With a push to return to the playoffs, Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk has made some drastic changes to the roster this offseason.
But one change he doesn't plan to make is moving the captain, Brenden Morrow.
"We had a good talk the other day, and I told him I very much believe
there's a place for him on this team," Nieuwendyk told Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News. "I told him I fully expect him to be out there on
the power play in front of the net where he’s always been."
But, a return to Dallas could mean a drop from one of the top two lines. The Stars traded Steve Ott and Mike Ribeiro, but added Jaromir Jagr, Ray Whitney and Derek Roy, keeping things very crowded among the top six forwards. Nieuwendyk sees a move to the third line as a real possibility for Morrow.
"There’s nothing written in stone, so I’m not saying he would play
there, but I also think that he could play a very important part of our
team in a role like that,” Nieuwendyk said in the report. "He would bring a lot of the
grit that we need there, and I still think would play in a role that
would allow him to score some goals. It would also allow him to maybe
stay fresher.”'
Morrow struggled through injuries last season, playing on 57 games. He scored 11 goals and added 15 assists.
Morrow was selected by the Stars in the first round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. He has been the captain of the team since the 2006-07 season.
