Stars go down 4-2
Last night the Stars skated with a bunch of dudes wearing Lightning jerseys. I would say they played the Lightning, but that would be a mistake since the Lightning failed to send any of the star power on their roster to Dallas They aren't obligated to do so, but this makes me think of Spring Training baseball where some teams when traveling would bring a roster full of AAA players. I forget the specifics of the rule, but I know sending a barren roster on the road is prohibited now in baseball during the preseason. I guess Tampa technically sent some NHLers (Hall, Downie, Moore, Ohlund, Ellis, Malone, Clark), but it certainly was a B Team. I suppose they should be allowed to, but people are still paying to come see these preseason games. If they were playing at home last night I doubt the roster would have maintained the same composition.
How did that B Team do? Well, they outplayed a lineup of Stars which had a lot of the same talent which will roll out on the ice in New Jersey in 3 weeks. Jamie Benn, Steve Ott, Brad Richards, James Neal, Kari Lehtonen, and Stephane Robidas were held out of the game, but the Stars still had plenty of talent in the lineup to suggest that they should have had a better showing.
The main intrigue of the game for the Stars was to see how the younger guys in the lineup would perform. For the most part they were mediocre. Scott Glennie didn't stand out, but he definitely has some wheels. Philip Larsen was up and down, but he did showcase his talent with a goal to make the game 3-2 when he rushed into the slot to fire a wrist shot past Dan Ellis.
Tomas Vincour stood out in the game. He struck me as an interesting pick last season. He seems to have a set of skills that will lend themselves to succeeding in the Stars system. Last night those were on display as Vincour had 2 assists including the primary assist to set Larsen up in the slot. He has a significantly smaller shot at making the roster than someone like Larsen, but he could place himself very high in the call up line.
Also, Jonathan Cheechoo might get cut before I even write about him. He was virtually non-existent in the game.
Bill Gallacher out on Stars sale
According to multiple reports Bill Gallacher is out of the Stars sales process. The crazy rumor circulating now is that Tom Hicks could enter with a local investor group to try to re-capitalize the team. That might be about the last thing this team, or any team, needs.
The worst thing that could happen to this franchise at this point is a long drawn out sales process. Brad Richards' impending free agency is already looming on the horizon, and a drawn out sale will almost certainly tempt the Stars to take offers for the center. They may have to due to performance anyway, but it would be a crying shame if they were forced to do so due to financial constraints.
Jack Campbell sent back to the OHL
The Stars issued a press release earlier today announcing that Jack Campbell has been sent to the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL where he should play behind highly touted defender Cam Fowler. The Stars 1st round pick in the 2010 Draft didn't play in the team's first preseason game. He did play in the Traverse City prospect tournament however, and by all accounts he wasn't sharp.
I'm a little surprised that he's going home so soon. Normally you would expect a highly touted prospect like Campbell to stick around for a little while to at least gain as much instruction as possible. However, that isn't always the case. Scott Glennie was the Stars first pick in 2009, and he is in his first training camp this season. You could argue Campbell is ahead of the track the Stars put Glennie on. Goalies take time to develop though. Campbell is probably 3-4 years away so this shouldn't be viewed as a major setback.
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If you missed it, you can find audio of Joe Nieuwendyk talking about his vision for the Stars with BaD Radio
here.
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