Is there one thing within the water in relation to Dallas sports activities? The Cowboys are in a relentless state of existential disaster, the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic in trade for irrelevancy, and now the town’s solely playoff shiny spot, the Stars, are struggling to work out what’s fallacious with their ace participant Mikko Rantanen.
Rantanen has been worse than a non-factor within the first two video games of the playoffs in opposition to the Avalanche, he’s actively harm them. The wing has but to register some extent, he’s tried six photographs on objective with out end result, and is a -3 on ice this collection. Rantanen additionally rivals the worst younger gamers on the Stars with an abysmal 39.1% Corsi (which measures 5v5 puck management), and his missing protection was already a identified amount, however has confirmed up this collection.
What makes this so dangerous is that Rantanen was alleged to be the lacking piece. The star (forgive the pun) who was going to show Dallas into a possible Stanley Cup champion. As a substitute it’s feeling much more just like the clock struck midnight and the Stars obtained a pumpkin on the worst potential time. Rantanen’s poor play has raised so many questions that the staff is attempting to justify it in essentially the most labored trend, saying he’s not used to taking part in with the staff, and “has plenty of distractions” since being traded.
It’s as if this isn’t the life of each participant who has ever been dealt on the deadline. Nevertheless, it’s what Stars coach Pete DeBoer mentioned about Rantanen’s play that ought to sound alarm bells for Dallas followers.
“He performed in a single place for nearly a decade, and he performed with one man (MacKinnon) for nearly a decade. And that man — nobody else within the league has that man, that performs that actual sport. You’ve been working off a sure associate like that for a decade. It’s not a simple transition.”
The main concern about Rantanen, and one that also hasn’t been defied — is that his stat-stuffing was a product of Nathan MacKinnon, hockey’s biggest distributor, whose passing brilliance units gamers as much as take the glory. With a staggering 173 assists within the final two seasons, MacKinnon is a game-changing participant, and that led to questions whether or not Rantanen was really an elite scorer — or a benefactor. It was this inside battle the Avs had after they determined to not give Rantanen the huge contract he needed, as a substitute believing they may discover a new scorer. Up to now that guess has paid off, with a number of gamers stepping as much as fill the void, even when they don’t have the eye-popping numbers that Rantanen put up.
The Stars merely don’t have time to attend for Rantanen to get comfy. You don’t get that luxurious once you’re being paid as a lot as he’s to carry out. It’s not simply the dearth of numbers within the field rating, however how sluggish and unengaged he’s appeared whereas taking part in. Proper now it’s secure to say the Stars are a dramatically worse staff than earlier than Mikko arrived, and that’s a tough capsule to swallow — particularly when the man Dallas traded away for him, Logan Stankoven, scored two targets for the Hurricanes in his playoff debut, and that’s earlier than we discuss in regards to the 4 draft picks (together with two firsts) the Stars despatched to Carolina.
Whereas it’s completely honest to acknowledge that this has been a tumultuous yr for Rantanen, traded to Carolina, then taking part in in Canada within the 4 Nations, then traded to Dallas — that’s additionally making completely too many excuses for him. For those who’re a prime participant you’re anticipated to step up. Struggling to carry out is one factor, however struggling to present effort is one other completely.
All is just not misplaced this collection. The Stars and Avs are tied 1-1 because the collection heads to Colorado, however the expectation was that Dallas would (and may) get out to a 2-0 lead and pretty simply. As a substitute they have been blown out in Sport 1, and bailed out in extra time in Sport 2. It’s troublesome to think about Rantanen will magically flip the whole lot round with the emotional strain of returning to the town he known as dwelling for a decade.
On some stage we must always have all seen this coming. Relating to sports activities Dallas has been disadvantaged of good issues lately. Of course the Stars would find yourself with a can’t-miss participant like Mikko Rantanen solely to see him vanish when the staff wants him essentially the most. It’s par for the course in relation to essentially the most down-bad sports activities metropolis within the nation.
At the very least the Wings have Paige Bueckers.
