First Shift 🏒
Nils Lundkvist’s career has charted a rather twisting path.
A first-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2018, Lundkvist couldn’t quite find his fit in Gotham and asked for a trade in 2022. Stars GM Jim Nill liked what he saw in the right-handed defenseman and brought him to Dallas in exchange for a first-round pick, but even that fresh start had its issues.
Lundkvist was part of a deep group of blueliners and struggled to find a regular spot. Battling injuries and healthy scratches, Lundkvist was in and out of the lineup. And despite the fact the team made three straight trips to the conference finals, he logged just 12 of a possible 56 playoff games.
Those all came in 2023-24 and Lundkvist averaged just 4:28 in time on ice per game. He did not have the trust of the coaching staff, and veteran Alexander Petrovic was given the nod and played the final seven games while getting 12 minutes of ice time per game.
Last season, Lundkvist took a big step forward and looked like a potential partner for Esa Lindell, but he had shoulder surgery in February and didn’t play the rest of the season – again, missing the playoffs.
This year, with a new coaching staff, Lundkvist was given a solid reset. He has played 51 games, tallied 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) and has been a plus-11 while averaging a career-high 16:24 in time on ice.
“He’s been fantastic,” said coach Glen Gulutzan of a regular partnership with Harley. “Him and Harls have been a good pair, so nice to get him back.”
For Lundkvist, it has been the best year of his career.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot,” Lundkvist said. “I like where my game has been. I probably have found a different role and found different ways to contribute.”
Lundkvist missed the past three games while his wife gave birth to their first child and rejoined the Stars for practice in Buffalo on Tuesday. He will play in the regular season finale Wednesday and is expected to be in the lineup for the first playoff game this weekend.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Lundkvist said. “The first couple of games I played in the playoffs, I didn’t play a lot, so it was kind of a weird experience. But I have also been around the team throughout these three or four years, and I have learned a lot, so I know what it’s like to be in the playoff bubble, and hopefully we can do something special.”
He said becoming a dad also is fantastic.
“The timing worked out perfectly,” he said. “He was a little earlier than expected and now we can focus on the playoffs and focus on him. You get a new perspective on life, so it’s good.”
The Stars’ locker room has welcomed a lot of new dads in recent years, and Lundkvist said the vibe is very positive.
“It’s fun to see,” Lundkvist said. “When I got here, it was four or five kids and now almost every guy has a kid. You see kids running around the locker room and sharing the experience with their dads.”
