Honka time? Stars giving young defenseman chance to play big minutes

One of the interesting aspects of Jim Montgomery's first NHL preseason is his transparent logic.
He has a plan (actually several plans) and he's not afraid to talk about it (them).
The new head coach challenged Roope Hintz Monday by putting him on the top line with Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov and then talked about how he liked Hintz's response after he tallied a goal and an assist.

On Saturday, Montgomery gave Julius Honka the role of No. 1 defenseman in a preseason game against Florida, and said when he viewed the film that Honka looked tired at times.
In the end, Montgomery blamed himself for not reading the situation better.

"He had some moments where he was indecisive. He was given an opportunity and maybe we gave him that opportunity when he was tired," Montgomery said of the fact Honka was playing his third game in a row with no practice days off. "So that's probably not the smartest move by me putting him in that situation."
Four days later, Honka has had two rest days and will likely get the majority of minutes when the Stars (3-0-1) continue their preseason schedule at Colorado tonight. The coach still wants to test the 22-year-old defensemen, but now he's giving him a better chance to embrace the challenge.
Logic.
"We want to see who can make plays for us, people we can count on," Montgomery said of tonight's lineup.
And Honka is front and center. Drafted 14th overall in 2014, Honka is preparing for his fifth full season in North America. He will turn 23 on Dec. 3 and he has already played 58 NHL games and 201 AHL games.
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To quote Stars GM Jim Nill: "He's not a young guy anymore. He's ready. He's ready."
Honka feels the same way. The skilled right-handed defenseman felt ready the past two seasons, but he wasn't the right fit and didn't have the confidence of the coaching staff. This year should be different.
"I want to get the confidence back and play the offensive style of game that I do," Honka said when asked what his goals are. "It's nothing too much, just play and, of course, pay attention to those little details. Just enjoy and play, kind of go with the flow."
He said he feels he has that opportunity with the new system.
"I think the biggest thing is I want to be myself more," Honka said. "I really haven't had a chance to bring my best out of me yet. I'm ready. It was a good summer, I feel healthy and ready to go."

Montgomery said he has the same vision. Honka is a conscientious player who wants to do what the coaches ask, but that can sometimes lead to too much thinking or maybe even the fear to let go. That's understandable when you consider he is on his third head coach in three years.
But this might be the perfect timing for Honka. All of his experiences could come together to make him prepared for a regular role in the lineup.
"I think he's starting to see that his feet are going to be something that are going to really help us the way we want to play defensively and offensively," Montgomery said.
Because there is a chance he will be using those feet a lot.
"He's got to get used to it," Montgomery said when referencing Saturday's big-minute game. "We want him to play significant minutes this year, so he's got to learn how to be a pro and play when he's tired."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.