Former first-round pick Ty Dellandrea was a victim of the Dallas Stars’ success in a way. With the emergence of young players like Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven, Dellandrea quickly saw himself pushed out of the lineup in Dallas.
The young forward went from a strong first full season in 2022-23 to in and out of the lineup in 2023-24. As a result, when the time came to sign Dellandrea to a new contract, Stars’ General Manager Jim Nill decided to move him instead. Good thing for the Sharks because Dallas’ loss is San Jose’s gain.
Position: Forward
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 190 lbs.
Age: 24
Date of Birth: July 21, 2000
Draft Year: 2018 (13th overall by Dallas Stars)
Shoots: Right
2024-25 Team: San Jose Sharks
Dellandrea only played 42 regular season games for the Stars last season and had just 9 points (2 G, 7 A). It was a step back from the 2022-23 season when he played all 82 games and had 28 points (9 G, 19 A). He was also a plus-9.
What we like
Dellandrea isn’t going to be the top-end forward you would hope to get out of a top-15 pick in any draft year. However, he’s still a very good NHL-level player. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic projected Dellandrea as a bottom-six piece on an NHL team in 2022 when he did his prospect rankings.
“He plays to the inside, he keeps himself engaged and involved in the play in all three zones, he’s an able penalty killer and his skating has shown marked improvement this season so that he’s able to put defenders on their heels a little more when he attacks,” wrote Wheeler. “I like his shot from the mid-to-high slot more and more (he’s got a balanced stance and can pick his spots in the net when he’s got time, even if he’s not a powerful shooter). He’s got good hands in tight around the net, too. But his game lacks a defining trait and he’s likely a bottom-six piece as a result.”
With the Sharks now loaded at the top with Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund and Will Smith, a two-way bottom-six forward like Dellandrea is what a team needs to go far in the playoffs.
He also brings a little something extra to the lockerroom. As Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas News reported post-trade, Dellandrea was a popular player in the Stars’ lockerroom who had a strong relationship with goaltender Jake Oettinger. Lockerroom chemistry is essential and if Dellandrea can help bring that to a young team like the Sharks, all the better.
Areas of improvement
Playing his role will be the biggest key for Dellandrea this season. For a former 13th-overall pick, it can be tempting to go out there and try to score to prove you are worthy of that draft position. As a result, players often try to do too much and lose the most important aspects of their game: defense and puck protection.
Dellandrea will need to make that mental switch while still picking up the slack when younger players like Celebrini and Smith aren’t playing their best. The goals will come for the Sharks this season, provided that everyone on the team understands their role.
If Dellandrea does not understand his role, his time with the Sharks could be similar to Filip Zadina. Zadina had flashes of brilliance but was sometimes impatient and didn’t lean into the system. Ultimately, he played his way out of the Sharks’ lineup.
What’s next for Dellandrea?
The Sharks have more forward contracts than roster spots. The first thing Dellandrea will need to do is prove that he’s worthy of one of the 12 forward positions open. That means beating out players like Carl Grundstrom, Justin Bailey and Klim Kostin, among others. Dellandrea’s training camp will be key.
We expect that he will be one of the 12 players on the roster for opening night, where he will earn the two-year, $1.3 million contract he signed in the summer.
Highlights … Er, Bonus: What we like
Instead of highlights, we’re going to take a look at probably the most important aspect of Dellandrea’s game for a Sharks fan. Dellandrea has four playoff goals in 22 games. Three of those goals came against the Vegas Golden Knights.
There’s the game-winning goal he scored in Game 4 of the 2024 playoffs.
Then, there’s 2023, when Dellandrea scored twice to help Dallas to a come-from-behind win over the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the playoffs.
🏒 The Dallas Stars continue to keep alive their hopes of reaching the Stanley Cup final after they came from behind to defeat Vegas Golden Knights 4-2.
— Matthew Burgess (@1matthewburgess) May 28, 2023
Ty Dellandrea scored twice in third period as Stars won a successive game and trail in the series 3-2.pic.twitter.com/QNgflcdAVe
Sharks fans know a little something about coming from behind to beat the Golden Knights in the playoffs.
