Following your Star

[yave1964]

My take on the 2013-14 Dallas Stars

Like the Calgary Flames the Dallas Stars have been duking it out and losing the final playoff spot in the West for the last half dozen years or better, occasionally sneaking in and getting knocked out in the first round, more often than not falling short.

Well the Flames blew up their roster and now don't have a dozen real NHLers on the entire roster, Dallas brought in long time Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill and went a different route.

First move was a bit of a surprise, doing a pre draft trade for Sergei Gonchar who still has a cannon from the point and signed him to a two year ten million dollar contract to stabilize a young uninspiring blue line.

Nill searched far and wide for a coach and instead of one of the young whiz kids he went with veteran coach Lindy Ruff, a surprise pick but the twelfth most wins of any coach ever who sys he will preach puck possession this year to the club and says ice time will be dictated by effort.

Then the biggie. A HUGE deal with the Bruins, trading long time winger Loui Eriksson to the Bruins for Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverly, two members of the Bruins club that has made the finals twice in four years. Seguin is known for his upside but comes with warts of his own.

Then in free agency the Stars added Dan Ellis to provide a veteran backup for Lehtonen in goal. Veteran faceoff and special team man Vern Fiddler came aboard. Then in a salary dump from the Oilers Shawn Horcoff the Oilers long time captain came over for a bag of used pucks.

Then in the draft Russian forward Valeri Nicushkin who has declared his desire to play all year in the NHL and was looked at as a possible top five pick fell into their lap at tenth. Nill has made it clear that he plans on keeping him on his roster all year as long as he earns it.

Last year Alex Chiasson and Jamie Olekiak established themselves for this season. I haven't even gotten to veteran holdovers like Ray Whitney and superstar in waiting Jamie Benn and solid Cody Eakin who came over last year for Mike Ribiero and proved he can play.

This club has a solid bunch of forwards, Benn and Seguin are the Stars Whitney and Cole are solid carryovers, Horcoff and Eakin likely round out the top six with a mix of solid kids demanding playing time and veterans like Peverly who pay a role and do it well. The forward lines are playoff caliber.

Sadly, the defense is not. Oleksiak is a monster on the back line, Gonchar can fire the puck, Goligoski has talent and Dillon has established himself as a top four with a chance to move into a top pair eventually. Veteran holdovers Daley and Robidas round out an uninspiring group.

Lehtonen is high save percentage goalie who has never won anything and question marks abound. IMHO he is not a winning goaltender, never has been and never will be and will hav to be replaced eventually for this club to go anywhere.

This is a team that missed the playoffs by a couple of points last year. They are improved, Nill has placed his stamp on this club. Acquiring Gonchar didn't fill the lack of talent on the blue line but will help the power play and few better d-men were moved in the offseason so he was a smart aggressive pickup. If Seguin meshes with Jamie Benn this team will be around the fringe of the playoffs and might make it. If not, forget it. Lehtonen is not the type to carry a club, they will have to carry him. I see them as improved and in a division where only Chicago and the Blues look like locks the Stars will be in the mix with the Wild and Predators for the bottom two spots.