The Stars will return to training camp without a veteran defenseman, but with a pair of recent first-round picks looking to make their NHL debuts.
On Saturday, the Stars released their 35-player roster for training camp that will begin Monday in Frisco. It includes the maximum number of skaters (30) and five goaltenders.
The Dallas Stars training camp roster. pic.twitter.com/cvZY46i5Qb
— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) July 11, 2020
Defenseman Roman Polak, who played 118 games for the Stars in the last two seasons, was not on the roster. He previously said he would prefer to stay in his native Czech Republic rather than return to North America for the postseason, and he signed a contract with a Czech team for the next three seasons. Stars general manager Jim Nill is preparing to move forward without Polak.
Technically, Polak has until Monday to officially opt out of playing. Polak would be the only Stars player to opt out of the postseason.
Forward Ty Dellandrea (2018 first-round pick) and defenseman Thomas Harley (2019 first-round pick) are included on the roster. Throughout the four-month suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic, Nill was unsure whether the league would allow players such as Dellandrea and Harley — who played junior hockey this season but were previously signed by NHL teams — to play in the league’s restart.
Both figure to simply gain professional experience while providing depth but could be lineup options if injuries arise. Dellandrea, a two-way center, had 32 goals and 38 assists during his final season in the Ontario Hockey League in 2019-20. Harley, a mobile defenseman, had 18 goals and 39 assists in the OHL.
“We’ve told all the aces that are here that they’ve got to be ready to go because of the unknown,” Nill said. “There’s going to be opportunity here, and their job is to make sure they’re ready because one day things can change really quick.”
In training camp, teams are allowed unlimited goaltenders, and the Stars have elected to carry five, including Colton Point, who played just one game in the AHL this season. Because of the possibility of injuries after the long layoff, and the uncertain nature of COVID-19, roster flexibility will be important.
“We’ve got to make sure we have enough bodies for every position, so we’re just making sure we’re covered that way,” Nill said. “We’ll make the decision on the final roster as far as the goalies and everybody else. We’re going to have to be flexible right up until the 26th, when we get on the airplane to Edmonton.”
During games, a team is allowed a 31-man roster with a maximum of 28 skaters, meaning the Stars will have to cut four players during training camp. In theory, teams could carry 27 skaters and four goalies (or 26 skaters and five goalies) instead of carrying the limit of 28 skaters.
Here is the Stars roster. Nill said that the Stars expect all 35 players to practice Monday.
Forwards (19): Jamie Benn, Nick Caamano, Andrew Cogliano, Blake Comeau, Ty Dellandrea, Jason Dickinson, Justin Dowling, Radek Faksa, Rhett Gardner, Denis Gurianov, Roope Hintz, Mattias Janmark, Joel Kiviranta, Joel L’Esperance, Joe Pavelski, Corey Perry, Alexander Radulov, Jason Robertson, Tyler Seguin.
Defensemen (11): Gavin Bayreuther, Taylor Fedun, Joel Hanley, Thomas Harley, Dillon Heatherington, Miro Heiskanen, Stephen Johns, John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Jamie Oleksiak, Andrej Sekera.
Goaltenders (5): Ben Bishop, Landon Bow, Anton Khudobin, Jake Oettinger, Colton Point.
As one of the top four teams in the Western Conference, the Stars will play in a round robin with St. Louis, Colorado and Vegas for seeding throughout the postseason. The No. 5-12 seeds will play in best-of-5 series to advance to the first round of the playoffs.
The Stars will be in Edmonton for the entirety of their playoff run, departing to Edmonton on July 26 and beginning the round robin Aug. 3 against the Golden Knights.
