Adding Patrik Nemeth and Subtracting Trevor Daley

The defensive side of the Dallas Stars has been the main blame for why this season has not gone the way many fans expected it to go. The Stars finally got their promising young defenseman, Patrik Nemeth, back for their last game against the Islanders but managed to lose their best defenseman for the season due to yet another careless and weird play.

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Patrik Nemeth started the season with the Stars after playing a small part last year. He played this season up until October 18th when he suffered a gruesome laceration to his arm in which he was deemed “out for the remainder of the season” after surgery. However, with hard work and the desire to come back early, Nemeth began to play games with the Texas Stars in late February. His determination paid off, and that’s why we saw him back on the ice with a month and a half left in the season.

Trevor Daley has been the Stars most consistent piece on defense this season. He has 16 goals (including 6 on the power play) and 17 assists this season. During the last game against the Islanders, forward Matt Martin skated up to Trevor Daley and gave him a knee which resulted in a one game suspension for Martin. Lindy Ruff proclaimed after the game that Daley would be out for “weeks” and could potentially be shut down for the season. After the game Ruff stated what every other Stars fan was thinking:

“That’s a suspension”

It’s very hard losing your best defenseman when the defense isn’t that great in the first place but we can take some positives out of a bad situation:

Patrik Nemeth’s Progress

This injury immediately impacts Patrik Nemeth. This gives him a solid spot on the defensive lines and will make sure he gets plenty of playing time. Although he won’t get to learn as much from Daley while he is on the ice, just being out there helps him add to what looks like a promising career. This could help Patrik Nemeth develop more in preparation for next season, if the Stars end up missing the Playoffs this year.

Healthy For Next Season

If Trevor Daley is in fact shut down, at least we will know that he will be 100% for next season. If he was to try to make a comeback this year, it could lead to further injury, perhaps more serious, since he would probably not be at full strength. Daley, who is 31, would get extra time in the offseason to make sure he is ready to go for the 2015-16 campaign so he can try to let his talent from this year spill over into the next.

Who Does Nemeth Fit With?

This will provide a small bit of flexibility into the Stars defensive unit which means lines will be mixed up. He is set to pair up with Jokipakka in the game against the Panthers tonight, but I’m sure Coach Lindy Ruff will work him in and try different pairs to see where he fits best. This could help Nemeth get a little chemistry with a teammate so they will be a solid group for next year.

Overall, it’s just devastating that we won’t get to see Trevor Daley on the ice for while, maybe even for the rest of the season, but it’s something the Stars can overcome. This is yet another challenge that has hit the Stars this season. They’ve already lost their best forward, Tyler Seguin, to a reckless injury and now their best defenseman has gone down. It gives Lindy Ruff the job of getting as much as he can out of this team even with the Playoffs most likely not in their future. The rest of the season will be interesting if Daley is not able to come back, however, it provides the team with good opportunities and bad opportunities, but just like in their last game against the Islanders, the Stars are fully capable of overcoming adversity!

Next: Spezza's Journey to the Stars

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