Like we did last year, I’m getting together my Stars media friends to rank the roster.
The prompt was simple, “rank the Stars roster by best player from 23 to 1.”
Each panelist could then use their own criteria for what best meant. I collected the results, averaged them out, to come to our consensus ranking. I did not reveal individual ballots, it’s up to the panelists themselves to do that.
The panel was as follows:
Lia Assimakopoulos, Stars beat writer, Dallas Morning News
Sam Nestler, Stars beat writer, DLLS
Owen Newkirk, host of the DLLS Stars Podcast
Sean Shapiro, myself
Gavin Spittle, host of the Spits & Suds podcast
Bob Sturm, publisher/writer at Sturm Stack
Robert Tiffin, Stars beat writer at Stars Thoughts
OK, let’s get into the ranking before the Stars open the season tonight.
Colin Blackwell, C
Average ranking: 22.25
Highest rank: 19
Lowest rank: NR
My rank: 23
Blackwell is on the Stars opening-night roster, but was also the cap casualty and sent down on waivers earlier in the week when the Stars had do some roster juggling to make the numbers work. He’ll probably spend more time in Dallas than the AHL this season, especially with the Stars age/health, but he’s becoming more and more of a 4-A player at this point in his career.
Kyle Capobianco, LHD
Average ranking: 22
Highest rank: 20
Lowest rank: 23
My rank: 22
The Stars seventh defenseman, and it’s a pretty big gap between him and No. 8 at this point, even if Trey Taylor, I believe, will be a viable NHLer sooner than later. Capobianco is an unflashy, but reliable depth piece that will probably play more games than people will expect him to because of the Stars durability on the blue line.
T-20. Tyler Myers, RHD
Average ranking: 19.75
Highest rank: 17
Lowest rank: 21
My rank: 20
Myers is a veteran depth defenseman at a reasonable rate for the Stars at $1.5 million per season (he’s making $3 million, but the Canucks retained 50 percent of the salary in the trade last season). If he can be used in that role, as at third-line defender and can provide a little bit more stability to a pairing with Lian Bichsel, he’s probably in the perfect spot for this spot of his career. If he’s too chaotic, which is highly possible, he could be replaced in the lineup rather soon by Capobianco.
T-20. Oscar Back, C/LW
Average ranking: 19.75
Highest rank: 18
Lowest rank: 21
My rank: 21
A big, reliable center that’s carved out a surprising NHL role the past couple seasons as a bottom-six forward. It’s not that Back wasn’t expected to an NHLer in my view, but I didn’t think he’d find his way into the league as more of a defensive-first player, especially after his playmaking was one of the reasons the Stars drafted him in the third round back in 2018. Perhaps he flirts with 20 points this season, but either way for his cap hit he’s an ideal fit for this roster.
