Texas Stars Report: The Ripple Effect

The Texas Stars Report on Defending Big D...

As you can imagine, the Texas Stars (8-10-0-1, 17 pts, #12 Western Conference) are feeling the ripple effect this week of Dallas's 3-0 loss in Phoenix on Saturday night. As soon as I got word that Kari Lehtonen was out for the Stars, I knew I was watching Richard Bachman's last game in the Cedar Park Center for a while. Further bad news came as Francis Wathier was also needed to fill in after Fiddler's injury. The only saving grace is that Texas didn't need to give up another defenseman. It is unclear who would even be sent at this point.

The other side of the coin for AHL fans is the callup from the ECHL. Who does Texas get to replace the departing players? The Dallas organization does not have a 5th goaltender under contract as we have had in the past, so Texas has signed goalie Jimmy Spratt to a PTO (Professional Tryout) to backup Tyler Beskorowany. Texas has a back-to-back next weekend and a 3-in-3 the week after that, so Spratt will have to get at least one start in the next three weeks. Michael Neal, brother of the Penguins' James Neal, was also called up to bolster the forward ranks. If Trevor Daley can't go for whatever reason moving forward, Texas will have to sign a defenseman as well.

Read more at Defending Big D...