Avalanche divisional rival receive shocking news concerning star defenseman

The latest to receive recognition is defenseman Esa Lindell, who has been named Finland's Male Hockey Player of the Year.

Adam Denker from Yahoo Sports writes that the Stars, known for having the most Finnish players in the NHL, a fact that's earned them the nickname "Finnish Mafia", adding another accolade to their resume on Friday.

Lindell was named Finland's Male Hockey Player of the Year. He stepped up in a big way this season, tallying 26 points over 80 games after fellow Finnish blueliner Miro Heiskanen suffered a season-ending knee injury on January 28th.

The 31-year-old Vaanta, Finnish native and the Stars will use this summer to regroup and refocus following yet another playoff run that ended in the Western Conference Final in the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.

There's been a lot of buzz surrounding the Stars so far this offseason. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman noted that frustration within the Stars organization following their collapse against Edmonton led them to consider making "major decisions," including assessing the potential return for trading a player like their top goal-scorer in Jason Robertson.

With the recent firing of head coach Peter DeBoer, anything is possible for this fragile Dallas team as they try to retool and make another run for the Stanley Cup as early as next season.

Source:
Yahoo Sports
Esa Lindell Named Finland's Male Hockey Player Of The Year