Trey Taylor’s rise
After a strong showing against the St. Louis Blues, 24-year-old Trey Taylor followed it up with another stellar performance. His penalty-killing ability was particularly noticeable in the first game, where he fended off nearly two minutes of a five-on-three.
His skating and defensive poise make him an interesting option for the future and give him a clear path to the NHL despite the crowded defensive core standing between him and an NHL debut.
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Veteran defenseman Kyle Burroughs has also stood out through the preseason, dropping the gloves in each of his first two games, and his 201 games of NHL experience likely earn him the nod. But Taylor’s growth since last year has been turning heads, including head coach Glen Gulutzan.
“He’s been getting more time with the big guys. And you can see he’s fitting in more and more,” Gulutzan said following the win against the Blues. “He’s made a big step.”
Given the tight cap situation for the Stars, it’s almost certain that Taylor will start the season in the AHL, but he’s shown more than enough to earn a call-up if the injury bug hits the blue line this season.
“I think it’s just day by day; I try not to look too far ahead,” Taylor said on the possibility of making the team. “You never know whether it’s opening roster or just getting a recall and playing your first game in the NHL.”
Joel Kiviranta’s return
Three years since he last suited up in victory green, Joel Kiviranta is back in Dallas. The Finnish winger is revered by Stars fans for his historic Game 7 hat trick against the Colorado Avalanche in 2020, but his impact comes on the defensive end of the puck.
His penalty killing and forechecking ability are two attributes that could differentiate him from players like Collin Backwell, Oskar Bäck and Arttu Hyry, who are all fighting for a spot on the fourth line. Kiviranta showed off some of the speed and hockey IQ that made him an effective piece on Dallas for four seasons.
Kiviranta and Hyry looked comfortable on the first PK unit tonight, forcing Minnesota’s power play to the perimeter.
The Stars penalty kill is coming off a respectable 13th-place finish league-wide following a fourth-place finish the year prior. If the power play continues its explosive production, an improved penalty kill thanks to Kiviranta could push the Stars into a new level of special-teams prowess.
No Oettinger? No problem.
Jake Oettinger was set to start tonight’s matchup, according to Gulutzan, but was scratched shortly before puck drop. The change pushed Rémi Poirier to the crease, a challenge that the 24-year-old proved ready for. The 2020 6th-round pick stopped all 24 shots on the night, building off a stellar season in the AHL.
Poirier posted a .912 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average with the Texas Stars last year. It’ll be tough with one of the best goalie tandems in the league in front of him, but Poirier has shown immense potential and could earn the backup spot in the coming years.
Gulutzan hasn’t yet revealed why Oettinger was scratched from tonight’s game.
