The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are set for a second round showdown, with the puck dropping in Dallas tomorrow night. To determine which team has the advantage, let's take a look at what the Stars bring to the table on the back end.
Thomas Hurley — Miro Heiskanen
Ether Lindell — Chris Tanev
Ryan Sutter — Nils Lundqvist
Milo's pair
Dallas is one of the few teams that could have a D core to rival Colorado's. Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Hurley are among the best up-and-coming defenders in the league and can break out of the zone and create offensive opportunities. Heiskanen is known for filling up the stat sheet at a decent rate offensively, with 45 assists and nine goals. Drafted third overall by Dallas in 2017, he has developed into quite a defender and is a stalwart defenseman for Dallas. While watching the first round matchup between the Stars and Golden Knights, I got a feel for the speed of the game. Dallas is built to take advantage of opponents' mistakes by making smooth and lightning-fast transitions. This is a well-known concept around here.
Hurley is quickly proving himself as an NHLer, and his presence in the top pairing with Miro suggests that manager Pete DeBoer has enough faith in the 22-year-old from Syracuse, New York. There is. He is a young defender with scoring ability who was promoted from the second group in the second half of the season. He's still Miro's pair, but Thomas promises to be Big D's next great defender.
Depth of D
Rather than risk a shallow core, Dallas moved at the deadline to add Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames. His presence gives Dallas a competitive advantage over most teams in the NHL, pairing him with Esa Lindell, who brought his prolific junior scoring to the big leagues. But he hasn't found the scoresheet in these playoffs – something to note.
Returning to Tanev, he was highly featured in the Vegas series, primarily helping Dallas limit the Golden Knights' offensive zone time. When he settles down to finish, he's sneaky. I personally consider that to be his “bread and butter”.
satters pair
Yes, former Minnesota Wild Ryan Suter is playing as the LD on Dallas' third defensive pairing. We all know the story of his infamous acquisition and subsequent departure from Minnie, but how has his game changed since his days in the Twin Cities? First of all, he won't get the same amount of ice time anymore, but to the chagrin of many Wild fans, things worked out well for him in Dallas. He has recorded back-to-back assists in the Las Vegas Series and has come in at the right time.
As for Nils Lundqvist, Jim Nill rolled the dice when he traded a first round pick for Nils, and the house won in my opinion. Lundqvist has been in the headlines and stories for all the wrong reasons this season. That's because the coach criticized his too-frequent visits to the sin bin. The addition of Chris Tanev has made him almost expendable, and his development (or lack thereof) is causing some concern, but what team wouldn't worry about a sixth and seventh defender? Colorado would do well to test Nils' discipline and stakes now while they have the man advantage.
Advantage Avalanche
Sorry, but my burgundy-tinted glasses won't do me any favors to those who oppose Colorado's blue line. I said it before Round 1 and I'll say it again now. Colorado has a player who will be his pairing with Team Canada's top. Heiskanen will be Finland's best defenseman, but I don't think Hurley will join the U.S. team at this point in his career — maybe in a few years.
Further down the line, Sam Girard is quietly having his best season as a pro, adding a bit of sandpaper to his already excellent skating acumen. Josh Munson struggled early against Winnipeg, but other than a few glaring and costly mistakes, he played as well as we've seen since the 2022 Cup game.
Sean Walker hasn't been as impactful or prominent as he was in the regular season, but he's been able to skate with the big boys and has a keen understanding of what Bednar expects from his defenders. Jack Johnson is the prototypical sixth man defender and a valuable veteran presence who already has several rings.
As I mentioned at the beginning, Dallas is close to being even with Colorado's defensemen. Still, the Avalanche are in good hands with legendary, record-setting and future Hall of Famers Cale Makar and Devon Toews at the helm.
Let us know what you think about this match in the comments!
