Who should round out the Stars third pair? Nils Lundkvist or Jani Hakanpää?

Let's look at some of the data and the Stars system to contextualize the biggest debate in Stars land.

This is one of those topics I’ve seen heavily discussed on social media, but I haven’t taken the time to write extensively about.

When fully healthy, should the Dallas Stars be playing Nils Lundkvist or Jani Hakanpää?

This is fascinating playoff question, especially after the Stars slightly shuffled their defensive core at the NHL trade deadline by trading for Chris Tanev and losing Joel Hanley on waivers, fittingly to the Calgary Flames.

It’s common knowledge that the Stars top-five defenders at this point are Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Tanev, Esa Lindell, and Ryan Suter. We can also assume the top-four, minutes wise, in the playoffs will be Heiskanen, Harley, Lindell, and Tanev.

That leaves Suter with either Hakanpää or Lundkvist as his partner.

Reading the tea leaves, and Pete DeBoer’s recent decisions, we know that barring an injury Hakanpää is going to hold that spot.

That’s one of the frequent issues when having these debates on social media or even writing about them. We have what feels like an established fact, which we have to defend or refute.

Because of how things have been, Lundkvist gets more praise than he should from Stars fans. Hakanpää takes more heat than he probably should, because he’s viewed as the obstacle blocking Lundkvist.

There are also outside narratives that provide context, but also cloud judgement. Lundkvist is a younger player, the Stars traded a first-round pick for him. He should be part of the long-term future.

But this isn’t a long-term question. This is a short-term question. Over the next three months, who gives the Stars the best chance at winning the Stanley Cup? Lundkivst or Hakanpää?