Adam Proteau discusses why the Dallas Stars are his pick for the Stanley Cup, Hockey Canada's updated dressing room policy and Leafs goalie Martin Jones clearing waivers.

Welcome back to Screen Shots, THN.com’s ongoing feature in which we analyze a few different hockey topics and break them down over a few short paragraphs. Let’s get right down to business:

As the start of the NHL’s 2023-24 season begins Tuesday night, it’s as good a time as any to discuss my pick to win the Stanley Cup next spring – the Dallas Stars. 

They’ve got elite goaltending, an elite defense corps and a deep and potent forward corps that has been made notably better by the off-season UFA signing of veteran star Matt Duchene. There’s so much to love about the Stars – including underrated talents Esa Lindell and Roope Hintz, their top-level sniper Jason Robertson, Benjamin Button-type veteran Joe Pavelski and star netminder Jake Oettinger.

This Dallas team has very few flaws, and the team that makes the fewest mistakes is the one that wins it all when the games matter most. The Carolina Hurricanes were the popular choice among THN.com’s writers and editors, but the Stars may have an easier road to the Cup Final than any team in the Eastern Conference. 

Dallas made it as far as the Western Conference final in 2022-23, and after looking around the internet at the picks of other pundits, it’s clear the Stars have gained a lot of respect after last season. They’re going to be one of the top two teams in the Central Division, one of the most dangerous teams in the West, and a bona fide threat to win the second Cup in franchise history.

Hockey Canada's new dressing room policy is making headlines, and it’s worth taking a moment to evaluate their new initiative. Under HC’s direction, all players must now be clad in a base layer of clothing at all times in a dressing room; if they’re not wearing a base layer, they must use a bathroom stall or empty dressing room to change in.

In addition, HC is encouraging all players to wear “minimum attire” while showering. That means some form of swimwear or different clothing item must be worn by all competitors. And the new policy states two trained/screened adults must be in a dressing room at all times or be located just outside the dressing room with the door open. Some commenters have stated that this new policy doesn’t address the biggest issues hockey faces in Canada, but from this writer’s perspective, it's a reasonable thing to do, given that player safety on and off the ice has to be the overriding concern.

Indeed, having two adults mandated in the same dressing room takes away almost any excuse of "we had no idea"-ing incidents of abuse and impropriety from now on. It's only right to ensure the game keeps the health and well-being of its participants as its main focus, and Hockey Canada deserves at least a little bit of credit for a renewed push for greater safety.

Finally, the Toronto Maple Leafs did this weekend what everyone expected them to do before the regular season began: waiving veteran goalie Martin Jones. 

After signing as a UFA with the team this summer, the 33-year-old Jones factored in as Toronto’s third-best netminding option behind starter Ilya Samsonov and youngster Joseph Woll. It was unlikely the Leafs were going to protect Jones by opening the season by putting all three goalies on their NHL roster.

The only question was whether Jones would be plucked off waivers by a team in dire need of goalie depth – hello, Tampa Bay Lightning – and that question was answered in surprising fashion Monday when Jones cleared waivers and remained a Leaf.

You would’ve thought Jones would be an attractive option for teams in no small part due to his bargain-basement salary of $875,000 this season. While Jones’ individual statistics aren’t among the best in the league, as a short-term option between the pipes, he’s a gamble worth taking.

Clearly, that was true for Buds GM Brad Treliving when he brought in Jones this summer, and Jones could contribute meaningfully in Toronto by the time the season is complete. He’s not their first choice in net, but that’s OK. Just as you can’t have enough good pitching in baseball, you can’t have enough reliable goaltending at the NHL level.