Hey Heika: Season expectations, health updates, training camp and more

Howdy folks!
It's so good to be getting back to real actual hockey. The Prospects Tournament in Traverse City was a nice taste and now we're headed toward training camp on Thursday.
The first preseason game is Monday, and then we're back in the swing of things. You had some great questions, so let's try to answer them in another scintillating edition of Hey Heika.

What are you expectations for the season? -- @tnowers94
Mike Heika:I'm of the mind that a lot of things have come together over the past two seasons to forge a team that should be in a very good place. Yes, the pandemic has been difficult, and the coaching staff has yet to go through a normal season, but all of that hardship should make the coaches more than ready to deal with anything that can be thrown at them this year.
Injuries to Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov have been tough to deal with, but their absences last season allowed players like Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz to step forward, and now the team could have greatly improved younger players in Hintz and Robertson, and healthy and motivated "older" players in Seguin and Radulov. On paper, it really could work out.
On the back end, you can make the argument that the combination of Ryan Suter and Jani Hakanpää more than makes up for the loss of Jamie Oleksiak, and that the defense will be better this season.
The biggest question is in goal, and the Stars have a lot of options. If Ben Bishop (who missed all last season) is eventually healthy, Dallas has a hungry goalie who has great playoff experience and wants to win right now. If he isn't, then Anton Khudobin and Braden Holtby each have experience and will be battling to grab a great opportunity with what could be a very good playoff team.
There are still a lot of variables, and injury or age could sink this season, but I just think they're in the right place at the right time. Younger players are taking a bigger bite, older players still have something to offer, and the Stanley Cup run of 2020 should provide postseason experience that several players were lacking and have now gained. I've talked myself into an opportunistic outlook, so we'll see if I'm wrong or not.
Realistically, where do you think the Stars finish in points/division? -- @SaltySeif
Heika:Technically, every team has issues. Colorado has the goal scoring, but does it have the goaltending? Winnipeg has the goaltending, but does it have the defense? Dallas has a little bit of everything, but is it held together with duct tape? Did Minnesota try to do too much with the buyouts of Suter and Zach Parise? The Blues and Predators seem to be trending down. The Blackhawks are a complete wildcard after acquiring Seth Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury, and the Coyotes seem to be going through another rebuild.
I've gone back and forth on this, but I really believe the Stars could be one of the top teams on the power play after ranking fifth last season at 23.6 percent without Seguin and Radulov. Because of that, I'll put them second in the division at 100 points (something like 47-29-6). If they can get over 3.0 goals per game for the first time since 2015-16, they really should have a chance to collect points. And that's not even a huge ask, as 3.0 still is just above the middle of the pack in today's NHL.
What are the Stars wearing for jerseys this year? Are the Blackouts staying for a while? I understand the white reverse retros were a one season thing. -- @KitchenKC
Heika:Both the white reverse retros and the Winter Classic sweaters are in mothballs, so just home, road, and Blackouts this season. They'll wear the Blackouts
14 times during the 2021-22 campaign
. The NHL rules for alternate sweaters is between 12 and 15, so the Stars fit right in.
Did you hear if Dallas was anywhere close on somebody big this offseason in trades or free agency? -- @Sticks96575797
Heika: Well, they did have a couple of interesting stories in free agency and trades in that they were in the discussion for both Seth Jones and Blake Coleman. Neither discussion lasted long, as the price for each went sky high quickly. Jones was traded to Chicago by Columbus for some high draft picks. He then signed an eight-year, $76 million contract extension with the Blackhawks. With Miro Heiskanen, John Klingberg and Esa Lindell already under contract, the Stars couldn't afford that. Coleman left Tampa Bay and signed a six-year deal for $29.4 million. Because the Stars were dealing with the loss of Oleksiak and might be dealing with the potential loss of Klingberg after this season, they couldn't afford to spend that kind of money on a forward this summer.
It's a great discussion to have with friends. Had the Stars gotten Jones, they almost assuredly would've had to trade Klingberg in the summer. Had they gotten Coleman, it's a pretty good bet a player like Radek Faksa would've been moved. As it was, they added Suter and several role players, so we'll see if they made the right decisions there.
Are we going to go yet another season with hardly any TV availability due to Sinclair? -- @phoch00
Heika: It looks that way. Sinclair and Bally bought the contract from Fox Sports SW, so they have control over how the Stars, Rangers and Mavericks are viewed, and they don't seem any closer to making deals with cable carriers or online providers. I'm watching live at the games, so I'm not a great source on finding different paths to watch on TV. I would discuss with fellow fans on different forums. I know you can still get Bally Sports on AT&T, so that's always an option.
How do you see Thomas Harley with the type of "tournament" he got and his development? Do you prefer first pair in the AHL or third pair in the NHL? -- @hockey_inside99
Heika:He was up and down in Traverse City. Lots of skill, but still makes mistakes. He had one goal and five shots on goal in four games, but also was minus-7. He just turned 20, so it seems like it would be best for him to start in the AHL and get tons of minutes and experience and see where he goes from there.
