The Dallas Stars are ready to make the jump back into the playoffs.
But make no mistake — this is not a leap of faith.
The Stars had a clear vision of what they needed to do this off-season — bring in experience, defence and help in net — and they executed it to near-perfection, thanks to a focused Jim Nill (and a cap-strapped Blackhawks team).
Head coach: Lindy Ruff
GM: Jim Nill
Team payroll: $69 million cap hit against $71.4 million cap
Last season record: 41-31-10
Goals for: 261
Goals against: 260
PP: 19 per cent, ranked 12th
PK: 80.7 per cent, ranked 19th
Corsi for per 60: 61.6 (via stats.hockeyanalysis.com)
Key acquisitions: Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya, Antti Niemi.
Key departures: Trevor Daley, Ryan Garbutt, Jhonas Enroth, Shawn Horcoff.
Rookies to Watch: Look for towering 22-year-old defenceman Jamie Oleksiak to make a strong push for an NHL spot. The 14th overall pick of the 2011 draft split between Dallas and AHL Texas last season and didn’t look out of place. Julius Honka, the 14th overall pick in 2014, is another defenceman who might not be too far behind.
Highlight of 2014-15: It was a non-playoff season for the Stars, but Jamie Benn took away some hardware anyway. In the last game of the season, Benn’s second assist locked him in as the NHL’s scoring champion and winner of the Art Ross Trophy.
Pre-season letter grades
Forwards: When your forward corps boasts names like Tyler Seguin, Art Ross Trophy-winner Jamie Benn, Jason Spezza, up-and-comer Brett Ritchie and young (and healthy) Valeri Nichushkin, you can expect plenty of goal-scoring success. Add in newly-acquired three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Sharp — and his power play prowess — and the Stars are a dangerous squad up front. Then again, offence wasn’t the Stars’ problem area last year…
GRADE: A
Defence: It’s no secret that Dallas struggled in its own end last season. With such a young core, there are bound to be hiccups. Nill & Co. addressed that issue by bringing in veteran Johnny Oduya. While the 33-year-old didn’t need to take on a leadership role with the defensively-deep Blackhawks, he’ll need to step up in the Lone Star State with fellow veterans Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers and Jordie Benn. The Stars signed John Klingberg, 23, to a big seven-year extension after an exceptional rookie campaign, and he’ll be expected to take on top minutes.
GRADE: B
Goaltending:
“I really think it’s becoming a two-goalie league now,” Nill told NHL.com shortly after acquiring Antti Niemi in a trade with the San Jose Sharks. The Stars are hoping that taking some of the load off Kari Lehtonen (who suffered his second-worst season last year) and stirring up some competition between the Finnish goaltenders will be the jump-start in net the team needs.
GRADE: B+
The Stars will have a successful season if… their defence can match their offence. At this point, there aren’t many questions when it comes to the Stars’ ability to score goals. It’s stopping them that will be the issue.
The Stars will have a disappointing season if… they can’t find consistency early. The team had a slow start to their 2014-15 campaign, and while a few slip-ups can be expected at the start, the Stars can’t afford the same slow start if they want to be relevant come April.