Dallas Stars: Comparing Top 5 Forwards Around The NHL

The Dallas Stars will enter the 2015-16 season with a stacked forward position.

On opening night, the Stars top five forwards are projected to be Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp and Cody Eakin. As stated in the headline, the Dallas Stars absolutely loaded at the forward position. The question is, do they have the best core in the NHL?

Let’s statistically compare the Dallas Stars to other teams currently boasting the best forwards in the NHL, specifically focusing on the Tampa Bay Lightning and Anaheim Ducks. We can do this by simply adding up the number of 2014-15 goals, assists, and total points for all top five forwards in the equation.

Benn and Seguin are still growing and have their best years ahead of them.

Before we can do any comparing, we have to first see what the Dallas Stars did last season. Since Patrick Sharp is a new offseason addition, his stats will obviously be taken from his season with the Blackhawks.

Taking that into account, the Stars accumulated these combined totals last season: 124 goals, 185 assists and 309 total points. Below is a list of other contenders around the league with their top 5 forwards and corresponding stat totals for 2014-15:

Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg, Chris Stewart: 102 goals, 134 assists, 236 total points

St. Louis Blues – David Backes, Paul Stastny, Alexander Steen, Vladimir Tarsenko, Troy Brouwer: 124 goals, 160 assists, 284 total points

Tampa Bay Lightning – Steven Stamkos, Ryan Callahan, Ondrej Palat, Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson: 141 goals, 185 assists, 326 total points

New York Rangers – Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, Chris Kreider: 113 goals, 166 assists, 279 total points

Montreal Canadiens – Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais, Brendan Gallagher: 121 goals, 147 assists, 268 total points

Chicago Blackhawks – Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Kris Versteeg, Bryan Bickell: 105 goals, 148 assists, 253 total points

By taking a look at the stats above, one thing is obvious: the Stars have a lethal core of forwards. Out of the contenders above, the Lightning were the only team that had better numbers than the Stars, and they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, which isn’t all that surprising.

For the most part, all of these teams have cores that are very well established. There are a few players here and there (Patrick Sharp, Chris Stewart, Troy Brouwer) that are new to their teams, but almost all of the players above have played with their respective teams for at least a year.

More from Dallas Stars

• Dallas Stars swing long odds in their favor heading into Game 6
• The Dallas Stars, Bon Jovi, and a showdown with Las Vegas (prediction)
• Dallas Stars ‘Kraken skulls’ and moving on to the Conference Final
• Dallas Stars overcoming injuries has been critical in the postseason
• Dallas Stars postseason breakdown: Jason Robertson

Most of these players are leaders and, though some of them are young, they understand the game and their teammates very well. One last thing to consider is average age for each set of five players. Between Benn, Seguin, Spezza, Sharp and Eakin, the Stars have an average age of 27.6. That’s right on course with all of the teams in the Eastern Conference. The Stars have roughly a one year difference on all Western Conference teams.

The good news is, players such as Toews, Kane, Backes, Getzlaf and Perry are either in their prime or past their prime, while Benn and Seguin are still growing and have their best years ahead of them. Though the Stars may not be as experienced as some of these players/groups of forwards, they have extraordinary upside and a balance of talent in their ranks.

The city of Dallas is generally faithful to their sports teams and the Dallas Stars’ fans are no different. They want to see the Stanley Cup back in Dallas more than anything. That is one of the most interesting aspects to consider in all of this. The Stars have a devout fanbase excited about the future, hungry for success, and backing them in whatever they go through.

It’s obvious in the league, and it’s obvious on paper: The Stars are going to improve and rise to the top of the NHL soon. Their talented group of forwards will be something fun to watch in the coming years.

Next: Two Goalies Can Make A Difference For The Stars

More from Sports Dallas Fort-Worth

• West coast, Texas coast, burnt toast: Cowboys don’t need more runs
• Brandin Cooks will change the way defenses play the Dallas Cowboys
• Why the Dallas Cowboys defensive X-Factor is EDGE Sam Williams
• Dallas Cowboys: 3 head coach options if McCarthy fails in 2023
• Dallas Cowboys: Is CB Jourdan Lewis a tradeable asset?