Dallas Stars midseason grades

Looking at your rankings and mine.

With the Dallas Stars on their bye week, and the NHL All-Star break to follow, it’s a perfect time to for some midseason assessment.

So, I reached out to the fans to get their take using the very unscientific method of Twitter polls.

Let’s take a look. For this exercise I only included players if they’d played at least 15 NHL games this season.

Luke Glendening (51 GP, 2 goals, 2 assists, -9)

Luke Glendening has been a solid fourth liner, he’s played every game this season, and a C grade fits here.

Glendening has always been that “glue piece” for an NHL team, and has a reputation built on playing the right way. The thing that was more surprising to me was the number of B scores, because while I don’t expect much, I need to see more than a 6-point pace from an every day NHL forward.

Joel Kiviranta (51 GP, 6 goals, 0 assists, -9)

The NHL leader at this point for the Cy Young award (most goals, zero assists, it’s a baseball joke…) Joel Kiviranta has been a good, but not great fourth-liner this season — the C grade works, he’s delivered what’s expected.

It’s hard to nitpick on a first-place team, but I personally expected more from Kiviranta in the offensive zone this season, even as a fourth liner. For as well as many Stars have adjusted to a more puck-carrying system, he still feels like a hold-out from the consistent dump and crash days.

Jani Hakanpaa (51 GP, 4 goals, 5 assists, +16)

What did you really expect Jani Hakanpaa to be? Truthfully?

He’s the physical force, size wise, on a smaller defensive blue line and doesn’t have the greatest foot speed. But he’s also been good enough reading the game to be better than I expected.

This is what Hakanpaa is, it’s not really a surprise, and when a player performs as expected, that’s a C grade in my book — passing, but not necessarily excelling to a new level.

Radek Faksa (51 GP, 6 goals, 4 assists, +4)

Earned or not, no one benefitted more from past Stars coach than Radek Faksa.

Rick Bowness trusted him to a fault, Jim Montgomery and Ken Hitchcock thought h was a model middle-six center.

And now Pete DeBoer doesn’t dislike Faksa, but he doesn’t have nearly as much of the same role and Faksa has struggled to find a true even strength fit in Dallas this season. His contract value makes it hard to justify as well, but if we are separating player and contract — which you need to do sometimes — a C works here.

Ryan Suter (51 GP, 1 goal, 12 assists, -7)

*Takes deep breath*

Ok, let’s talk about Ryan Suter.

Ryan Suter’s contract and deployment have been handled poorly. The continued trust he has to be part of the power play rotation is expected — he’s a veteran and veterans get extra chances — but frustrating.

I personally think the D grade is harsh here. Hear me out… if you want to grade the Suter situation and handling, I’m fine with that. But if you are grading the player, and that’s what this exercise is, he’s been exactly as expected and should be given a C.

Esa Lindell (51 GP, 6 goals, 9 assists, +24)

For starters, I think B is a fair grade here. But I think context is also important.

Lindell gets a more favorable grade and matchup because of what Colin Miller has done this season. Miller growing into a top-pairing spot with Miro Heiskanen has allowed Lindell to lock down a second pairing and play a role that’s better fit for him.

He’s not pressured with top-pairing hype like he was with John Klingberg, and he’s actually shown more hockey IQ with the puck this season. It’s a good progression for a player in their late 20s, who needed to fix some of the offensive flaws in his game.

Ty Dellandrea (51 GP, 7 goals, 13 assists, +11)

I’m good with the B grade here. Ty Dellandrea doesn’t look like a player in his first 82-game NHL season, he looks more confident and, frankly, ready for bigger situations.

The key for me with Dellandrea, and holding off on going into that A territory, is expectation. Dellandrea is better than expected, but he’s also not moving the needle for me as an untouchable long-term piece of this core. It just reminds me of Jason Dickinson all over again, good and great room guy, potential future assistant captain, but Jason Dickinson was easily replaced by Ty Dellandrea eventually.

I’d like Dellandrea to be more than that.

Mason Marchment (51 GP, 9 goals, 13 assists, -3)

Mason Marchment is in a slump, a bad one. He hasn’t scored a goal in 20 games and some of the grittiness that he added to the lineup has eroded as he’s been clearly frustrated with his offensive output.

Marchment in his first 30 games was the ideal addition to Dallas.

For me this is a C grade, and honestly, I thought more lower Cs than upper. Bad slumps happen, but with a player like Marchment — who will soon set a career-high for NHL games played — it makes me worry that one season in Florida with 47 points in 54 games was the exception, not the rule.

Hopefully I’m wrong, because I really like Marchment’s game from Game 1 through 30.

Wyatt Johnston (51 GP, 13 goals, 9 assists, +4)

Wyatt Johnston wasn’t supposed to play every game this season. The Stars were confident he’d be in the NHL, but they also thought they may have to mix in scratches, potentially a World Junior assignment, and be patient with him.

