Dallas Stars' Final Stretch Could Be Phenomenal if Janmark Returns
The Dallas Stars are in search of answers as they stare down the final 32 games of their season while in need of a playoff push. Could one of their influential forwards on the IR help create some friction?
With All Star Weekend having just finished up yesterday the final stretch of the season is upon us. The Dallas Stars and their 29 NHL opponents will be battling it out for the final playoff spots in both conferences. That means fighting tooth and nail to get in, while often sacrificing a lot.
The final stretch of the season, therefore, does not come easy. For Dallas it could go well enough that they squeeze into the playoffs, or they could miss them by a large margin. However, with a few positive possibility around the corner there is still a shot that Dallas could have a phenomenal end to the season.
Return of Janmark
At the start of the 2016-17 season the Stars were already dealing with a large string of injuries. They were depleted before the first puck even dropped on the regular season and it was a nearly insurmountable challenge for them.
Still, they pushed on and kept trying their best in spite of the vast injuries. One of those, however, was particularly hard to swallow.
Mattias Janmark was a bright spot in the Stars’ prospect group. He earned his way onto the team in the 2015-16 campaign and everything looked up from there. No. 13 appeared in 73 match-ups that season producing 29 points and a plus-minus of plus-12.
Not too bad for a rookie player at all. During the offseason, though, tragedy hit. Janmark was diagnosed with a genetic joint disorder that causes cracks in cartilage and bone, which leads to blood deprivation.
It was an unavoidable instance that led to surgery and a diagnoses of being out for five to six months with the earliest return date being in April. That was a tough pill to swallow, especially after impressing the team so much in his rookie season, but there wasn’t much he could do.
Current Situation
Flash forward a few months and the Stars are still fighting to remain above .500. And Janmark is still fighting to return. He has been skating starting about a week ago and could return in as little as a month.
While that is still an estimated time frame, it is something that could propel Dallas forward. The return of a talented, young forward with offensive talent who tragically missed the bulk of his sophomore season could be just what the doctor ordered for the Stars.
Janmark will be relieved to return to the line-up and have a zest for the game that Dallas has seemed to have lost this season. Through all of the turmoil and pressure they have undergone it is not a shock that this team is disheveled. They are tired of spitting out the same canned responses after every other game and must be frustrated with their performance throughout the season.
However, Janmark’s energy might be a difference maker for the Stars. Even though he would not be playing extensive minutes, his presence alone could change the mindset of the team.
Moving Forward
No one wants the Stars to be sitting fifth in the division they won last year. No one wants them to be trying so hard and still sitting with a .500 record. No one wants Dallas to have trouble scoring with a line-up as talented as they have.
But that is where they are at. They are fifth in the division with a .500 record and they do have trouble scoring. Hopefully the All Star Break helped them to rejuvenate and they come back ready to fight.
Hopefully Janmark can find his way into the line-up or even just to a practice at the very least. Maybe the burst of excitement from a player still so amazed by the NHL is exactly what the Dallas Stars need.
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