The Stars acquired forward Lauri Tukonen from the L.A. Kings today, in exchange for left wing Richard Clune. Tukonen, a 21-year-old right wing, was a first-round selection by the Kings in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft (11th pick overall). He's played in five NHL games, but spent most of his time last season playing with the Manchester Monarchs, where he had nine goals and 26 assists. Clune, 21, split time last season between the Iowa Stars and Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL.
Drumroll please... ah, forget it. The big schedule is here, folks, and here's a quick link to it. Just some quick highlights (may include highlights that I gave you yesterday, but a little repetition never hurt anyone:
**Washington is here on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m.
**Pittsburgh comes to town on Sunday, March 1, at 2 p.m. Do I smell an NBC game?
**The N.Y. Rangers, Sean Avery's former team, is here on Friday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
**The Stars will go to see Brad Richards' former teammates in Tampa Bay on Monday, Jan. 19.
**Florida, Carolina and Atlanta also come to the AAC. It's been, what, two years since they've traveled here? Which brings me to my little spiel for the day:
Let's get these teams back to playing home and homes with each other. Every year. No excuses. We all deserve to see the best of the best in every building. I'm glad the NHL made their little step forward -- and that's really all it is -- with seeing every team at least once a season. But let's get back to the pre-lockout days with the schedule.
We're already back to the pre-lockout days with the large salary cap and player contracts.
Yes, kids, the moment you've all been waiting for since at least 11 a.m. this morning. Sorry, I don't know why I'm being so sarcastic today. Anyway, the goods:
The Stars will have seven preseason games, four at the American Airlines Center. Training camp begins Sept. 19. Here's the pre sked; home in bold:
Tuesday, Sept. 23 @St. Louis Blues 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 25 Colorado Avalanche 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27 St. Louis Blues 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 28 @ Chicago Blackhawks 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 1 @ Colorado Avalanche 8 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 2 Chicago Blackhawks 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 5 Edmonton Oilers 7 p.m.
At least the preseason one; it looks like it'll be out sometime today. Anyway, the regular-season stuff isn't being relased until 11 a.m. Thursday, but there are a few sneak-peek items which I will now share with you. So gather 'round, boys and girls and get the info:
**The Stars will open the regular-season at home, on Friday, Oct. 10. Their opponent? The Ken Hitchcock-led Columbus Blue Jackets.
**There will be home-and-home matchups with three Eastern Conference teams: the New Jersey Devils (in Dallas on New Year's Eve), the N.Y. Rangers (here on Feb. 6) and the Florida Panthers (here on March 28).
**Oh, and the biggest (or at least most fun) news of all: it looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals will be playing in Dallas this season. That's right, kids, get your Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin watching in while you can. Remember, the new schedule means NHL teams will play each other at least once a year, but that doesn't mean they'll always come here!
I know I've mentioned this before (a few thousand times), but the NHL really, really, really needs to have home-and-homes with everyone each season.
Hey folks,
Doesn't look like we'll get the preseason sked until tomorrow. Apparently there's one game they're trying to get cleared up (believe it involves Edmonton). Anyway, we'll wait a little longer. I know, it's the middle of summer and there probably isn't a ton of anticipation for a preseason schedule. It's all I got for now, folks!
Hey folks,
The worst-kept secret is officially official: Dave Tippett's deal has finally been completed. Technically it's a two-year deal, attached to the one-year deal heading into next season, but it's through 2010-11 nevertheless. I know there was some bits and pieces they were working out over this time, and there wasn't a tremendous hurry, since we all knew Tip was going to be coming back. Anyway, it's all done. Complete. Finito.
In other news:
**The assistant coaches' deals are not quite complete yet. Les Jackson said they're working on them but it's going to be a bit before they're finished.
**Nothing new as far as what Stu Barnes is going to do (retire/play). Could Barnes be a part of the Stars' organization if he chooses to retire? Possibly. But we'll have to wait and see when he makes his decision. This is a tough choice to make, obviously, but you wonder if that postseason concussion end up being a factor.
**The Stars' preseason schedule should be out this week, as will their regular-season schedule. Looks like the NHL will release the main skeds on Thursday.
**In answer to Meges' prognostication, players will hit the ice for Stars training camp on Sept. 19.
I think that's all I got right now. If anything else develops, we'll let ya know.
And I do mean young... the kid's 18 years old. Jamie Benn, who the Stars took in the fifth round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft (129th overall) was signed to a three-year entry level contract on Friday. Benn played last season with Kelowna (Western Hockey League), and led the team with 33 goals. He also had 32 assists in his 51 games. Not too shabby of a total. He also led the team with 15 power-play goals and a plus-32 rating. Benn was at this week's development camp and will also be in Frisco for the Stars' training camp in September.
Hey folks... Been out of the loop a few days, but I saw on the Stars' website that Sean Avery chatted with the fellas on BaD Radio this week. Check it out on www.dallasstars.com. I haven't had a listen to it yet, myself, so I can't even give you a glimpse. But give it a listen when you get a chance... like when the boss is on his lunch break :)
Hey folks,
Had to head home shortly again, but on the flight back up to PA today, I was thinking about these Dallas Stars, mainly about GMs Les Jackson and Brett Hull. I remember when Tom Hicks made this decision, it was absolutely slammed. But upon further review, I think this is the perfect blend of front-office brain and player knowledge. You have to just take a minute and see what these guys have done since November:
**Signing Ribeiro long-term. Look at the numbers that came up this past week. Wonder how tough (and how expensive) it would've been to re-sign him now?
**Getting Brad Richards. When's the last time the Stars reeled in a big fish at the trade deadline? Now this guy is fully settled in, and will get a training camp here. Ah, the possibilities...
**The Sean Avery deal. Gutsy? Yes. Drama factor? Absolutely? Will it pay off? We'll see. But once again, a move that raises eyebrows and the possibilities come regular season.
I admire folks who recognize that stagnant wasn't getting them anywhere, that taking a risk is necessary at times. So I'm curious what you all think: Jack-Hull has been in power for about eight months now. How are they doing in your book?
The San Jose Sharks, one of the Stars' biggest rivals in the Pacific Division, finally made some moves signing defenseman Rob Blake to a one-year deal and trading for Tampa Bay defenseman Dan Boyle. Something had to be done when Brian Campbell left for Chicago and Boyle, while not as creative as Campbell, is a puck-mover the Sharks desperately need on the blue line. San Jose also gets former Stars defenseman Brad Lukowich in the deal.
Also, Jaromir Jagr appears to be heading overseas signing with Russia's Avangard Omsk. Jagr's fate in New York was apparently sealed when the Rangers signed Markus Naslund.
-Milenko Martinovich
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