Help Wanted, Defensemen Edition

Wanted: a full-time number-one defensemen for the Dallas Stars

Experience: minimum of five years in the NHL; maximum of 15 (sorry, Chelios)

Skills: ability to make smart decisions; good puck handling skills; the ability to make a defensive play without looking like a deep in the headlights; in other words, the opposite of Matt Niskanen

Are you an NHL defensemen who’s unhappy with your team?  Well, the Dallas Stars might be able to help.  Needed is a defensemen who can take over where Sergei Zubov left off two years ago.  Besides, who wouldn’t love to be number-one?

The job is full-time, 82 nights a year (and possibly more if you do your job correctly!) with an excellent salary.

Call 214-GO-STARS if interested and ask for Joe Nieuwendyk.  Please don’t ask for Brett Hull; he’s not right in the head when it comes to important stuff like this.

Finally some news

The Stars have extended offers to a number of RFAs including James Neal, Nick Grossman, Matt Niskanen…and Fabian Brunnstrom?  Yeah, I don’t get it either about those last two.

I suppose that Niskers and Bunny could be signed to two-way contracts and get that AHL seasoning that they were originally deemed too good for.  They’d have to go through waivers, but it’s not like we’d ever need them.  I want both of them to have a season with the Baby Stars and then come back to the big leagues.  That’s the ideal situation but it’s not likely.

Nope, two words:  Trade.  Bait.  Maybe we could finally get that number-one defenseman we need!  You know, Tomas Kaberle’s available.

I just can’t see why anyone would want Brunnstrom though.  He’s a bust…as  a Dallas Star.  However, he might thrive in a different style of game for another team.  Think Ville Leino being a bust for the Red Wings, before ultimately tearing it up with the Flyers. 

 I think the thing with Fabian is a pride issue more than anything.  Nobody wants to admit that their big free agent signing was a bust.  The Stars battled then Red Wings and won Brunnstrom, so I don’t think they’re going to give up on him after working so hard to get him.

I don’t know…that’s all I’ve got.