Dallas Stars: With Carrick in the Lineup, How Does the Blue Line Pan Out?

With the addition of defenseman Connor Carrick into the Stars’ defense, how will the blue line shape up during the regular season?

Nobody could have predicted it, but Connor Carrick is the newest member of the Dallas Stars.

Carrick, a 2012 5th-round pick (Washington Capitals) has totaled 30 points (9 G, 21 A) in 167 NHL games with the Capitals and Maple Leafs. He’s additionally recorded 207 shot blocks and 171 hits across his NHL career.

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Carrick is a solid top six defenseman—so why, you ask, would Jim Nill bring in yet another defenseman?

Well, the addition of Connor Carrick leaves the Dallas Stars with eight NHL-ready defensemen: John Klingberg, Marc Methot, Esa Lindell, Roman Polak, Miro Heiskanen, Julius Honka, Stephen Johns, and finally aforementioned new acquire Connor Carrick.

It looks like Carrick will make the opening night roster, however, as Stephen Johns is on the injured reserve (IR) with head issues.

This, in essence, might be why Nill decided to deal for Carrick. There were rumors that Toronto GM Kyle Dubas and the Maple Leafs were going to put him on waivers and send him down to the AHL.

If that were the case, why would Nill not wait until Carrick was officially put on waivers to claim him, and Dallas could keep the 2019 conditional draft pick they had to give up? Maybe Nill spilled the beans early, and Dubas knew he could get something in return for the d-man. Who knows.

Either way, I didn’t expect the Stars to bring in the eighth blueliner—but maybe Johns’ injury justifies it, especially considering there might not be an official return date for him (according to Stars’ media, he practiced Wednesday morning).

A few months ago, I wrote an article on two predictions for the Stars upcoming season—one for the offense, the other for the defense. My offensive prediction was that Tyler Seguin would surpass 90 points this season—and considering the fact that he is healthy and just got a pay raise in September, I stand by that prediction.

The defensive one gets more interesting: I wrote that Jim Nill would ship out a defenseman before the trade deadline, and I predicted that either Esa Lindell, Julius Honka, or Dillon Heatherington would not be a Star by the end of the season.

Now, it seems to me that the chances of Dallas moving Heatherington are slim-to-none because his trade value is low and his NHL experience is short. However, if the Stars’ defense stays off the IR and is playing well, Nill might not see a need to keep the extra defenseman on the roster.

Or, if he is offered a great deal in exchange for giving up a few pieces (whether that be Lindell, Honka, or what have you), he might make that deal happen. But I did not expect them to bring in another blueliner.

All in all, Connor Carrick is a reliable top six defensemen who will probably play around 30-40 games this year. How he divides ice time up with the other seven defensemen on Dallas’ roster, however, is still up for debate.

• Published on 10/03/2018 at 21:00 PM
• Last updated at 10/03/2018 at 19:19 PM