As we approach the 2016-17 season, we’re previewing what’s ahead for each of the 30 NHL teams. Here’s a look at the Dallas Stars.
MAIN SUMMER HEADLINES
• Stars land free agent defenceman Dan Hamhuis
• Stars sign Jamie Benn to eight-year, $76 million extension
• Benn misses World Cup for surgery to repair core muscle
• Stars sign Jiri Hudler to a one-year deal
• Tyler Seguin misses World Cup with injury
Head coach: Lindy Ruff
GM: Jim Nill
Team payroll: $68.42 million ($73 million salary cap)
2015-16 Record: 50-23-9 (First in Central)
GF: 267 (First in NHL)
GA: 230 (20th in NHL)
Result: Lost in second round to St. Louis, 4-3
Key acquisitions: Dan Hamhuis, Jiri Hudler, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Adam Cracknell
Key departures: Kris Russell, Colton Sceviour, Jason Demers, Alex Goligoski, Vernon Fiddler, Travis Moen
Rookies to Watch: Esa Lindell has picked up just enough experience to show that he can be a valuable piece of the Stars’ defence this season.
The 22-year-old Finn is a smooth-skating point producer, who packs some punch at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds. He had 14 goals and 28 assists with the AHL’s Texas Stars in his rookie campaign last season, and he was a standout for Team Finland at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Watch this player, he’s going to be a fixture on Dallas’ blue line for years to come.
Julius Honka, perhaps a longer shot at just 20 years old, is another puck-moving candidate for Dallas’ back end. In his second AHL season, Honka posted 11 goals and 44 points. Whether one, both, or neither of Honka or Lindell make the team out of camp, it’s clear the Stars have no shortage of offensively-inclined defencemen in the system.
Dallas will have a successful season if…
They don’t change a thing from the blueprint that saw them rocket to second place in the NHL standings last season.
This is a high-octane group that paced the league with 267 goals last season, led by superstars Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin and backed by star veterans Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp. The style is fast and aggressive, employing a highly active defence in the offensive zone.
Their defensive and goaltending shortcomings may be the reason they couldn’t get beyond the second round of the playoffs last year. They’ll want to shore up those areas, but not at the cost of abandoning their risky style. The aggression that worked so well last season will help them secure home-ice advantage in the playoffs.
Dallas will have an unsuccessful season if…
Injuries nag their best players.
Jamie Benn had off-season surgery and skipped the World Cup to ensure he’d be healthy to take the Stars on a Stanley Cup run. Seguin, who struggled with injuries to his Achilles’ and hamstring towards the end of last season, was forced to tap out of the World Cup early with an injury.
Signing Dan Hamhuis should help stabilize the team’s blue line, and the addition of young Lindell also helps in that department. The goaltending may not be sensational between Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi, but it’s good enough to get what should be the highest scoring team in the league safely into the playoffs.
But if the injuries persist for Benn and Seguin, the Stars will be in a world of hurt.
