Now that we know where the Stars will be drafting (most likely) I wanted to see if anyone had some favourites from this year's draft class. Central scouting recently released its list of North American skaters and there are some interesting names around the 13th spot.

Here's the link: TSN Central Scouting

There are a few names that jump out to me, but I haven't had the chance to watch as many games as usual this year. First is Matt Dumba. The drop to 11th is wild and if he somehow slips anymore he's definitely someone that would be an incredible steal, even though defense isn't our most pressing need.

The name I'm most excited about though is Brendan Gaunce:

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The [inter]national media has really taken a shine to Loui Eriksson this season.  With the All-Star game and the Stars putting up some points, Loui is finally getting a little - and very well deserved - attention.  Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News (not the same author who told us the team was going to be sold for 275 million a few months back) writes a small, but nice piece on Eriksson, and the Stars.

You can find it right here.

Now, if only they can start winning again....

I'm far from suggesting the Stars claim him, but former Stars goaltender Mike Smith has been placed on Waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightening.  He was made expendable by the acquisition of G Dwayne Roloson and the return of another former Star - Dan Ellis - from IR.  Smith was dealt to Tampa in 2008 along with Jeff Halpern, Jussi Jokinen and a 2009 4th Round selection for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist.

The NHL.com link is here.

Most fans really liked Smith and were sad to see him go.  It's worth noting though that if Smith is claimed by another team, none of the players dealt from the Stars in the Richards deal will be playing for the Lightening.  Halpern is having a solid season for Montreal, while Jussi is playing in Carolina.  They say that the team who gets the biggest name in a trade is the winner, and in this case, I don't think there's much debate.

Tough break for Mike, here's hoping he lands on his feet.

There's no doubt it's tough being a Stars fan these days.  It's tough with no owner, it's tough on the PK, it's tough with no new Richard's contract, and it's tough to watch Matt Niskanen remind us of 09-10...

That said, I was stoked to get a chance to see my revamped and pumped up 2010-11 boys hit the ice at the ACC.  It's rough being heckled in Detroit - they're super good, and there's really only so much you can say.  It's rough being heckled in Buffalo - they lost the cup on a "bad" goal, and don't let you forget it.  But TO?  It's different, right?  They know hockey, right?  The boys are from the ON, and want to show some friends and family, right?  Plus, I mean, look at their record.  They run Toronto's show...?

Well, that was before tonight. 

"Brad Richards?  Well, that'd be a good pick up, I guess.  He's a good centre usually isn't he?" - James (A real life Leaf fan after watching the game tonight)

The good news?  They get to play a Sens team tomorrow that's still in the East, and still not the greatest.  The bad news?  Well, you saw tonight.

What can I say that wasn't mentioned by Mike, Mark, or our friends here at DBD? 

Well, first of all, I've seen several Stars road games over the years, and this one had zero (and I mean absolutely no) vigour.  From the opening draw to the final whistle, there was absolutely no drive from the Stars.  A benchmark:  A fan the row behind me said:  "Why is James Neal not playing at all tonight?"  He was totally serious, and not being sardonic.  The fact is the Stars - and not just the hyped up Ontario boys - we're flat.  Even the guys you expect to stoke some flames, in Otter, Burrish, and Barchy, were virtually non-existent (Yes, Otter got an assist and drew a penalty, but other than those brief moments he was virtually invisible).  We all know on the road your grinders are your secret weapons, and on a team with character out the ass, you'd think we'd see it in lavish amounts in a hockey hotbed.

So what does this mean? 

Well, it's one game, but this road slide has been well documented.  If they don't show up with a wild and full spirited outing in Ottawa it should fly some very, deep, red flags indeed.  The Leafs are far from a power-house, and the Sens are a little closer.  Is Scotiabank an easier place to play?  Yes, but who's making excuses for weak constitution?  The fact of the matter is the Stars came into a game the should've won by a wide margin and took a dump all over the collective GTA bed.  The Stars are going to lose some games.  We know it, and they know it.  But no one was upset with the loss on Saturday because of the tenacity and battle in our crew.  Tonight?  If I've ever seen the term lackadaisical personified, this was it.

Silver lining?  Crow was mad.  He's a Belleville boy and doesn't like to be embarassed close (well, two hours but still) to home.  I expect a better showing Wednesday night, and hopefully they'll respond to a well earned bashing in the locker room.

Individual notes: 

• Eriksson was uncharacteristically meek on the puck tonight.  We had a few rare giveaways that took away from his prowess in the offensive zone.  He grabbed the assist, but it was very secondary.
  
• Richards was Richards.  He was great on the PP, but couldn't get anything done there.  I wish more people knew who good this man was.  Great goal out of a seemingly "nothing" fore-check.
  
• Wandell was noticeable, if only for skating so well, and then turning the puck over to a Maple Leaf.
• Matt Niskanen (who was trending up a lot recently) played soft, and slow, tonight.  He not only gave the puck away on several occasions, but also made horribly timid decisions in his own zone that required other players to compensate, and shifted the balance and set up of the lines.
• Crow made some different line combinations.  Clearly this was during a loss, so we'll see if they keep going.  I don't like harping on a coach after one game.

Let's hope for a better showing in Kanata, hope to see a few of you there.

A little lost in the hype of the Stars undefeated streak to start the season is the fact that these three games have included three "concussion-like" injuries.  Benn, Tavares, and most recently Franzen all left for the dressing room after questionable looking hits.  With the league cracking down (or at least claiming to be cracking down) on hits to the head, it is a dangerous way to start the year.

But that leads to the question:  Are we being homers?

In talking to friends and fans of other teams it seems that Mark Fistric delivered an unequivocally dirty hit on Franzen and that Adam Burish deserves to be tossed from the league.  While most of us agree that the Wisniewski hit on Benn was largely legal, it seems that the rest of the hockey world doesn't share our same belief about the Fistric and Burish blows.

I'm interested to see what people think.  I don't think any of the hits were intended to be head-shots and that they were more examples of why players need to keep their heads up than anything else.  Nonetheless, not everyone agrees, so are we just bias?

According to a TSN special presentation, Steve Ott is one of the greatest agitators of all time.

TSN recently aired a segment discussing the top ten agitators of all time, and coming in at number three was Ott.  It's a very well done video with excellent commentary from Michael Peca, Matthew Barnaby, Scott Stevens, and Brett Hull, among others.  Ott's review is also incredibly complimentary, which is a nice change from what we're used to hearing about him.  Great to see Otter get recognized with some very strong company.

Check out tsn.ca and select the video on the side bar to watch it.  

It's not directly Stars news, but something that should make a few fans smile.

Apparently the Atlanta Thrashers shared Joe Nieuwendyk's views on Ivan Vishnevskiy.  The Thrasher's recently dealt Vishnevskiy, and a second round pick, to Chicago for Andrew Ladd (RFA).  Not a bad trade for either team, as the Blackhawks dump salary, and get a pick and a prospect, while the Trasher's get a two-time cup winner.

From a Stars perspective though, it feels pretty good.  There were a lot of question marks after the Lehtonen trade given his history of injuries and Vishnevskiy's supposed potential.  While this does nothing to ease our injury worries, it does help ease the pain of losing a guy once thought to be our blue chip boy on the back end.