The Dallas Stars forward has been a healthy scratch more often than not this season. But when it came his time to shine, he was ready.
The Dallas Stars forward has been a healthy scratch more often than not this season. But when it came his time to shine, he was ready.
The 2023-24 season has been an adjustment for Ty Dellandrea.
The 23-year-old righthanded-shooting forward played in just 42 games during the regular season, scoring nine points (2-7-9). His most productive outing was a three-point performance (1-2-3) in a February 15 win at Nashville. He ranked first among club forwards with 7.10 hits per 60 and his total of 63 hits was sixth.
The other 40 games were spent as a healthy scratch, sitting in the stands watching his teammates soar to Central Division and Western Conference titles. He was also a spectator for games 1 and 2 of the first round playoff series with the Vegas Golden Knights.
It was a far different experience from the previous season, when Dellandrea played in all 82 games for the Stars and recorded 28 points (9-19-28). With the free agent signings of Craig Smith and Sam Steel during the offseason, the Stars' 13th overall selection in the 2018 NHL draft saw his role on the fourth line drastically reduced.
Patience is a difficult but necessary virtue when going through long stretches of practicing with your team but not suiting up for game action. The trick is to be ready when opportunity knocks.
When Mason Marchment and Radek Faksa both suffered injuries during Game 2 of the Vegas series last Wednesday, Dellandrea was activated for Game 3. It was Game 4 when he finally got on the scoreboard.
With the score tied 2-2 late in the second period, a shot from Smith deflected off Dellandrea's shin pad and went into the net, giving the Stars a lead they wouldn't relinquish and sending the series back to Dallas tied 2-2.
It wasn't a thing of beauty, and it may have come from someone else's stick, but it was a pivotal goal nonetheless, and Dellandrea was happy to take it.
"It's just about trying to win a game for this group, and everybody's been playing well," Dellandrea said following Monday's 4-2 victory. "Just trying to help the group and keep that going for them."
Dellandrea is no stranger to playoff heroics, particularly against Vegas. He scored two goals in Game 5 of the 2023 Western Conference Finals at T-Mobile Arena, including the go-ahead tally with 10:35 left in the third period. He added another for insurance less than two minutes later, preserving a 4-2 win to stave off elimination and narrow Vegas's lead in the series to 3-2.
Three of the four playoff goals in Dellandrea's career have come against the Golden Knights. Ironically, he had been a healthy scratch in the first two games of that series, but got into the lineup when Benn and Evgenii Dadonov missed Game 5.
"He likes playing Vegas," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said Monday. "He's a playoff-type player, playoff-type character. He doesn't shrink in the moment, he's not afraid of the physical piece of it. I'm not surprised he's having an effect on the games."
Dellandrea certainly wouldn't be the first player to sulk after seeing his playing time cut nearly in half. But he has made himself popular among his teammates with his work ethic and positive attitude, often being the first player on the ice before morning skates. Any feelings of frustration he may have are not present around the team.
"(There's) no better teammate than Ty," Stars forward and captain Jamie Benn said. "We all see what he's done throughout the year, works on his game every day, a great teammate. When he gets his time to play, he goes out there and makes a difference."
If there's anyone who has seen firsthand what Dellandrea's up-and-down season has been like, it's goalie Jake Oettinger. Dellandrea has been living in the home of Oettinger and his fiance, so the two have become close.
"There's no one that puts the team more in first than him," said Oettinger, who stopped 65 of 69 shots he faced over the last two games in this series. "He works his butt off and never has a bad attitude, has just stayed ready for when he got his name called. He played great tonight and showed he can step in and be a great piece to this team."
Marchment and Faksa are still day-to-day, so Dellandrea's status will remain unclear from game to game. But the Stars will need to continue relying on the scoring depth that has brought them this far if they hope to take the series and make a deep playoff run. Either way, Dellandrea will be prepared for whatever role he's asked to play.
"We have a really deep group," he said. "Everyone's been playing well. That's what I've been working for, just when the chance comes and something goes down, I'll be ready."
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