Fill-in to full-time for Fedun
Taylor Fedun’s 2018-2019 hockey season did not begin on a positive note. He had difficulty cracking the line-up on a regular basis in Rochester, N.Y., the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate, due to a numbers issue – not because of his play. The 30-year-old has veteran status in the AHL, where teams are limited to dressing a specific number of veterans per contest. There were too many veterans in Rochester, so Fedun played in only five of the club’s first 14 games.
At a time when he found himself wondering if his playing days were coming to an end, along came an opportunity.
The Dallas Stars were hurting on defense: John Klingberg had a broken hand, Marc Methot hurt a knee, Stephen Johns was out with a concussion and Connor Carrick had a bad foot. Dallas had already raided its AHL affiliate for help, calling up three defensemen from Texas, so the organization’s depth on defense was thin.
The Stars turned to the trade market and found a willing partner in Buffalo, which had a surplus of defenders. On November 10, 2018, Fedun was dealt to Dallas in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2020. Assigned to Texas, Fedun skated in three games, scoring a goal and two assists, before the call-up to Dallas on November 22.
In his very first game with Dallas, Fedun immediately impressed by scoring a goal in a 6-4 Stars win over Ottawa. He’s never looked back since. The Stars eventually got healthier on defense, but Fedun retained his regular spot in the line-up. He played in 54 out of 60 games since being recalled from the AHL.
Fedun recognized the opportunity with the trade, thinking he’d get in some games and then return to being a depth guy. Instead, the Stars coaching staff tweaked his game, built up his confidence and allowed him to succeed.
The Fedun trade was barely a blip on the transactions wire. The condition on the draft pick compensation was if he played 25-plus NHL games, Dallas would send Buffalo a seventh-round draft pick. If he didn’t hit the 25-game mark, there would be no compensation. Buffalo received the pick in early 2019.
Dallas received a production line of 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in those 54 games while averaging 13.51 minutes of ice time per game. He played on the third defense pairing, saw regular time on the penalty kill and at one point even saw some time on the power play. His steady performance over several months helped the Stars overcome a challenging part of their schedule.
Fedun finished his eighth season of professional hockey following a four-year career at Princeton University. Growing up, Fedun had a passion for school and hockey with the hope of pursuing both – a goal he realized at Princeton where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. On the hockey side he totaled 68 points (20G, 48A) in 127 NCAA games. He was twice named to the ECAC’s All-Academic team, was an ECAC Second Team All-Star in 2010 and a First Team All-Star in 2011. Playing hockey at Princeton opened up new career possibilities.
Fedun was not drafted by an NHL team, but the Edmonton, Alberta, native was signed as a free agent out of college by his hometown Oilers in March 2011. His pro career got off to an inauspicious start when, in a pre-season game between the Oilers and Minnesota, he suffered a broken femur as he crashed into the boards when he and Wild forward Eric Nystrom raced for a puck. Nystrom, trying to reach around Fedun to touch the puck and avoid icing, got his stick caught in Fedun’s skates, sending him into the boards.
Fedun ended up in the hospital, where doctors repaired the damage with a rod and four screws. This incident revived the debate over touch icing, which was eventually taken out of the NHL. He suffered through a long rehabilitation period, returning in 2012-2013 to play for Edmonton’s AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City. Two expert trauma surgeons assured him he could get back to playing pro hockey, eliminating any uncertainty and doubt in his mind.
Fedun made his NHL debut during the 2013-2014 season, and he impressed right away. He scored in his first NHL game on November 5, 2013, at Florida. Two days later, he scored in his second game when the Oilers played at Tampa Bay. He played in a total of four NHL games before being sent back to the AHL for the rest of the campaign. After that season, he started moving around, looking for an opportunity. In the summer of 2014 he signed with San Jose, a year later with Vancouver and with Buffalo in 2016. He played seven games with the Sharks, one with the Canucks and 34 over two seasons with the Sabres.
Now he finds himself in Dallas, where he is capitalizing on the latest opportunity in his career after seriously wondering where his career was headed as he struggled for playing time with Rochester of the AHL. For Fedun, the trade to Dallas and the chance with the Stars was totally unexpected at the age of 30.
Could it be he has found his permanent NHL home? Fifty-plus games with the Stars has at least proven he belongs in this league and is doing what needs to be done as an NHL defenseman.
Fedun was rewarded for his role in providing strong depth defense when the Stars signed him to a two-year, two-way contract in late June 2019. Establishing a career high in games played (54), Fedun was selected as the Stars candidate for the Bill Masterton Trophy, an award given to the NHL player who best personifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Oleksiak back in Dallas
Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak is back with the Stars, and it’s as if his trade to the Penguins never happened. Dallas reacquired the behemoth defender on January 28, 2019, from Pittsburgh in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft. This was the same selection the Pens sent to the Stars to originally acquire Oleksiak on December 19, 2017. Dallas selected the Ukrainian-Polish blueliner in the first round of the 2011 entry draft, and he played parts of six seasons in the organization.
In his 83 games with Pittsburgh, Oleksiak tallied eight goals and 17 assists while averaging 16.44 minutes of ice time per game. He appeared in an additional 12 playoff tilts.
Oleksiak was acquired to help the Stars deal with the absence of defensemen Marc Methot and Stephen Johns, both out with season-ending injuries. General Manager Jim Nill was banking on Oleksiak utilizing his strong physique to be an intimidating force while also showing more maturity in his second tour of duty with Dallas.
At 6-foot-7, 255 pounds, Oleksiak adds size to a group of defensemen that features undersized players like John Klingberg, Miro Heiskanen and Julius Honka. His 97 hits were third on the Penguins in 2018-2019.
Interestingly enough, he has occasionally been partnered with fellow Ukrainian Fedun on Dallas’ third defense pairing.
Ihor Stelmach may be reached at [email protected].