Texas hockey is almost back y’all. So It’s about time we look into this upcoming season for the Dallas Stars.
Last season Dallas had a record of 46-30-6 and had 98 points. They finished 4th in the central division and had the first wildcard spot. Their season ended with a first round loss to the Calgary Flames in seven games. It was a series in which they were seriously outplayed, but goaltender Jake Oettinger stole the show, and almost stole them a series win.
Jason Robertson led the team with 41 goals, while Joe Pavelski led the team in points and assists. Pavelski totaled 27 goals, 54 assists for 81 points. The Stars managed to make the playoffs despite not having the best offense, ranking 21st in goals for with 238. Robertson was a much needed offensive spark, but it wasn’t enough come the postseason.
One thing that went extremely well for them was goaltending. Dallas got to see Jake Oettinger blossom into a starting goaltender, he was the starter for 46 games last season while playing in 48 and he posted a .914 save percentage.
The loss of defenseman John Klingerg is going to hurt. Dallas is probably hoping the acquisition of Nils Lundkvist helps fill that hole. He’ll probably get into the top 4 and compete for some power play time.
Looking to Next Season
Next season in Dallas is already off to a rough start. Jason Robertson is still without a contract, and is missing training camp. Without Robertson I don’t see their forward group being able to do a whole lot. But the team has to prepare for the worst case scenario, one in which we don’t see Robertson until December or even worse all season. The situation is very reminiscent of William Nylander in Toronto.
Robertson is going to get a whole lot of money, and for the sake of the league I really hope it’s in Dallas. He’s bringing so much fun to a team that desperately needed it. In the event the Stars don’t get Robertson they’ll need players like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn to return to form. The Stars absolutely need production outside of their first line, and Seguin and Benn are the keys to that. The acquisition of Mason Marchment should be a big help as well.
In net I expect Jake Oettinger to light the world on fire yet again. I’d be really surprised if fans saw anything other than a superstar from him this season. There’s a really good chance he’s even better this year than last.
However, the biggest change going into this season is coaching. Rick Bowness stepped down as Stars head coach and was replaced by Pete DeBoer. Hopefully he can light some fire to the offense and wake them up a bit, more offensive production is a must from Dallas.
Projected Lineup
This is assuming Robertson will be there for the season opener. Source can be found here.
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Joe Pavelski
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Denis Gurianov
Mason Marchment – Radek Faksa – Luke Glendening
Joel Kiviranta – Jacob Peterson – Marian Studenic
Ryan Suter – Miro Heiskanen
Esa Lindell – Nils Lundkvist
Thomas Harley – Jani Hakanpaa
Jake Oettinger
Scott Wedgewood
