2009-2010 Dallas Stars Preview

Texas’ team has been one of the most successful in the National Hockey League since their arrival in the Lone Star State over a decade ago. Their time in Dallas has included exceptional seasons and a Stanley Cup Championship. However, the Stars’ most recognizable players are aging and the guard is changing. While the Stars shocked every single unbiased observer in the hockey world by making it to the 2007-2008 Western Conference Finals, they fall apart last season and have had some serious changes this summer. Does their reshuffling equate a playoff season?

Looking Back at 2008-2009

Last season began off all right for the Stars but many of their high-profile players were felled by injuries and they collapsed down the stretch. There were some highlights though, as youngsters Lou Ericksson (36 goals) and James Neal (24 goals) broke out into scoring roles. Dallas missed the playoffs with a 3 rd place finish in the division. However, Dallas’ year was marred by injury and the ridiculous Sean Avery saga that drove the team into the tank and they never recovered, finishing with 36-35-11 record, 12 th in the Western Conference.

The Offseason

The Stars made a few major changes, beginning at the top, where former star center Joe Nieuwendyk was brought in as the team’s new General Manager. His first move was to replace longtime head coach Dave Tippett with disciplinarian Marc Crawford behind the bench.

However, there was a lot of turnover on the roster as well. There are a ton of veterans who no longer wear the Stars sweater, most notably defensemen Sergei Zubov and Darryl Sydor and forward Brendan Morrison. The good news is that despite owner Tom Hicks’ decision to keep payroll down, the Stars did bring in some talent to replace all of the veterans losses, the most notable of which was defenseman Karlis Skrastins, who is excellent defensively and hasn’t missed a game in the past six seasons.

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2009-2010 Outlook

Dallas is going to rely on a younger group of players this season, especially up front. While franchise cornerstone Mike Modano will always be the team’s most visible player, Ericksson and Neal are going to be counted on to consistently put the biscuit in the basket for the first time in their NHL careers. Aside from the youngsters, a full season of health from captain Brendan Morrow and longtime two-way stalwart Jere Lehtinen should go a long way towards restoring a dangerous attack. Also, don’t forget about center Mike Ribiero, who is an excellent playmaker and should center a line with at least one of the young snipers.

However, Dallas’ offense will be defined by one player this season: Brad Richards. Richards was the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the playoff MVP in Tampa Bay but he has largely disappointed since coming to Dallas. After missing a lot of last season due to injury, he needs to have a bounce back year to quiet his doubters and justify his huge contract. It isn’t a stretch to say that a big year from Richards could be the difference between making the playoffs and missing the playoffs in Dallas.

On the back end, the Stars felt comfortable in allowing Zubov to leave because of the emergence of Stephan Robidas last season. Robidas was an All-Star selection and received an Olympic camp invite from Team Canada after breaking out in a big way. Along with Skrastins, the youthful trio of Matt Niskanen, Mark Fistric and Niklas Grossman round out a young but talented group on the blue line.

The final piece of the puzzle is former superstar goaltender Marty Turco. I say ‘former’ because the onetime elite netminder struggled noticeably last season. However, Turco is entering a contract season, so I wouldn’t be shocked whatsoever if he had a big season similar to Nikolai Khabibulin last year. I think that the Stars will get much better goaltending this season despite having a more inexperienced defensive unit.

PREDICTION: The Stars also have one other thing in their favor this year: They don’t have the burden of high expectations. After their deep playoff run two years ago, there were exceedingly high hopes and they fell apart rather abruptly. So, Dallas should exceed expectations.

That said, they still have to play in the same division as San Jose and Anaheim and I think that they’re probably going to finish 3 rd in the Pacific Division. With improved goaltending and a much deeper roster (assuming no one gets hurt again), the Stars should mount a serious challenge for a playoff spot. However, I think that Dallas falls just short of a playoff berth and is my pick to finish 10 th in the Western Conference.

By Matt Baxendall
DFN Sports & ProHockey-fans.com Staff Writer

Feel your team is underrated? Tell Matt Baxendell why at matt.baxendell@gmail.com

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