3 Dallas Stars on Thin ice Heading Into the All-Star Break

With the 2023-24 NHL All-Star Break just over a week away, these three Dallas Stars players are skating on thin ice ahead of the annual festivities.

Radek Faksa is one of three Stars who are on thin ice ahead of this year's NHL All-Star Break. / Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

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3. Sam Steel, C

With centers Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven playing well in the American Hockey League, Sam Steel has become somewhat expendable.

Steel hasn't been awful in his first season with the Stars, but his 14 points through 42 games are nothing to write home about. You can even argue that his production is disappointing after he played at a 0.43 point-per-game pace with the Minnesota Wild last year before dropping to 0.33 PPG this season. On top of that, his faceoff win percentage (44.7%) and shooting percentage (10.6%) are both down from last year's marks.

Steel is also a pending restricted free agent, but he's also 25 years old, meaning he likely won't get much better. Meanwhile, Bourque and Stankoven are 21 and 20, respectively, and could wind up being better than Steel ever was if given the opportunity.

With the Stars being deeper at center than most positions, it's clear that Steel needs to find a way to stand out or risk being sent packing.

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