After signing his extension, Denis Gurianov knows he's at a crossroad

The Stars and Denis Gurianov have some work to do.
After a disappointing season, the 25-year-old winger signed a
one-year contract extension for $2.9 million
on Tuesday, and the task of finding consistency now begins in earnest.

Ironically, an alternate universe is showing just where this thing could go, and it's playing out on television in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Former Stars first-round pick Val Nichushkin had a banner season with the Colorado Avalanche and is taking an even bigger role in the postseason. That's great for Nichushkin and a hard lesson for the Stars, who bought out the power winger in 2019 at age 24.
Nichushkin at the time had struggled to fit into the Stars' system and had no goals among 10 points in 57 games in his last season with Dallas. It was a huge drop from the 34 points (14 goals, 30 assists) in 79 games as a rookie. It was a tough decision to send him away, but Dallas needed the cap space to go after free agents (they landed Joe Pavelski), and they also sort of hit the wall in looking for answers to find Nichushkin's game.
So, there are some comparisons there.

Gurianov was also taken in the first round. Both hail from Russia, and each have challenges because of the differences in style of play and language. Gurianov scored 20 goals among 29 points in 64 games in 2019-20, and then was one of the Stars' playoff leaders in the Edmonton bubble as he had nine goals among 17 points in 27 games to help Dallas reach the Stanley Cup Final.
That performance earmarked Gurianov for great things, and his time on ice went from 13 minutes a game to almost 16 the next season. He was given the chance to play on the power play and was given the chance to play with more top players. But he was unable to seize his big chance, and both he and the coaching staff became frustrated.
Jason Robertson started to get the prime power-play assignments and Gurianov's minutes started to vary. In March and April, his time on ice was back to the 13-minute range, and he was around 11 minutes in five playoff games. He was even a healthy scratch for two playoff games against Calgary, and that was difficult for everyone.

"It was a tough year for him," general manager Jim Nill said after the season. "But he's like a lot of other guys. A lot of other guys had tough years, too. I want to hear what his feedback is, why he thought things happened."
Gurianov, for his part, took the end-of-season interview as a chance to get better.
"It motivates me to be better, work on some stuff," Gurianov said. "I was up and down. Going back home, work in the summer and things can get better. It's hockey and things happen."

While Gurianov and Nichushkin have similarities, they're also completely different individuals. Nichushkin left the Stars for two seasons starting in 2016 when he couldn't come to terms on a new contract. He also made it clear through his agent that he didn't want to play in the AHL to start his career. Gurianov played parts of three seasons in the AHL and has been a lineup regular ever since.
He definitely seems to have earned the trust of the organization. Nill said as much when the season was over.
"We forget these guys are human beings themselves and there's a lot going on in their lives, too," Nill said. "I want to see where that is. Then it's important for him to come back and have a good summer and train and come back and show us who he can be again."

Financially speaking, it would've been foolish to not re-sign Gurianov. He's a talented NHL player, and he has value in the league. That said, he still could be traded if the Stars decide to go in a different direction. But it sure seems like right now they all want to try as hard as they can to make this work in Dallas.
"I wasn't mad at anybody," Gurianov said when asked if the scratches made him angry. "Like I said, it's hockey and it motivates me to get better and work on some stuff. I've got to be better."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.