Do you think Hintz has what it takes this season to take over Mike Modano's season point record of 93? -- @MBTendy
Heika:I do not. As much as scoring is going up in the NHL, this doesn't seem to be a team that's going to produce a 90-point player. That said, Hintz had 1.05 points per game last season while dealing with a nagging muscle injury, so who knows. My guess is he's a solid player who scores between 70-80 points.
Could Bishop be ready later in the season assuming he's on LTIR to start? Would they risk that with how it went in the Colorado series in the bubble? How would that go with movement of the other veterans? -- @samnestler
Heika:Hey Sam, it might be the most important question of the season. Bishop is working out hard to come back from his knee injury and has the look of someone who wants to play. However, he had the same look last year and was never able to break through. Because of the signing of Holtby, my guess is the Stars will start the season with Bishop on IR, Holtby and Khudobin sharing the net in the NHL, and Jake Oettinger getting the majority of minutes in the AHL.
After a month or so, the Stars will have a better read on both Khudobin and Holtby, and also should know more about Bishop's strength and durability. If they believe Bishop can return, that'll start a chain reaction of moves, among them trying to trade Holtby or Khudobin. Bishop's cap hit is $4.9 million, so it's manageable, and Khudobin ($3.3 million) and Holtby ($2.0 million) are close enough that the Stars would likely keep the goalie who is playing best and try to trade the other. Still, they're hard against the cap, and subtracting one and adding Bishop would force other potential salary cap moves, so it'll be an interesting juggling act either between the NHL and minors or with possible trades. Because of that, you could see this play out all season until a clear answer is evident possibly in April or May.
One of the biggest question marks in this situation is Bishop's health. As you referenced, the Stars thought he was ready in the playoffs against Colorado, and that didn't work out so well. What if they make moves to bring him back and then he gets hurt again? My response is to insert the "shrug" emoji here. Bottom line, they want to have a seasoned goalie ready for the playoffs, and they believe they will get that in one of Bishop, Khudobin or Holtby. It's one of the real soap opera storylines for this season.
Realistically is there any chance Riley Damiani, Ty Dellandrea, or Harley make the NHL roster? -- @BenjaminWu77
Heika: I know the front office wants to keep all options open, and truth be told, if somebody just forces his way onto the roster, the team will make whatever cap adjustments are necessary. But the contracts right now are pretty much set, and it'll be difficult for a young player to break through. On the good side, all three should be on a very good AHL team in Cedar Park, and they'll combine with Oettinger to maybe give the organization the best depth it has had in years.
Adding players like Holtby, Hakanpaa, Michael Raffl and Luke Glendening have made it more difficult for the younger players, but you now have a situation where if the Stars go through another injury run (or if they have problems with any COVID issues), they should be able to handle it all smoothly. In addition, the younger players will be getting big minutes and experience, and will be getting better.
I know some fans are really upset by the fact the Stars let their players "marinate" too long in the minors, but I'll offer this advice: Be patient. If the veterans don't work out this season, there's a real chance all the younger players are in the NHL next season. You could be looking at a team that includes Heiskanen, Robertson, Hintz, Gurianov, Dellandrea, Harley, Damiani and Oettinger, and maybe even someone like Jacob Peterson or Riley Tufte, or any number of other Texas Stars players. Now, that means this wasn't a good season, but the Stars have a backup plan going forward, and having a great AHL season is a big part of that.
Do you think there's any way the Stars get a deal done with Klingberg before the season starts? -- @Jbrack0
Heika: I just don't think it's the best strategy for either side. Klingberg has earned the right to test free agency and look for a big contract after this season. The Stars have a fantastic No. 1 defenseman in Heiskanen, as well as a possible replacement for Klingberg in Harley. Trying to offer a long-term, big-money deal to Klingberg just might not make sense, and it probably doesn't make sense for Klingberg to take less than he's worth. If the two sides find a way to make a contract extension work, that would be wonderful. But I just think we have to let it ride during the season and revisit next summer to see if an extension can be done.
Who were the biggest surprises and disappointments at the prospect tournament in Traverse City? Heard a lot of media talking about Faksa and Comeau not skating on a line together. Do you think the coaches wouldn't rather keep the pair together and find a third player? -- @dtgtax
Heika: Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque looked great for being so young, and Tufte really got a jump start on training camp by showing he can be both physical and skilled. Riley Damiani continued to show he should at least be in the mix for an NHL promotion. Harley and Dellandrea probably showed they might need more time in the AHL, but they still have preseason to change some minds. A lot of what Faksa does will be determined by whether the Stars want to try Jamie Benn at center. If they're set on that experiment, Faksa might have to move to left wing. My guess is Blake Comeau will move to the fourth line and that Gurianov might be the right wing on a more skilled third line. That is, of course, pure speculation, but that's why you come here.
Haven't heard anything about Radulov for a while. How's he doing? -- @TenasciousG
Heika:Reports are he's healthy and ready to go. One of the good things about the injuries for the Stars is that all seemed to be pretty well healed early in the offseason, so players like Radulov and Seguin were able to work hard over the summer. We'll see for ourselves this week, but the guess is everybody except Bishop is in a good place health-wise.
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This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.