings survived for the win. First Period Both teams came out a little sloppy, but the Stars were slowly able to generate the majority of zone time. A high stick by Joe Veleno put Dallas on the power play, and the Stars were able to generate multiple chances, especially on the...
Defending Big D 23 hours ago
Stars’ Traverse City Tournament Opens Against Red Wings
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/ Plus: how to watch real live hockey now that the new season is upon us. The Dallas Stars prospects shifted from their development camp in Frisco, Texas to Traverse City, Michigan to kickoff the unofficial start of the new NHL year. The team will take part in three games in a round-robin style tournament and test their skills against other NHL prospect pools. The first game of the tournament kicks off tonight when the Stars will line up against the Detroit Red Wings prospects. Courtesy of Corey Pronman of The Athletic, here’s how Dallas is...
Defending Big D Sep 15, 2021
Wednesday Links: Ty Dellandrea Is Ready To Fight
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports And his offseason work could help him get there, writes Saad Yousuf. Plus, what’s happening with John Klingberg’s game, what to expect from TNT’s NHL crew, and more. The Dallas Stars’ regular season is 29 long days away – but last weekend’s Prospect Development Camp provided a tantalizing, if all too brief preview. And 2018 first-rounder Ty Dellandrea is among the players Stars fans are watching most closely, for better and otherwise. The 21-year-old center had an up-and-down season in 2021, from making the roster in Dallas to...
Defending Big D Sep 15, 2021
2020 Kraft Hockeyville Game To Take Place October 3rd Featuring Stars and Coyotes
Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via I’ve got the inside scoop on places you need to eat at when you make the road trip to El Paso. There have been many losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, both big and large. In the grand scheme, a NHL preseason game between two teams being played at the winning rink of Kraft’s Hockeyville USA contest every season is a relatively minor one, all things considered. When El Paso, Texas won the contest in 2020, there was some hope that the promised NHL preseason game could be hosted before the 2021 season. The virus seemed to be...
Defending Big D Sep 13, 2021
Analysis: Thomas Harley is Probably NHL Ready, But Development is Complicated
Thomas Harley skates against J.T. Compher of the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup playoffs at Rogers place in Edmonton, Alberta. | Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Thomas Harley has all the tools to crack the Dallas Stars roster. Will it matter in a Cup Year? And can Dallas do something to help him develop? It’s a rare thing for the Dallas community; to be in agreement. Despite the lack of broad media attention to the Dallas Stars, if we define passion by its negativity, then Dallas is the second most ‘passionate’ fanbase in all of American sports. And nowhere...
Defending Big D Sep 10, 2021
Stargazing, Episode 145: Needles And Pins
Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via The waiting is the hardest part. Wes and Taylor talk headlines on the cusp of the Stars’ preseason. We’re about to go from zero to hockey in a period of mere days. What will you do? ...What will you do? Wes and Taylor sat down to discuss forwards and line combos, but a sudden outbreak of actual Dallas Stars headlines gave them even better things to talk about. Among the topics: How should fans interpret Saad Yousuf’s money quote in The Athletic that Tyler Seguin “only require[s] acupuncture every 36 hours”? How much should we...
Defending Big D Sep 10, 2021
Friday Links: Prospect Development Camp Is Here
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports New prospects and young pros alike are marking milestones as the preseason officially kicks off. Plus, the NHL is Olympics-bound, the Texas Stars release their promo schedule, and more. If hockey season doesn’t seem close enough for you yet, here’s some perspective: The Traverse City NHL Prospect Tournament is six days away. Six. Days. Away. And the perfect precursor is the Dallas Stars’ Prospect Development Camp. The Stars moved this year’s event from July to this weekend, just before the big showcase in Michigan. Texas Stars head...
