At the turn of the calendar the Dallas Stars were one of the top teams in the National Hockey League. Since then the team has fallen off a cliff with the powerplay dwindling and the first line coming back to earth. But yesterdays game against Colorado was exactly what the the team needed.
Jamie Benn’s 1,000 Games Ceremony
As someone new to covering the team getting to see this game in particular was a must. Although Jamie Benn played his 1,000th game back on the sixth against Anaheim, the ceremony didn’t take place until yesterday. Jamie is the longest tenured captain in Dallas Stars history. While other fanbases may not be the biggest fans of Benn, he is the face of the Dallas Stars, and has been for awhile. He’s the definition of the modern power forward. The Stars did an amazing job with the ceremony, and it was obvious in the building just how much Jamie means to the team, and the city of Dallas. It was truly a special moment in the American Airlines Center, especially considering the season Jamie is having.
Jamie has left an impact on so many throughout his career, and yesterday was proof of it. Video messages played throughout the game congratulating Jamie on his achievement. Former Stars Trevor Daley, and Ben Bishop, also former coaches Rick Bowness and Lindy Ruff, just to name a few.
The full ceremony can be watched here.
Gurianov for Dadonov
The game against Colorado also marked the first game since the trade deadline for the club. While the Stars weren’t the busiest of teams at this years Friday deadline, Dallas fans are still going to see some new faces, and we did lose some fan favorites as well.
The first deadline season move General Manager Jim Nill made was trading away Denis Gurianov. On the 26th the Stars dealt him to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Evgenii Dadonov. Montreal will retain 50% of Dadonov’ s contract, bringing his cap hit down to 2.5 million. The 33 year old Russian will be a free agent at the end of the season. I really believe this was a good move for both sides. Both players could benefit from a change of scenery, as neither were having great seasons. The Stars were looking to move on from Gurianov for a while, and they save a needed 400,000 against the salary cap.
The change of scenery has already paid off for both players. Dadonov already has a goal and two assists through four games with Dallas. Gurianov also has a goal through his first three games with Montreal. From the perspective of Stars fans Gurianov will definitely be missed. He’ll always be a Dallas Stars legend for scoring the overtime goal which sent the Stars to the 2020 Cup Final.
Max Domi is a Dallas Star
The second move Jim Nill made was the trade that got more attention league-wide. Dallas sent fan favorite goaltender Anton Khudobin and their 2025 2nd round pick to Chicago in exchange for young goalie Dylan Wells and forward Max Domi. Dobby will be missed but the Stars didn’t have the money to play anywhere other than with Texas in the American Hockey League. Jim Nill did him right by finding him a new opportunity, you could say Dobby got his sock. Dylan Wells is an AHL goalie that has been assigned to Texas already. The big piece coming to Dallas is Max Domi. Through 60 games with Chicago he’s recorded 18 goals and 31 assists.
Max Domi’s first warmup with the Stars. Image: @DallasStars on Twitter
Max Domi made his Dallas debut Saturday against the Avalanche, slightly overshadowed by the Benn ceremony. What we saw in Domi’s first game should get the entire state of Texas excited for his tenure here. Max got traded late Thursday night and the team had off on Friday, and there was no morning skate on Saturday. So the game would be his first time skating with the team. I actually had the opportunity to ask him about that postgame;
“I mean that’s just part of the game right. The coaching staff, my linemates and everyone in here made it really easy on me to have that transition be as smooth as possible. Just kind of prepare ya’ as much as you can. At the end of the day you just gotta get out there and play. Tried to do my best out there, but like I said huge win, and the best way to get your feet wet is to be thrown in the fire against one of the bests teams out there…”
It definitely was a big game, and Domi was a major reason why. Before the game DeBoer said the start of the game was going to be extremely important, and Max took it personally. He threw two hits his first shift, including a massive hit on Avs defenseman Sam Girard, plus Domi created a scoring opportunity. He didn’t record a point but he brought a lot to the lineup that the team really needed. I expect him to get even better with every game as he gets more comfortable.
Ending Droughts
Going into Saturday two of the Stars key pieces were experiencing goal scoring draughts. Mason Marchment had gone 32 games without a goal dating back to December 14th. Pavelski also was experiencing a career long 18 games without a goal. Both of them scored on Saturday, making the game a monumental point in the Stars season. The biggest deadline acquisition might end up being Mason Marchment getting back on track. The Stars as a whole look a lot more dangerous if Marchment is viewed more dangerously, and the puck is going in for him. Even with the long drought Mason still has 10 goals on the year. Hopefully the addition of Domi on his line will bring back his scoring touch we saw at the beginning of the season.
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