2024-2024 Dallas Stars: Defensive training camp battles and the mystery of the next man up

Who's it gonna be?

Defense for the Stars is pure top-down hockey. There’s Miro Heiskanen at the top, and then there’s everyone else.

Yes, Thomas Harley has all the makings of a top four, puck rushing, three-zone defender. But as optimistic as I am — and I am — there’s more development to be had. And development is not always an uninterrupted line only going up. No I don’t expect Harley to be exposed, or go Full Implosion and turn into Tony DeAngelo overnight. But there’s still more to learn.

However, it’s not just the young defenders who are potential x-factors. It’s also the veterans. Who is Esa Lindell without Chris Tanev? More to the point, who is Lindell in a contract year? The new faces may have experience, but will they have chemistry?

If I’m sounding like I have doubts about my own confident words concerning how Dallas’ blueline isn’t really the problem despite appearances, then that’s not my intention. If anything, as I’ll argue tomorrow at D Magazine, it’s the offense that needs the gut check. But as far as the blueline goes, there’s equal parts stability, and x-factors. The real intrigue is who the next man up is.

Staples

Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, Matt Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin

Everybody fits the bill here. Heiskanen and Harley will lead the charge offensively. Lindell will lead the defensive charge. And then Dumba and Lyubushkin will act as hockey biscuits and gravy; sure they’re not actually good for you, but they possess a lot of flavor. I didn’t think too hard about this analogy because I’m genuinely craving biscuits and gravy — nobody does them better in San Antonio than the Guenther House (just FYI if you ever want to join me) — but it’s not like their presence is a secret. They weren’t brought in to score goals, or make pretty plays. They were brought in to be blasphemous acts of violence. That makes them a staple in Nill’s newlook blueline.

Really the only interesting discussion here is whether or not Heiskanen finally gets back to his strongside. I’m not here to rehash a debate fire I’ve been throwing fuel on since 2021. Nor am I patting myself on the back or trying to imply anything. The only thing I want to write here is that should Heiskanen be paired with one of Dumba or Lyubushkin, it’ll be interesting to see how that affects the others, and which pair works best.

Lyubushkin was very good next to Morgan Reilly.

Reilly is much more of a specialist than Heiskanen, but if this chemistry works, then it would likely bode well for everyone else, since Lyubushkin is, on paper, Dallas’ weakest blueline link.

Next Man Up

Brenden Smith, Nils Lundkvist

Here we go again. Again.

I suspect that Smith has the inside track to be in the top six. DeBoer is willing to scratch veterans not named Ryan Suter, so I don’t believe Smith has the inside track because he’s a veteran — although he was scratched in New Jersey — but because he’s been a surprisingly consistent player through his career, somehow hitting a nice plateau once he passed 30.

Don’t know what this chart means and need a filthy casual guide? Click here to learn more about Micah Blake McCurdy’s synthetic goals.

And that leaves us with Lundkvist.

I’m gonna try to keep my wits about me here. Maybe I can’t. And now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn’t: repeating this song and dance is absolute madness for everyone involved. The more everyone accepts this Leviathan of absurdity, the healthier it’ll be. So here’s what I’ll say: any breakthrough Lundkvist has would be huge for Dallas. It would allow them to play with LHD-RHD from pair one through three, and the Stars could use a little more offense from their blueline. I know none of us are counting on it, but at least nobody’s expecting Lundkvist to make the cut, nor should they.

If he figures things out — which is a generic way of saying if his acceleration improves enough for him to stop being so scrambly in the defensive zone, and if the coaching staff can give him mental room to develop a rhythm — then it’s just found money at this point. It would be a great story, but it’s a story that is, at least for now, pure fiction.

X-Factors

Lian Bichsel, Alex Petrovic, Kyle Capiobanco

I know some fans will argue that Bichsel belongs in the list above, but I don’t see it. Not only are there cap logistics that factor into a potential move, but Dallas doesn’t have to rush Bichsel for anything. Nor will they feel hurried. The Stars have seven good defenders that can rotate in and out of the lineup, so Bichsel will likely stay in the AHL longer than fans might like.

Nonetheless, I’m a believer.

I would kindly advise you to become a paid subscriber so you can see exactly what makes me so optimistic. But if not, that’s cool. (FYI: we’re “closing in” on 1000 total subscribers and I kind of can’t believe it. You all are awesome, and make it all worth it. I promise you there’s even cooler stuff coming down the pipeline. And when I say “cool” I mean you will be gasping “how the hell did he manage that?!?”)

Neither Petrovic nor Capiobanco are realistic options, but they will be options if Dallas gets hit with injuries. While they are completely different players (Petrovic as a shutdown defender, Capiobanco as a classic puck mover), both have enough NHL experience to keep things afloat.

Stop Asking

Gavin White, Christian Kyrou

Will Scouch has been doing prospect pyramids for the last three weeks, and I was going insane waiting for him to get to Dallas. Alas, he finally did!

And as much as I say I’ll get over my fascination with White as an intriguing prospect, I couldn’t when Will — who has a great eye and is one of the best prospect follows in the business — mentioned White by name. Granted, he mentions everyone by name, but still. Just watch.

I’ve seen some discussions about Kyrou (mostly on Reddit), and while it’ll never happen this year, this year will be a big one for him. He’s coming off a year in which he struggled early, found a groove late, and then turned into an outright mixed martial artist in the Calder Cup playoffs where he was a point per game. Small sample size? Maybe. Did it fix the other aspects of his game? No. But I like the development of his confidence. If that can carry over, the Stars will be able to boast a puck mover in their system, which they otherwise don’t really have.