Defending Big D Sep 8, 2021
Wednesday Links: Tyler Seguin’s Offseason
Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Between recovering from both surgery and COVID-19, it’s been quite the abnormal offseason for Seguin. Plus, what to expect from Joe Pavelski this season, NHL trade rumors, and more. For most players, the offseason is rather uneventful. It’s time away from the daily NHL grind, a chance to recuperate while still practicing and improving upon their skills. For Tyler Seguin, his offseason consisted of further rehab from his surgery, as well as a bout with COVID-19: “Just another eye-opener for me, just realizing that this thing is...
Defending Big D Sep 3, 2021
Stargazing, Episode 144: Who’s Minding The Store?
“I’ll Rochambeau you for it.” | Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Wes and Tyler got all worked up about the Stars’ crowded crease, yet again. Let’s listen, shall we? The Dallas Stars have NHL-level goalies to spare – but how will they manage the crowd in the crease? Do they have a clear-cut starter – or starting brigade? And to what extent are those decisions fully in their own hands? Wes and Tyler tend to get all worked up about this stuff, and when they do, they podcast. And pace. (Plays hell with the Bluetooth sometimes.) In this episode: Who is the...
Defending Big D Sep 2, 2021
Thursday Links: Youth Movement
Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson headline a strong young core in Dallas. Plus, how Denis Gurianov can take the next step, contract extensions galore, and more. The past few seasons, the Dallas Stars have been one of the oldest teams in the league. And that was before they signed Ryan Suter. But they’re uniquely positioned as a team that also has several young stars. In his annual NHL Pipeline Rankings (players 22 and under), Corey Pronman slotted Dallas at the No. 12 spot, with Miro Heiskanen leading the pack: He is an excellent...
Defending Big D Aug 31, 2021
Tuesday Links: Roope Hintz On God Mode
Photo by Tom Pennington/ Hear us out: What if he has three or four levels we haven’t even seen yet? Plus, finding a win-win with the Winter Olympics, USA vs. Canada for the #WomensWorlds gold, and more. It’s kind of amazing what Roope Hintz did for the Dallas Stars last season. What’s even more amazing is that he did it while hampered by a nagging lower-body injury. Hintz racked up more than a point per game in 2021, when he was healthy enough to play. In fact, he more than doubled his scoring totals from the previous season, which inevitably left fans wondering...
Defending Big D Aug 27, 2021
Stargazing, Episode 143: Center Points
Photo by Tom Pennington/ In this edition, Wes and Tyler talked pivots, lines and scoring. It might have gotten weird. Stick around. After last week’s gripping discussion of the Dallas Stars’ options at the sixth-defender position, Wes and Tyler decided to get deep into the weeds with the latest podcast. And what better way to shed light on the thankless and invisible work of making a team run than by tackling a discussion of...centers? This season, there’s a Stieg Larsson level of intrigue involved in reading which Stars will take the pivot position. This week’s...
Defending Big D Aug 25, 2021
Wednesday Links: John Klingberg And The Contract Year
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports What should we expect from Dallas’ blueline unicorn in the last season of his current deal? Plus, remembering Jimmy Hayes, Hilary Knight makes history (again), and more. The waiting is the hardest part. Dallas Stars fans are jonesing not just for NHL action, but for news about whether John Klingberg will re-sign or move on. It’s a knotty problem. Klingberg is poised to enter a free-agent market in which elite NHL defenders are making stupid money. At the same time, he will be 30 when his next deal begins, which could make maximum term a...
Defending Big D Aug 23, 2021
Monday Links: Hockey in Houston?
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports With the Arizona Coyotes looking for a new arena, could a relocation to Houston be an option? Plus, next year’s free agency class, Lundqvist’s retirement, and more. The biggest news in the NHL last week was that the city of Glendale will not renew the Arizona Coyote’s arena lease. Now that they need a new home, will the Coyotes consider a move out of state, perhaps to Houston, Texas? Saad Yousuf approached Dallas Stars CEO Brad Alberts about the subject, who thinks the possibility is rather unlikely: There has been no discussion at...
