MINI BTP: Vision For The Division (Dallas Stars)

Brandon Mileski & Pat Micheletti continue their "Vision For The Division" Series and talk about the Dallas Stars on this episode of MINI BTP!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hey, welcome to another episode ofMini BTP. This is a mini Beyond
the Pod, just a short version. I'm Brandon Leski Pat mcletty for former
Golden Gopher with me as well.We're continuing our vision for the division series
and Pat, we're going up fromthe bottom to the top. So we
only have two more teams left togo in the Central Division. Today we
talk about the Dallas Stars. Throughthe Wild are very familiar with because they

(00:22):
were limitated by the Stars in thefirst round of the playoffs last year.
Second in the Central Division. Theywere just one point back of Colorado for
the top of the division with onehundred and eight points. And Pat,
I've told you this before, butthis is a franchise that I thought was
in trouble, a couple with thecontracts of Second and Ben and just committed
to a lot of money and theywere getting older and weren't performing at that

(00:43):
rate. And they had one draftin twenty seventeen that basically saved this franchise
in which they got hay Skinned andthree overall, Otten Juror and then Robertson.
They got in the second round allthree of those guys in the same
draft and that's really kind of savedthis franchise and now they're very competitive.
Yeah, they look at those youngerguys, the guys you just mentioned as

(01:04):
their glue, as their team,and then the former guys who we thought
saying, uh, you know,and whom who am I looking at here,
Jimmy Bean, Jimmy Beann that youknow they were at the end of
their careers. Well they got somenew life and they were good last year.

(01:25):
So I'm looking at Dallas on paperand I'm asking myself, I look
at their lineup and I say,you know what, that might be the
best lineup in the division, butwe always have to have that asterisk,
right. They acquire mattew Shane hada big year last year. A lot
of people thought he was at theend. Are these guys going to not

(01:49):
necessarily have the years that they hada year ago, but are they going
to be you know, near thatright? And if they are, with
the additions that they made this prettygood team. Yeah you didn't. You
just mentioned kind of the one edition. They didn't do him make a lot
of moves this off season, butthey did add Matt Duche and who's been
kind of around the block now alittle bit one year, three million dollar

(02:12):
deal. You know, thirty twoyears old. He's getting up there a
little bit, but still should beat a young enough age where there's still
something left and pat He's he's twoyears away from a forty three goal season,
so right, I know, Iknow, you know, maybe if
you look through the course of hiscareer, maybe he'd never reached the level
that we thought he could. Buthe's still a guy that, like I
said, two years ago, scoredforty three goals and you got him for

(02:35):
three million dollars. That's and andyou're gonna be adding him into a lineup
that has some pretty good depth atthe forward position. When he was with
the Colorado Avalanche, I you know, we'd watch him and we'd say,
oh my gosh, this kid isunbelievable. Then what happened with him was
was, you know, he gotthe reputation as not being a good guy,

(02:59):
and I mean that in a wayof not a good locker room guy.
You know, the contract troubles,wanted out, you know, wanted
out of Ottawa, wanted out ofColorado. So you get that reputation.
Ends up in Nashville does really well. So he's kind of a forgotten man,
yet he puts up numbers every placehe goes. I think Dallas getting

(03:21):
him is gonna take a lot ofpressure of Ben, gonna take a lot
of pressure of Sagan. And youknow, Wyatt Johnson, who you know
I think is was great in theplayoffs a year ago, is going to
take a step this year. Andso you know, there's not many week
parts of this team. If ifthey can play together, if you know

(03:46):
they you know, Ben and Saganstay injury free and and and and play
with the same level of intensity andfocus that they did a year ago.
I tell you what I like toseem a lot well, Pat, I
always kind of feel like on aStanley Cup type team, there's three components.
You need to have one goaltender,which they have and Jake gotten Jer.

(04:10):
Two you need to have a premierdefenseman, which I think they do
in Miro Hayskin in And then threeis you gotta be strong at the center
position. You look at their centers. Rupe hints who had even talked about
him great series against the Wild lastyear. Joe Pavelski, I know he's
getting up there in age, butguess what, until he falls off a
cliff. I'm gonna assume he's goingto be the same job of Elsie.

