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Dallas Stars: Two Predictions for the 2018-19 Season

By Avery Klatsky

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: Tyler Seguin #91 of the Dallas Stars takes a shot against John Carlson #74 of the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on March 20, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: Tyler Seguin #91 of the Dallas Stars takes a shot against John Carlson #74 of the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on March 20, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – MARCH 09: Esa Lindell #23 of the Dallas Stars skates the puck against Adam Henrique #14 of the Anaheim Ducks during the second period at American Airlines Center on March 9, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – MARCH 09: Esa Lindell #23 of the Dallas Stars skates the puck against Adam Henrique #14 of the Anaheim Ducks during the second period at American Airlines Center on March 9, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Defensive Prediction: Stars’ GM Jim Nill is going to trade out a defenseman

With Dallas in the middle of what seems like several trade talks and player signings from John Tavares to Erik Karlsson, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jim Nill move somebody out to bring in a young prospect, whether that be on the blue line or on the wing.

Blueliners that I think the Stars might trade away are:

Esa Lindell

Of the three defensemen in this list, Lindell has the highest trade value. However, of the three listed, I think that he is the least likely to end up on another team’s roster by this time next year. Lindell is a solid top 4 defenseman that can help add speed and youth to a defense. The problem with trading away top 4 defenseman Esa Lindell, though, is that the Dallas Stars would be trading away top 4 defenseman Esa Lindell.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Lindell played very well last season while spending most of his time on the ice alongside John Klingberg. He tallied 27 points (7 G, 20 A) and a +19 plus/minus in 80 games. Granted, he had good stats because he was playing with Klingberg on Dallas’ first defensive pair. However, Lindell deserves credit for having a successful season last year.

Lindell also had a monstrous 22:05 TOI (time on ice), 92 hits, 123 blocks, and 19 takeaways in 2017-18. Although he could be on the trading block (especially for a big name trade like Erik Karlsson), chances are he will remain a Dallas Star.

Julius Honka

The most likely player I see getting traded (not only on the Stars’ defense but their roster as a whole) would be Julius Honka. Although I like him as a player, Honka has only mustered 9 points (2 G, 7 A) across 58 games in the past two seasons. That said, he only played about 14 minutes per game since joining the Stars in the NHL and has only registered 76 total NHL shots.

When you couple that with 29 total hits and 43 total blocks, Honka is a fairly decent young defenseman who just hasn’t developed into the role the Stars’ have envisioned him to when they drafted him.

One of the reasons why Honka might be shipped out is because Dallas’ roster is already chock-full of young, fast, and incredibly skilled d-men. John Klingberg, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and of course Honka. When your entire blue line is mostly offensive defensemen, you’re going to have problems. That’s why Dallas has tried to balance things out with the physicality of players like Stephen Johns, Marc Methot, Dillon Heatherington, and Roman Polak.

Another reason is that Honka simply just doesn’t get the ice time or experience I think he should be. Other teams have defenses that are completely revolved around the more physical aspect of the game, for example, St. Louis, Washington, or Nashville. Teams like those could certainly use a young, speedy, offensive defenseman like Honka to place somewhere in their blue line.

Dillon Heatherington

The third player that I could see being traded (though not as likely as Honka) is Dillon Heatherington. Unlike Lindell or Honka, Heatherington was not drafted by the Dallas Stars. Instead, Dillon was selected in the 2nd round (50th overall) in the 2013 NHL draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets ended up trading him right before the 2016-17 trade deadline to the Stars in exchange for veteran forward Lauri Korpikoski. Korpikoski was sent to Columbus as a rental, as the Blue Jackets were making a playoff push. Columbus ended up losing in the first round in 5 games to the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins.

Although Heatherington didn’t make a huge impact when he was inserted into the Stars’ lineup towards the end of last season, he did play pretty well for a bottom 2 d-man. Heatherington put up 17 points (3 G, 14 A) in 55 games with the Texas Stars in 2017-18, and registered one assist, seven hits, and two shot blocks in six games with Dallas.

The reason I think he might not be traded, though, is because Dallas wouldn’t get that much back for him — or at least not what they are planning on getting in return unless he’s a piece of a blockbuster deal. Heatherington’s stint in the NHL so far has been short. He has no doubt proven himself at the AHL level, but six games with Dallas is not enough to establish him as a consistent NHL roster player in terms of trade value.

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