BOISE, Idaho — Jim Montgomery took a deep dive into the game film when he was hired by the Dallas Stars.



He watched systems, he watched individual players, he did everything he could to try to diagnose what happened to the Stars during the past two seasons.



Figuring out Julius Honka was one of the more interesting studies for Montgomery. The defender had first-round talent, he could move the puck, but he was struggling to find success in the NHL and had failed to do so under two head coaches.



When Montgomery looked at the film he saw in Honka a lack of confidence. There were many things to like, but the defender needed to be in a spot where he was trusted and wasn’t second-guessing himself every shift.



“I want to get the confidence back and play the offensive style of game that I do,” Honka said. “It’s nothing too much, just play and, of course, pay attention to those little details. Just enjoy and play, kind of go...