Dallas Stars Summer Review, Part 2: Welcome Aboard to the Others

Welcome to Part Two of the Dallas Stars off-season review series. In Part One, we reviewed the addition of forward Matt Duchene. Given the significance of that signing, I devoted the entirety of the first post to the acquisition, leaving Part Two for the other offseason additions.

Craig Smith

Smith, a 12-year veteran spent the 2022 – 2023 campaign split between the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, where he failed to reach double figures in goals for the first time in a decade. His 16 points were less than half what he tallied the prior season, though it should be noted he saw his ice time reduced by more than three minutes per contest.

A contributing factor to his scoring struggles could have been the result of simply firing the puck less often. The right-shooting forward has averaged 4.27 shot attempts with just under 2 on goal per game over his 853-game career. Last season he averaged nearly 1.5 attempts fewer than his career norm, though his 1.6 SOG average wasn’t as far off his career average.

Smith’s overall numbers were dragged down by the 42-game stint with the Bruins prior to the trade deadline deal that shipped the winger out of Boston to Washington. As a Capital, Smith averaged more than 4 shot attempts per game, with 2.12 per game going on net. Those numbers were both double his rates with the Bruins. It also helps explain why his G/60 rate of 1.1 with Washington was in line with those recorded in the prime of his career when the former Wisconsin Badger averaged 22.7 goals per 82 games played.

Prior to the 2022-23 season, Smith was a steady play-driver, with a CF% Rel ranging from 6.3 to 14.8 over the previous five campaigns, according to Hockey Reference. Last year he recorded a combined 0.6 CF% Rel between Boston and Washington, suggesting he was still an average play-driver.

Given the data, it seems reasonable to suspect Smith can bounce back over a full campaign with a team that excels at puck possession, assuming he finds some chemistry with his new teammates. I suggested he could find his way in the mix for a third-line role, possibly skating with some combination of Evgenii Dadonov, Mason Marchment, and/or Wyatt Johnston.

Or he could bring his shoot-first mentality to a more offensively inclined 4th line centred by Radek Faksa. A $1 million, one-year commitment is a low-risk, medium-reward proposition with Smith a decent bet to rebound with a 12 – 15 goal output. Even if it doesn’t work out, cutting bait on the veteran forward would come with no cap ramifications should he be sent to the AHL.

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Sam Steel  

Steel is coming off the most productive season of his career, posting a relatively modest 10 goals and 28 points with the Minnesota Wild, averaging just under 15 minutes of ice time per game. The 2016 Ducks first-round pick failed to fulfill the expectations that typically accompany a player with said pedigree. Though to be fair, players taken at the end of the first or early in the second generally only develop into NHL regulars roughly 30% of the time.

Given the established forwards on the roster and barring training camp injuries, Steel is likely to be locked in a battle for one of the final roster spots, possibly competing with Dallas Stars prospects Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque. However, Stankoven and Bourque both profile as skilled top-nine players in the NHL and would be better suited playing in the AHL rather than on the Dallas Stars 4th line. That may be enough to give Steel a leg up on winning a job.

Gavin Bayreuther

Bayreuther, 29, was originally signed by Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2017 following his senior season at St. Lawrence University. He would spend the bulk of his time in the Stars organization in the AHL, skating in 198 contests with the Texas Stars and recording 22 goals and 91 points. Bayreuther debuted in the NHL in November of 2018, appearing in a total of 19 games with two goals and five points.

The 6-1, 196-lb defenseman would sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets in October of 2020, making a total of 103 appearances in the NHL, and scoring 23 points with three goals. With fellow LH shots Miro Heiskanen, Ryan Suter and Esa Lindell all but guaranteed jobs, it stands to reason Bayreuther will be in competition with Derrick Pouliot, another UFA acquisition inked to a two-way deal in July, and PTO invitee Jordie Benn for the 7^th defenseman role.

Derrick Pouliot

Pouliot, the 8th overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, has appeared in just 21 NHL contests over parts of the last three seasons, spending time as a member of the St. Louis Blues, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken and San Jose Sharks organizations. He’s also skated in 162 minor league games during that stretch. Unfortunately, injuries derailed what once may have been a promising career. At 29 years old, Pouliot has clearly entered the journeyman phase of his playing career and like Bayreuther and Benn, is competing for a role as an extra defenseman at the NHL level.

Jordie Benn

If I were a betting man, I’d give Benn the slight edge to win the 7th spot on the Dallas Stars blue line. The 12-year veteran has appeared in more than 600 NHL games compared to 221 for Pouliot and just 122 for Bayreuther. He also adds some toughness not as obvious with his primary competition for the job. Benn has bounced around the last five seasons, seeing action with Toronto, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Montreal. Will we see a second run with the Stars in the cards for Benn along with one more pursuit of a Stanley Cup alongside his brother, Jamie?