Retired - Dallas Stars

[guthey]

Welcome to the Dallas Stars forum, where we will discuss the current team and prospects with a fantasy hockey angle toward it. I will be continuing my coverage of the Blue Jackets but right now there is not much to say about the team so I have been given permission to start up another one.

Feel free to post anything related to Dallas Stars and I will be happy to give my take on the topic. I've watched tons of Stars games in the last few years because I find myself frequently having Kari Lehtonen on my fantasy teams. I also know a decent amount about their team history too, which actually didn't start (or end) with legend Mike Modano.

So fire away and if I don't hear anything I will start with some of my own ideas.

[keytolife]

Awesome! Get it going Yas, always love your input!

Whats you take on Reilly Smith to start this one of?

[guthey]

Reilly Smith is a very talented right wing prospect on a very crowded right wing in Big D. Smith is in his third year at Miami University (Ohio) and through 12 games for the RedHawks, Smith has 11 points with eight of those points as goals.

Smith is known for his superb vision and hockey sense. A cherished talent at a generally mid-level NCAA program that largely features him now as an experienced upperclassman offensive threat to any collegiate opponent. Miami is not without other known names in the wider fantasy hockey world: senior shutdown defender Will Weber (CBJ), freshman 2011-NHL-drafted forward Blake Coleman (NJ) and freshman 2011 first round pick Tyler Biggs (TOR) also attend Miami.

Miami is certainly not an elite NCAA hockey program like other opponents in Boston, the Midwest and Colorado regions. However, it gives a different environment to hockey growth which is something that is important in assessing what kind of talent a player will be by looking at his role and how the overall relates to his statistics. Miami's great attraction to many good but not elite hockey prospects has to be the ability to be featured and given the chance to get great exposure without being drowned out by elite talent like they would at some schools.

The school's alums include Andy Greene, Brian Savage, Randy Robitaille, Ryan Jones, Carter Camper and Dan Boyle. All of these players were never considered amazing hockey prospects until coming to Miami but the RedHawks team was an avenue for them to showcase their talent, all ending up with better hockey futures than before. Reilly Smith is no different.

After an unspectacular freshman year, the 2009 third round pick's sophomore year saw him reach 54 points in 38 games.

Dallas has a lot of good depth at right wing with Smith, Alex Chiasson and Scott Glennie in the system. Expect Glennie to get the first crack at the second line behind Loui Eriksson on the top line in the NHL. Glennie is already in the AHL and getting acclimated to the pro game. Generally it takes many players about a year to get use to the professional competition so Glennie's unspectacular performance so far is not worrisome.

All three of them have different questions about them. For Boston University winger, Chiasson it is his work ethic and on-ice patience. For Glennie, the fact that he played alongside super-prospect Brayden Schenn in the WHL for the Brandon Wheat Kings also makes some suspicious that his statistics are inflated. For Smith, the questions are can he play with better talent in a non-featured role and still make an impact as well as if his game generally is adaptable to the pro style of play.

While I can see any of these three working out, Smith is probably the lowest in value because of the nature of the college he went to compared to Chiasson and the closeness to the NHL when compared to Glennie. All the same a year ago Smith was an easy buy-low for any one who follows college hockey but while his value is higher a year later, he is worth the price usually especially compared to what the value of his counterparts typically demand.

[Instant Karma]

Awesome! Great to see a Stars thread on the forums.

Go Stars!

[bondon]

Great to see, thanks for doing this guthey!

[J_Blu3Jack3t]

Awesome! Great to see a Stars thread on the forums.

Go Stars!

Yay =D 'Bout time!

New owner, new coach, new forum! Upswongs in the D! TY

[Dean Youngblood]

Consider this thread "stickied"

[mounD]

Consider this thread "stickied"

Ewwwwwww... I told Brandon not to get "excited" in people's threads. Gheez.

[One87]

Ewwwwwww... I told Brandon not to get "excited" in people's threads. Gheez.

Nasty... real nasty.

[Dean Youngblood]

Ewwwwwww... I told Brandon not to get "excited" in people's threads. Gheez.

who is "Brandon"?

[J_Blu3Jack3t]

Kari just got hurt... Raycroft in.

*didn't appear to be his back. took a weird shot and limped off the ice.
**lower body injury reported

[Ballsakic]

The injuries continued to mount for the Dallas Stars, who lost goaltender Kari Lehtonen, defenseman Trevor Daley and center Vernon Fiddler during Saturday night’s 3-0 loss at Phoenix.

Lehtonen was the first to go down, leaving just 5:31 into the game with a groin injury. Lehtonen was injured while stopping a shot by Coyotes defenseman Derek Morris on a play that was offsides. He was attended by the Stars trainer and then was helped off the ice.

“It’s a little bit of a groin pull there,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “We’ll see how it is. It’s one of those things you don’t see the extent until you see it the next day.”

Gulutzan said Lehtonen is unlikely for Monday’s game at Colorado.

Daley, who left the game in the first period as well with what Gulutzan said appeared to be a back issue, is also unlikely to play Monday.

“Dales we’re not quite sure,” Gulutzan said. “I think it was a little bit of his back, tweaked his back. We’re not sure the extent of that.”

Fiddler left the game late in the second period with a groin injury and is listed as day-to-day.

Those three players join left wing Brenden Morrow (upper body), defenseman Alex Goligoski (broken thumb) and right wing Adam Burish (broken hand) on the Stars’ list of injured players.

Morrow is expected to return Thursday against Ottawa. Goligoski and and Burish may not be back for two to three weeks.

[J_Blu3Jack3t]

Who could help us in the dots right now?

[guthey]

There will be another Stars post later today. If anyone has any topics they'd like me to write about please send post ideas if not I'll just find something myself.

[newper114]

How long will fiddler be out for any upDates?

Have him in a league with FoW and he has winger status. He has been huge for me, staging my comeback and that is one stat I've been bad at the first 5 weeks if the seasons goin o-5. Won the last 2 weeks but need this guy!

Also love to hear about ribs. Got him from you in our league and he has be just ok. Was hoping for 70 points