Instead he’s a viable and strong part of a first-place team in the Western Conference, has avoided the rookie wall thus far and looks like the most well-rounded rookie forward outside of Matty Beniers.

A grade fits well here.

Tyler Seguin (51 GP, 14 goals, 20 assists, +6)

Tyler Seguin celebrating his 31st birthday during the bye week is a somber reminder that time marches on and eventually Father Time always gets his man.

And Seguin was nearly got completely, his career was nearly over after the bubble run in Edmonton and for the first time he’s back to playing fully healthy hockey.

Seguin, for me, has slightly moved the goalposts of what to expect out of him going forward. He’s no longer a 70-point player or worth the massive contract he signed, but he can be that No. 2 center that brings depth and consistency to a lineup. B works here for me.

Jamie Benn (51 GP, 19 goals, 25 assists, +16)

Jamie Benn has dialed it back to the mid 2010s. He’s flirting with a 70-point season and he’s averaging .86 points per game… a number we haven’t seen out of Benn since the 2017-18 season.

He’s found a fit with Peter DeBoer, has embraced dropping of ice time — it’s almost like an in-game load management — and he’s been better for it.

It’s an A grade, 100 percent earned.

Joe Pavelski (51 GP, 14 goals, 34 assists, +31)

It doesn’t make any sense that Joe Pavelski is 38.

He’s part of one of the best lines in hockey, has potential for a second-straight 80-point season, and his game hasn’t changed or slowed down (not that his skating could really get slower).

Pavelski already gets an A for his on-ice achievement this season, but he also gets extra credit for how he’s helped stabilize the Stars culture over some rocky times (people calling others names, coaches changing…) and continuously takes on a role with guys like Johnston.

He’ll always be a San Jose Shark first after his career ends, but his time in Dallas has made it so it won’t be a weird memory of him in Dallas for hockey fans — it feels normal now.

Jason Robertson (51 GP, 33 goals, 33 assists, +26)

I’m gonna assume any vote other than A here was someone trolling or hitting the wrong button.

He won’t win the Hart Trophy this season, but Jason Robertson will be the first-team NHL All-Star on the left wing at the end of the season.

Also remember every goal for Jason Robertson is a reminder that preseason and training camp need to be shortened.

Colin Miller (49 GP, 3 goals, 10 assists, +20)

Honestly, I’m surprised this was overwhelmingly a B grade and there were just as many C votes as As.

Colin Miller has had a straight A season, no questions asked. He’s gone from an expected third-pairing defender, to be a viable and strong partner for Miro Heiskanen against top matchups, which he wins.

Miro Heiskanen (48 GP, 7 goals, 33 assists, +11)

Letting John Klingberg walk in free agency was considered addition by subtraction for the Stars. It would allow Miro Heiskanen to take the next step offensively and remove any roadblocks that Klingberg provided on the power play.

And for the most part Heiskanen has done that. He’s already posted a career-best 40 points and is on pace to score somewhere in the high-60s. The overall game continues to be Norris worthy and the offense is just adding to his profile.

The A grade works for me here.

Nils Lundkvist (44 GP, 4 goals, 10 assists, -14)

Two things can be true…

1. I think Nils Lundkvist should be in the lineup and not healthy scratched

2. This B grade is too high and he should given C marks

Lundkvist has gone through a learning curve in Dallas and he still has a ton of potential. But through a combination of managing his minutes and risk, and how he’s taken opportunities, he’s been good — but not worthy yet of trading away a first-round pick.

I still need to see more, and the Stars need to be better about giving him the chance to give more. It’s a two-way street.

Roope Hintz (43 GP, 20 goals, 26 assists, +21)

Yep, this fits for Roope Hintz.

When healthy, he’s the most exciting player to watch shift-to-shift for the Stars. Maybe not the best — Heiskanen and Robertson have a claim there — but the most exciting.

Denis Gurianov (35 GP, 2 goals, 5 assists, -7)

Denis Gurianov is 25. This summer will be eight years since he was drafted.

Honestly it’s time for him and Dallas to part ways, I think it would be best for both of them. D grade fits here.

Jake Oettinger (38 GP, 21-7-7, 2.26 GAA, .923 SV%)

Oettinger should have been in the NHL All-Star Game this week. He should also be in the Vezina Trophy conversation, although it’ll be hard to see anyone other than Linus Ullmark winning it.

Oettinger is third in the league with 19.17 goals saved above average at all strengths and has shown the swagger necessary to steal games. He’s a bona fide top tier goalie. He’s got an A in my book.

Scott Wedgewood (16 GP, 7-6-3, 2.97 GAA, .911)

It’s important to remember that we grade with curves. And with Wedgewood I want to compare him against league average and other backups or 1Bs.

In that case he fairs rather well. He’s a B-level backup this season, which is what you need with A-level starter. I wouldn’t be confident going into a playoff series with Wedgewood, but as the spot filler to keep Oettinger fresh he fits well. I’m feeling generous, so I’ll give the B grade here.