General Manager Jim Nill never blinked when the opportunity presented itself to add a solid defenseman who can move the puck. Nill dug into his team’s pockets and spent a promising junior forward in Brett Pollock, one of his team’s top six defensemen in Jyrki Jokipakka and a conditional 2nd round selection in the 2016 NHL draft to add an important piece and signal the Dallas Stars’ intentions of battling for Sir Stanley’s treasured chalice this Spring.
Kris Russell will help upgrade an emergence backline in Dallas, not just with his talent, but his grit and determination as well.
“Nobody laid it on the line as much as Kris Russell,” said Flames GM Brad Treliving. “That was a hard one (to trade). This is a special guy, a real warrior.
“Kris is ultra-competitive and a solid two-way defensemen,” said Nill. “He will bring a steadying presence to our blueline and we feel he will help us improve in several areas. Kris brings a great deal of experience who can play a high amount of minutes.
“And he plays hard, he’s a little bit of a ball of hate, he’s a great shot blocker,” Nill added. “He’ll be a good penalty killer and he really gives us another experienced guy as we head into the playoffs.”
Russell made NHL history with a record 283 blocked shots during the 2014-15 NHL campaign, and he is revered by the Flames for scoring the winning goal with less than 30 seconds left in Game One of last year’s first round Stanley Cup Playoff victory over Vancouver. He also posted career highs in assists (30) and points (34) in 79 games played. Russell has 15 points (including 11 helpers) in 51 games this season, and 174 blocked shots.
The nine-year veteran has appeared in 562 career regular season games with Columbus, St. Louis and the Flames, registering 173 career points (including 135 assists). He has also appeared in 24 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, accumulating 12 points (including nine assists) and 77 blocked shots. His 54 blocked shots last postseason were fourth in the NHL in just 11 games played.
Russell joins a Dallas squad that is competing for a spot atop the NHL’s Western Conference standings, one that is loaded with offensive firepower.
“I wanted to be a Calgary Flame, but when you hear that you’re going to a team that has a good chance to win a Cup and has a lot of talent … It’s pretty exciting,” Russell said. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s tough to leave, but obviously it’s the next chapter and I’m excited to be a Star.”
“I grew up (knowing of) Colton Sceviour., who is,” Russell added. “I know him pretty well from Red Deer (Alberta) days and then training. Yeah, he gave me a text, just a quick one (saying) ‘congrats’. I’ve actually had a few texts from some of the (Stars’) players. I’m really appreciative of that because I don’t know many guys on that team and to hear from them already, there’s obviously a good locker room there.”
The Flames had hoped to hang onto the 28-year old Russell, but he was allegedly looking for a salary of more than $5 per season after his current contract expires this summer, which would’ve been a challenge for Calgary’s brain trust.
Instead, they obtained two key pieces for their future. The 6-foot-3 Jokipakka was a key member of the Stars’ blueline corps, scoring two goals and six point in 40 games this season. He joined Dallas in November 2014 and has 91 career starts. The 24-year old native of Tampere, Finland was originally selected by Dallas in the seventh round (195th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.
The 19-year old Pollock leads the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL) with 67 points (25 goals, 42 assists) in 63 games this season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound native of Sherwood Park, Alberta was originally selected by Dallas in the second round (45th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft.
“When you start acquiring veteran defensemen, there’s a price to be paid,” said Nill. “(Russell) is a good player, and we were willing to pay enough. It’s tough when you lose a young man like Jyrki Jokipakka, and he’s a good young man. That’s probably the toughest part of this business, is when you make that phone call to a young man like that. This is his first trade. He’s going to have a great career ahead of him and we wish him all the best. Brett Pollock would have been turning pro this upcoming season, so Calgary did a good job. They got good players back in return and that’s the price that you have to pay as we move forward here, as we want to make that next step with our team.”
That second round pick acquired by the Flames will be upgraded to a first-rounder if Dallas advances to the Western Conference final and if Russell dresses for at least half of the Stars’ post-season contests to that point.
Nill could not contain his delight after pulling off the trade. “Kris is a top-four player, and I think it’s going to give the coaches some flexibility to run five defensemen at times depending on how the game’s going,” said Nill. “(Russell is) also versatile, he can play left side, right side. You hope (to avoid) injuries, but if that happens we know we’ve got guys that can play high minutes, so he just adds to our depth.
“This move is also a chance for him to come in and showcase his skills (as a pending free agent) to us and if it’s a good fit for us moving forward,” Nill added. “It gives us an opportunity to talk to him before he becomes a free agent, so it’s all good.”
