It might sound odd to criticize a blue line that allowed the fewest expected goals in the spring, but Dallas’ group did fail the team when it mattered most.
Defense in and of itself wasn’t the issue. Puck management was. The Stars’ title aspirations were dashed by their inability to get the ball rolling in the Western Conference Final.
Fortunately, the solution may already reside on their roster. 22-year-old rearguard Thomas Harley delivered a stellar playoff run on the third pairing, and if the coaching staff saw enough in those 19 games to hand him a promotion, he could reshape Dallas’ attack next season.
Here’s how.
Transition
Harley spent most of 2022-23 in the AHL, where he was tasked with developing a more complete game. And he has made strides in that regard.
However, his extra seasoning in the minors had the greatest impact on tools he’s possessed all along. By logging big minutes against the opposition’s top players, he learned to stay composed and lean into his strengths in make-or-break situations.
As such, he now deploys his skill set more effectively than ever. This is especially apparent in transition. Harley outmaneuvers forecheckers with his piercing vision and fluid skating, slicing through the neutral zone or skipping it entirely via pinpoint stretch passes.
He’s got answers for anything you throw at him:
The confidence Harley gained from his ~60 games in Texas reinforced his raw talent. He can manipulate traffic in his sleep, holding opponents in place until an attractive lane materializes. Too early, and his pass recipient will have a defender breathing down their neck. Too late, and the window will have closed. He hits them right on time.
Consequently, he’s a zone exit machine—albeit more of an efficient than an electrifying one. There isn’t much flash in his arsenal. It’s built on poise, instincts and assertiveness.
He isn’t married to a methodical mode, though. He can play fast as well. Lower your guard for a second, and he’ll capitalize:
Harley demonstrates his sense of initiative on this sequence from Round 1. Instead of tracking back and regrouping by default, he peeks over each shoulder to assess his options before his retrieval. He spots Mason Marchment (DAL 27) creeping near Minnesota’s blue line, so he flings a long bomb that enables the Stars to rumble downhill.
In the grand scheme of things, the Wild defend this reasonably well. But notice how easy the entry is thanks to Harley’s quick thinking and accuracy. Since Matt Dumba (MIN 24) isn’t afforded the chance to gap up, Marchment doesn’t meet any resistance until he reaches the top of the circle.
If you can put your teammates in that position on a regular basis, you’re laughing. Harley’s knack for connecting the dots—regardless of tempo—yielded superb numbers:
Among defensemen who logged 200+ minutes in the postseason, no one tilted the ice more comprehensively than Harley.
Granted, he didn’t face the stiffest competition on the third pairing. Reminder: He wasn’t even in The Show for most of the year. To perform that well in the playoffs following a six-game tuneup in the regular season is remarkable.
He’ll be essential going forward too because Miro Heiskanen is the only other Stars blueliner who can reliably move the puck. Jani Hakanpää handles it like a grenade. Esa Lindell favors up-and-out over tape-to-tape. Once a fine distributor, 38-year-old Ryan Suter is becoming more mistake-prone with every passing game.
Meanwhile, the 2019 18th overall pick’s breakout was mostly about…mastering the breakout. Where his teammates perceive hurdles, Harley clocks paths into the offensive zone.
Point Shooting
Though point shots are often viewed as a waste or last resort, good point shots are worth their weight in gold. Even the most stubborn defenses will struggle to contain offenses that know how to weaponize net-front chaos.
And on a club that features Joe Pavelski, quality service from the blue line is crucial.
Harley will join the rush once in a while and he’s a decent playmaker, but his calling card on the attack is indeed his point shooting. More specifically, his devious little wrister. You could argue he’s the best defenseman on the team at navigating high pressure and whistling pucks into the slot for deflections:
As you can tell, there are no put-your-head-down-and-chuck-it tendencies here. Harley keeps his eyes on the prize and demonstrates a natural feel for distance, recognizing precisely how much room he has to play with and how long he can hang on to the puck. He’s willing to wait an additional beat or two that would make most D-men balk.
That boldness creates shooting lanes that didn’t appear to exist. The fact that he’s 6’3” yet boasts the wingspan of a 6’5” player doesn’t hurt either. One shuffle can catapult him from dead end to daylight.
His comfort in a phone booth is reminiscent of Alex Pietrangelo’s. They’re both technical rather than theatrical, generating space through range and deception. They don’t particularly care about power because they’re aiming to thread the needle.
Watch how Harley orchestrates a goal in the second round:
Upon receiving the puck, he notices that Tyler Seguin (DAL 91) isn’t in the goaltender’s line of sight yet. He’ll have to stall for the congestion to turn up. With Daniel Sprong (SEA 91) denying the middle of the ice, Harley darts to his forehand and wraps his shot around the Seattle forward.
His push and Seguin’s arrival are perfectly synchronized, and the result is a 4-1 marker that razes any hopes of a Kraken comeback.
Harley exhibits the pocket presence of a grizzled QB and the twitchy menace of an elite counterpuncher. That combination proved very productive in the playoffs. Despite his team’s WCF disappointment, he led all blueliners in primary assists:
On a per-minute basis, the gap widens even further:
The deeper you dig, the rosier Harley’s outlook appears. Bear in mind that he barely played on the man advantage and didn’t register a single of his nine points on the PP. Given his success in the postseason, he’s more than earned minutes on the second unit.
Then there’s the stylistic match. Harley’s point play is a seamless fit within a Stars offense that gravitates around low-high action. The forwards like to feed their defensemen and then fly toward the crease. When bodies are swarming the slot, precise bids from the blue line amount to scoring chances.
And those are his specialty.
Harley doesn’t really jibe with today’s prototypical offensive defensemen. He isn’t blazing fast, dynamic or wildly aggressive. He doesn’t leap off the screen.
He sharpens Dallas’ spear thanks to strong fundamentals and a high IQ. Substance without a lick of style. That may not bring fans to the edge of their seats, but it’s precisely what the Stars need more of in order to climb over the hump.