The Dallas Stars Have Loaded Up To Win Now
By Ben Davila
Rewind to the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks engaged in an opening round tilt that teased a playoff-starved fanbase.
Momentum shifted often in that six-game classic. The Stars looked poised to stretch the series to a seventh game in California, but a late collapse in game six in Dallas sealed their first round ouster.
Nevertheless, Stars fans were still excited about the future. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin were in place. The future looked bright.
And then last season happened.
While the Stars could score with anyone, they gave up goals at a truly alarming rate. The rule at times seemed as such: We’re gonna score five, but we’ll still find a way to give up six.
They did finish the 2014-2015 campaign strongly, as they did in 2013-2014. In the end, though, they fell short in their quest to draw a berth in the tournament for Lord Stanley’s cup.
It’s what made last year’s flop such a kick to the beans. The lack of consistent starting goaltending and an utter embarrassment of back-up goaltending doomed our Victory Green-clad team to also-ran status.
Moves had to be made. The regression this team experienced last year couldn’t be repeated. The flaws that were briefly covered up got exposed again.
Credit GM Jim Nill’s aggressive approach this off-season. The first splash was to bring in Antti Niemi via trade. Ostensibly, the situation between the pipes has been addressed. Niemi’s a proven veteran.
I have heard on local sports talk radio that the Stars now have two starting goaltenders. While this should be good for competition come training camp, it also begs the question of who will be the alpha dog.
As they say in football, if you have two starting quarterbacks, you have no starting quarterback. Head coach Lindy Ruff and the rest of the coaching staff will have their hands full in juggling minutes between Niemi and incumbent, Kari Lehtonen.
Was Kari’s down year an aberration, or was it the beginning of his decline? Will Niemi come in and provide starting-caliber net-minding and push Kari to be better? Only time will tell.
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The biggest splash followed, however, as defenseman and fan-favorite Trevor Daley and third line plugger Ryan Garbutt were dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks for LW Patrick Sharp and blue liner Stephen Johns.
Sharp will immediately step in and provide even more scoring punch to a team that isn’t lacking in that department. To be sure, the possibility of a first-line combo of Sharp, Benn, and Seguin could convince any cynic (read: me) that a return to the playoffs is imminent.
The longer view, though, may center around the acquisition of Johns. There are already rumblings that his addition is no mere add-on. There is speculation that he could be with the big club when the puck drops October 8th versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. Word is, the kid’s a star in the making.
Further complementing the “Blackhawks South” look of the team was the acquisition of defenseman Johnny Oduya. This will only help a Stars team that struggled mightily when it came to limiting the opposition attack.
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So in building from goal on out, on paper, this team is most certainly fortified to win now. What remains to be seen is how the coaching staff blends all of this together.
I have questions about how Lindy Ruff will steer this thing. What created so much optimism going into last season was the team’s speed and ability to score. That fell flat last year with what could reasonably be described as a catastrophic effort on the blue line and in net.
I can probably speak for all puckheads when I say that playoff hockey is as good as it gets. As a fan, when you get a taste of that edge-of-your-seat, I’m-afraid-to-even-get-up-to-pee tension, it’s like a drug. You just want more.
The argument could be made that that falloff fell directly at the feet of the coaching staff. To me, there is no argument. There were too many leaks, and that could–and can–be attributed to a lack of commitment from both coaches and players.
The addition of veteran leadership should help keep everyone accountable, but until the efforts equate to wins, we’re still kind of cheering on a paper champion.
I can probably speak for all puckheads when I say that playoff hockey is as good as it gets. As a fan, when you get a taste of that edge-of-your-seat, I’m-afraid-to-even-get-up-to-pee tension, it’s like a drug. You just want more.
A wise man once said, “Don’t tell me about the pain. Show me the baby.” It’s time for the Stars to live up to this potential we’ve all been told they possess.
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