Nick Jehamy | January 14th, 2020
We have hit 2020 and with the turn of the new decade, we here at The Scorecrow are putting together our All-Decade teams for each franchise. So who made the All-Decade team for the Dallas Stars? Let’s take a look.
The All-Decade team consists of a full team of skaters; four forward lines, three defensive lines, and two goaltenders. My criteria for choosing who made the team is a mixture of historical significance and statistical performance.
Forwards
First Line
No question here who should be on the first line for the Dallas Stars all-decade team.
Tyler Seguin, Center, 2013-present
Seguin has been with Dallas since 2013. He’s produced 499 points in his time with the team making it to four all-star games (not including also making it this year), three seasons placing top five in the league in goals scored, and producing 0.99 points per game. Seguin has tallied at least 72 points in every season with Dallas as well as at least 30 goals in all but one.
Jamie Benn, Left Wing, 2010-present
If we had to pick the top overall player for the decade, for the Stars it would be Benn. Benn played the whole decade with the franchise, captaining the squad since 2013. Benn is top five in franchise history in goals, assists, and points. Benn led the league in points in 2014 and placed second in 2015. Benn is not just on our Dallas Stars all-decade team, but also one of the greats in all of the National Hockey League over the 2010s.
Alexander Radulov, Right Wing, 2018-present
The right wing position may be the weakest overall on this list but at the top of the list, we have someone very deserving based on the statistics he’s put up in his short stint with the team. Another skater currently on the team, Radulov is only in his third season with the franchise, but his first two were just that good! Radulov produced 72 points in back to back seasons for the Stars as well as having a fantastic playoff run with the Stars producing 10 points through 13 games.
Second Line
Jason Spezza, Center, 2014-2019
Five seasons with the Stars, Spezza produced three 50+ point seasons, his best of the three being 63 points with 33 goals and 30 assists. After those three seasons, Spezza’s production and time on ice decreased but his impact through his first three seasons and the veteran experience he brought to the team deservingly placed him on our second line.
Loui Eriksson, Left Wing, 2006-2013
Eriksson started his career with the Stars during the 2006 season. Not only his best season’s with the Stars, but the best seasons in his entire career come at the beginning of the decade with Dallas. Eriksson produced three straight 25+ goals, 40+ assists, 70+ point seasons. Eriksson edges out one of the Stars best for this second line spot.
Patrick Eaves, Right Wing, 2014-2017
Eaves only played in 160 games for the franchise, but his 81 points produced over this short span was second only to Radulov at their position during the past decade. Eaves edges out a lengthy tenured skater based on statistical play.
Third Line
Cody Eakin, Center, 2012-2017
Eakin was a solid playoff producer for the Stars producing 13 points through 19 games. two of his best seasons came early in his career with Dallas as Eakin would go on to appear in 349 games for the franchise through the decade and produce 146 points.
Brenden Morrow, Left Wing, 1999-2013
Morrow got edged out by Eriksson based on statistical play within the decade itself. Overall Morrow is top ten in franchise history in goals, points, and plus-minus. Morrow captained the Stars from 2006 till he left the franchise in 2013. His statistics at the end of his career weren’t great but his leadership value to the franchise was good enough that he makes it on the team here and is put on the third line.
Brett Ritchie, Right Wing, 2014-2019
Ritchie played the most games by a right wing during the decade for the Dallas Stars. Starting his career with the team in 2014, Ritchie didn’t produce the greatest numbers but was a solid young depth player. At a weak position for the decade, Ritchie pulls into the third line spot here on length of tenure more than anything.
Fourth Line
Radek Faksa, Center, 2015-present
Faksa slips into our final offensive line at the deepest position for the Stars over the past decade. Out of the final few centers that were up for the final spot I went with the most consistent and best statistical play. Faksa has produced 124 points with three straight 30 point seasons and is on pace to put up another one this year.
Antoine Roussel, Left Wing, 2012-2018
Roussel skated for the Stars for six seasons playing 80+ games in three of them and never playing less than 60 in any except for his rookie season. Roussel produced 141 points in 413 games played.
Ales Hemsky, Right Wing, 2014-2017
Finishing up our final forward spot is Hemsky. Playing three seasons with the franchise he produced 28 goals and 50 assists. Nothing too special about Hemsky but played second most games by a right wing through the decade and gave them solid numbers when on the ice.
Defenseman
First Line
John Klingberg, 2014-present
Klingberg is the third in assists by a defender in Dallas franchise history, passing one of the Stars all-time greats Derian Hatcher in only half the games played! Through 400 games played Klingberg has produced 277 points and is cementing himself as one of the best defenders in franchise history with the run he is on.
Alex Goligoski, 2010-2016
Goligoski was a defensive machine for the Stars during his time with the franchise. This one was one some may not agree with as the next line includes two players that have overall longer tenures and better total numbers with the Stars, but Goligoski did this all during this decade unlike the next two which vaulted him up into our second line.
Second Line
Trevor Daley, 2003-2015
Stephane Robidas, 2003-2014
In addition to what I said above, it is also only fitting to keep these two together as they spent the majority of their careers playing together with the Stars. Daley and Robidas both began their run’s with the Stars in 2003 and left roughly around the same time as each other. Each defender eclipsed 700 games and 200 points for the franchise and when looking at overall careers they’d both jump over Goligoski at this time. Looking at just the decade though both still produced over 100 points for the Stars and were phenomenal defenders which is why they are our all-decade second line.
Third Line
Esa Lindell, 2015-present
Lindell is young but has been improving year by year, on pace this season to destroy his previous career numbers in assists and points. The young defender came right after the losses of three of the four above and has fit into the Stars defense exceptionally since.
Jordie Benn, 2011-2017
Joining his little brother to round out this list, he produced 71 points in 302 games with the franchise. He may not be the player his brother is but he held his own and was a more than solid defender for the Stars when playing for them.
Goaltenders
Kari Lehtonen, 2009-2018
Nine seasons with the Stars, it’s hard to make a case against Lehtonen being the Goaltender of the decade for them as he played almost the whole decade with them. With a .912 save percentage, 2.63 goals against average, and 216 wins in his time with the franchise Lehtonen more than deserves this honor.
Ben Bishop, 2018-Present
If Bishop had more time with the franchise at the rate he is going he could have passed Lehtonen. Statistically, Bishop has been better with the franchise over the decade but he played in over 275 fewer games than Lehtonen. Bishop led the league in save percentage last year and produced a .926 percentage along with a 2.28 goals against average in his tenure with the franchise.
Honorable Mentions
Here are a few honorable mentions of players at each position group that just missed out on making the Stars All-Decade team.
Anton Khudobin, Goaltender, 2019-Present
Steve Ott, Center, 2002-2012
Jason Demers, Defenseman, 2014-2016
Ott played a whole decade for the Stars and was a great skater for them, but his play during this decade wasn’t the same as earlier on. Aside from Ott and possibly center Valeri Nichushkin, there wasn’t much of a challenge picking the team, the bigger issue is where on the team they deserved to be placed.
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