 Since their arrival in the Lone Star State over a decade ago, the Dallas Stars have been one of the most successful teams in the NHL, with their time there having included several exceptional seasons and a Stanley Cup Championship. While the Stars surprised many in the hockey world by making it to the 2007-2008 Western Conference Finals, the team experienced a drop off last season, and maybe with the aging of some of the more recognizable faces of the team it may be time for a changing of the guard. With the serious changes made this summer, will their reshuffling equate to Dallas returning to the postseason? Last season started off all right for the Dallas Stars, but many of their major players experienced injuries and eventually collapsed down the stretch. The Stars did experience some bright spots, with youngsters Lou Ericksson (36 goals) and James Neal (24 goals) both taking on scoring roles. Dallas missed the playoffs after their year was not only marred by injury, but also the ridiculous drama with the Sean Avery situation, which drove the team into a downward spiral, and finishing with a disappointing 36-35-11 record. The Stars made a few major changes at the top, beginning with former star center Joe Nieuwendyk being brought in as Dallas' new General Manager, resulting with Nieuwendyk's first move being the replacement of longtime head coach Dave Tippett behind the bench, with disciplinarian Marc Crawford. The franchise experienced a lot of roster changes as well, with many veterans no longer wearing the Stars sweater – most notably defensemen Sergei Zubov and Darryl Sydor, and forward Brendan Morrison. The good news is that despite the decision to keep payroll down, Dallas did bring in some talent to replace all of the veterans losses; most notably Karlis Skrastins, who is not only an excellent defenseman, but hasn't missed a single game in the past six seasons. Dallas is relying on a younger group of players this season, especially up front. While franchise cornerstone Mike Modano will always be the Stars' most visible player, for the first time in their NHL careers Ericksson and Neal are going to be counted on to score goals consistently. Apart from the youngsters, injury-free seasons from captain Brendan Morrow and longtime two-way stalwart Jere Lehtinen would greatly restore the once dangerous attack. While not forgetting about center Mike Ribiero, Dallas' excellent playmaker and should center a line with at least one of the young snipers, the team's offense may very well be defined by Brad Richards this season. After missing much of last season due to injury, Richards needs to have a bounce back year to silence his doubters and justify the huge contract which lured him from Tampa Bay, where he was once a promising talent and playoff MVP. A big year from Richards could determine whether the Stars make the playoffs or not in 2009-2010. At the other end of the ice, the Stars felt comfortable allowing Zubov to leave because of the emergence of Stephan Robidas last season. Robidas was not only an All-Star selection, but he also received an Olympic tryout invitation from Team Canada after a breakout in season. Rounding out the defense along with Skrastins, the youthful trio of Matt Niskanen, Mark Fistric, and Niklas Grossman, will complete a talented blue line group. The final piece of the Dallas Stars puzzle is goaltender Marty Turco who is entering a contract season, and may very well have a big season similar to the one that Nikolai Khabibulin had with Chicago last year. With a strong season in net, the Stars may have all that they need to make a solid run this year. Will the new Dallas Stars once again be one of the hottest tickets in Texas? Check the schedule now and come to the American Airlines Center with Dallas Star Tickets to support the Stars as they strive to once again compete at the NHL's highest level.
|
