Dallas Stars fans stunned by Glen Gulutzan's demand for Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz
Photo credit: FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth
The Dallas Stars turn to Glen Gulutzan to bring more toughness and physical play after years of playoff heartbreak.
The Dallas Stars have suffered tough losses in three straight Western Conference Finals, twice at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.
This summer, the team decided to make a change, hiring Oilers assistant Glen Gulutzan as their new head coach.
He knows Dallas well after coaching against them, and in an interview with Sean Shapiro of Dallas Magazine, he made it clear that his top priority will be adding more physical play.
That is a major shift for a roster built around speed and scoring.
Glen Gulutzan wants the Dallas Stars to play harder and more physical
Dallas ranked last in the NHL last season with just 1,160 hits at even strength while absorbing a league-high 1,963.
It was the second straight season they finished dead last in the hits-for versus hits-against battle.
Gulutzan said he saw firsthand in Edmonton how physical play from stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl helped raise the Oilers.
«You had to ask the elite players to use their skills and smarts to check, not to deliver big body checks, but to check and add a little physicality each shift,» Gulutzan explained. «I look at our team [in Dallas]. I'm putting the energy in the same spot.»
The Stars already have some muscle. Rookie Lian Bichsel threw 155 hits in 38 games, while Jamie Benn remains reliable with over 100 hits most seasons.
But Gulutzan will also expect more from Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen, and Wyatt Johnston.
I think this push for toughness could finally give Dallas the edge to get past the Western Conference.