(04:30):
Everyone keeps waiting for him to tohave that career, that year in his
career where looks like he's done,but he keeps performing at a high level.
So I'm just gonna I'm gonna assumehe's gonna keep doing that. Segan
can play some center. I knowhe played a little bit of wing for
them in the playoffs. And thenyou mention mentioned why Johnson. So those
three components of what I believe ismakes a Stanley Cup contender, they have
all that. Yeah, yeah,you right, Yeah, I think you're

(04:53):
correct there. If you are strongup the middle, guys that know how
to play in your own end andcan produce offensively and and be distributors of
the puck, and and you knowwith Johnston, you know he can he
can score goals for you too.And and Joe Pavelski whether he plays waying,
whether he plays center, I don'tcare. I want Joe Pavelski in

(05:15):
my power play all the time becauseno one can deflect or misdirect pucks better
than him in the league. Andyou know, we can all say,
yeah, he's getting along in thetwo withy and you know, he's not
a great skater. He's never beena great skater. You know, he's
got the same speed now that hehad, you know, ten years ago,
because you know, it's just theway he plays. So he has

(05:40):
the elements of his game that canyou can play with when you're older,
right, Like, yes, Ilook at a guy like Jason Zucker right
like, eventually, like when hishis number one asset is his speed and
his skating, and eventually, whenyou get older, that's gonna go away.
Whereas, as you mentioned, Bevelkihas never been in a great skater.
He's great in the face off circle. He's good in front of the
nat screens, to deflections, rebounds, like that's his game. And I

(06:01):
think that's something that you can stillplay with as you get older. Yeah,
I agree. And and what elsedo you need, Brandon? You
need depth? Right And and yougo down to their to their projected fourth
line of Fox h D Landria andthey add they add a meek and potatoes
guy and Craig Smith. He's beenaround, he's been in Nashville, Boston.

(06:25):
But he's tough and he plays tough, and you know he's just one
of those guys that that you likeon your team as a as a fourth
liner. So you know, andI think Ottinger. I think Ottinger.
You know, he's for sure atop five goaltender in the league, and
uh boy, to have that backstopis is uh bodes well for them?

(06:46):
Well, yeah, Craig Smith hasbeen a guy that has been a double
digit scorer, you know, consistentlythroughout his career. I know he's getting
up there in age, but toget him for one million dollars, I
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(07:11):
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Pat Sam Steele is now a memberof the Dallas Star as a guy from

(07:32):
a guy for the Minnesota while thatkind of started as a fourth liner,
ended up working his way up onthat top line when Ryan Hartman was hurt
there in the middle of the seasonand then by the end of the year
he became a healthy scratch. Buthe played a decent amount in that playoff
series two when they had injuries toEric Sinek and Hartman there early on in
that series. So Sam Steele nownow a Dallas Star. Well interesting.

(07:55):
You know, I like Sam Steel, but I don't like Sam Steele in
a top six role. I thinkI think he thrives better when you just
say, go out and play Sam, there's no pressure on you. And
I think a team like Dallas mightbe a really really good fit for him
because they don't need him to playon a line with Robertson and and Pavelski

(08:20):
or whatever the case may be andcarry the load for a while. So
you know, that may be asituation where it's it's a good fit.
You know, he can be abottom six guy, you know, possess
the skills that he has because hehas good skills and you know he may
help them a little bit. Allright, what is your official prediction for
the Dallas Stars this season right now, Brandon? I have them going to

(08:45):
the Western Conference Finals. I havethem winning the division. I think they
I think they're the real deal.All right. I'm still I think Colorado
and Dallas, like last year,are going to be the two that are
the class of the division. Ithink there's kind of a sep rating gap
after the top two, and we'lltalk about Colorado in our next episode,
but I still think the Colorado Avalanchewill be the division leaders. But I

(09:07):
would not be surprised if Dallas madea run. Pat, we'll talk to
you on the next episode and beyondthe Bottle, we'll be talking about our
final vision for the division. TheColorado Avalanche sounds great. Thank you.
All right, he's Pat mcglady,I'm Brandon'll ask you. This have been
another episode of Mini BTP. Ifyou've missed any of our past Vision for
the Division episodes where we've gone throughbasically the entire Central Division, you can

(09:28):
listen to them on the iHeart Radioappor wherever you get your podcast. You
can also watch them on Kfan's YouTubechannel. Thank you for listening or watching
beyond the pod. Bye,