The Dallas Stars are coming off a disappointing season in which they fell fall short of expectations. Heading into last season, the Stars were expected to be a Stanley Cup contender. Remember that in the 2015-16 season, the Stars were one of the best teams in the NHL. They finished atop the Western Conference with 109 points and were the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. They won 50 games and scored 267 goals. And then the wheels came off last season.
One year after ranking among the best teams in the NHL in the regular season, Dallas failed to make the playoffs as the 11th seed in the Western Conference. Their offensive output fell to just 223 goals, which is a significant drop-off. They also allowed nearly half a goal per game more year over year.
The Stars made a number of key changes in the offseason with the hope that they can turn things around and make a return to the playoffs in 2017-18.
How They Finished Last Season
One year after registering the most wins in the Western Conference with 50, the Stars regressed to just 34 wins last season. Dallas dropped from the top seed in the conference with 109 points to the 11th seed with just 79 points. The Stars couldn’t keep the puck out of their own net as they allowed 3.2 goals per game, which was the second-worst mark in the NHL. Dallas is capable of scoring goals in bunches. It won’t matter nearly as much if they can’t keep the puck out of their own net.
What Changed In The Offseason
Rather than overpaying for a top free agent defenseman, the Stars doubled down on offense when they signed Alexander Radulov and Martin Hanzal. Radulov is slotted to play on the top line with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin while Hanzal could center a second line that would feature Jason Spezza on the wing. The biggest chance in Dallas could be the addition of Ben Bishop, who could provide the type of above average goaltending that this team so desperately needs. This team has been trying to get the job done with Kari Lehtonen for years and it simply hasn’t worked. He had a 2.85 goals-against average last year and hasn’t had a save percentage above .906 in three years.
While Bishop has been an excellent goaltender at times for Tampa Bay, he is coming off a couple of rough seasons. That’s what made him expendable. Bishop had a 2.55 GAA last season, which was his worst in six seasons. He also had a 2.48 GAA in the 2015-16 season, which is sub par. Worse yet, he’s going from the Lightning, which had a decent blue line to the Stars, who have one of the weaker defensive corps in the NHL. That could be a problem. Beyond that, the Stars failed to upgrade their blue line in the offseason, so they will once again rely on a talented but inexperienced young group. Bishop is an upgrade over Lehtonen but it might not make much of a difference if the guys in front of him don’t help him out.
Most Valuable Fantasy Hockey Asset
Jamie Benn is coming off a down year by his standards but should bounce back. Meanwhile, Radulov’s production could see a significant boost after moving from Montreal to Dallas. The most valuable fantasy hockey asset on this team remains Seguin, who registered a team-high 72 points in 82 games last season. Seguin scored 26 goals and was particularly dominant with the man advantage as he produced 29 powerplay points. Seguin is still just 25-years-old so he is entering the prime of his career.
Regular Season Win Total Outlook
The Stars underachieved a year ago after likely overachieving the year before. Their projection for this season likely falls somewhere in between. Dallas won’t record 50 wins but they should also produce more than the 34 wins they finished with last season. With even more firepower up front and an improvement in between the pipes with Bishop, the Stars should be able to record at least 44 wins and make a return to the postseason in 2017-18.
Pick: Over 43.5 Wins
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