Dallas Stars: 3 things we learned from their 2021 season

What we learned from the Dallas Stars No. 2

The Captains are Not Done Yet

Captain America, Joe Pavelski, had a tough first season in Dallas last year after ending his long tenure with the San Jose Sharks. He scored only 14 goals in the 67 games before the stoppage in 2019-2020 and did not seem as comfortable as he was with his former team.

Once the Stars got into the Edmonton bubble, however, it was a different story. Pavelski scored 13 goals in the 27 games on their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Many of his goals came in key moments as he tied games late and found a way to help the Stars win.

This season, he picked up right where he left off. With seven goals in the first seven games of the season, he was on pace to top any of his previous years’ production. The 36-year-old played in every game and ended the season with 25 goals and 26 assists leaving him just five points short of being a point-per-game player.

Despite the tough season for Dallas, Pavelski never seemed to slow down and was even more dynamic on their power play with 13 power-play goals. If it was not certain that he would be protected in the upcoming Seattle Kraken expansion draft, it seems to be now.

Jamie Benn has been a topic of conversation in the past few years as his offensive production has seen a decline. Last season this became more apparent as he assumed a much larger defensive role in order to give the team the best chance to win.

Many believed that the high-flying Benn who was seen lighting up the scoreboard with his buddy Tyler Seguin, was gone. While his production has not been near what it was in his Art Ross Trophy-winning years, he showed flashes this season of what he can still do.

Beginning on April 1st in Nashville, Benn broke a long slump scoring his first power-play goal of the season. Around this time, he was also moved to center as the injuries continued to pile up for the Stars. He had not played center full time since early in his career but had instant success this time around.

Benn tallied 19 points in the final 22 games of the season including a four-point night against the Carolina Hurricanes.

"“I really enjoyed it, actually,” Benn said. “I just tried to embrace the role of being a centerman. I got more comfortable with it after a few games and I just really liked it.”"

Both he and head coach Rick Bowness liked the move so much that he stayed at center for the remainder of the season and may have found his new position going into next year.