When Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill gave up a first-round pick, something he rarely does, for 22-year-old defenseman Nils Lundkvist in 2022, many Stars fans were confused.

Since then, much of that confusion has turned to frustration. Frustration that the move has not yet paid off, sure. But more so frustration with the lack of trust he has received from the coaching staff.

Whenever Lundkvist was a healthy scratch over his first two seasons, Stars coach Pete DeBoer consistently reassured the media that it was all part of the plan and very normal for a young defenseman.

“It’s what all young players go through,” DeBoer said. 

BECOME A DLLS DIEHARD

So when does it become an issue?

Last season, Lundkvist took some strides. The right-handed blueliner played 59 games in the regular season, one fewer than in 2022-23. But he improved his numbers from 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) to 19 (two goals, 17 assists), and more importantly, had 12 fewer giveaways and flipped a minus-5 rating into a plus-13 that ranked 8th on the club.

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, however, he was given only two games before DeBoer and his staff pulled back on the reins. Lundkvist played 7:33 in Game 1 and 10:00 in Game 2 of the first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. He certainly had his moments, good and bad, but finished with an even plus/minus and appeared deserving of some more opportunity.

That’s not what happened, as Lundkvist played only 2:21 in Game 3 and no more than 6:05 before being permanently scratched after Game 5 of the second round.

In the summer, Dallas opted not to match the restricted free agents’ qualifying offer, but ended up signing him to a one-year, $1.25 million deal on July 1.

So here we are. Lundkvist is entering his fourth NHL season. He is 24 years old and has 144 career games under his belt.

This feels like his last chance in Dallas. If it doesn’t work out in 2024-25, whether because of his performance or a lack of trust from the coaches, the Swede will probably need to find a new home.

But like DeBoer, Nill has not lost his calm confidence in the progression of the young defenseman. He spoke about it at the 2024 NHL Draft in July.

“I think Nils is going to be fine,” Nill said. “We forget he’s only [24] years old, and actually, you look at his regular season, he had a great regular season, had a strong regular season. In the playoffs, they pulled back a little bit, and that’s just when you start to look at the teams we played against, tough situations sometimes for younger defensemen. So I think Nils is going to come in here and take off and be a big part of our team moving forward.”

Let’s not forget just how skilled this player is:

If Lundkvist can find some consistency and earn the trust of his teammates and coaches, Dallas is in a much better spot on their blue line. Not only is he skilled, he is right-handed and offensive-minded, something the Stars could use more of.

Is there a top-four defensive spot in his future? I am not sure. But I do know that both the team and the kid himself have shown belief in his potential. Enough belief to fork over a valuable first-round pick and use a bit of cap space to give him another season of development.

So when is Nils Lundkvist’s time with the Dallas Stars? It has to be now. Otherwise, there may be no runway left.