Offseason upheaval has already begun for the Dallas Stars

Well, it’s been a week, and most of the ink has dried in regards to epitaphs for the Dallas Stars. They bowed out in seven games against a superior Calgary Flames’ squad, and within a matter of a few days, the anti-Rick Bowness faction got their wish when he announced he would be stepping away as Stars’ bench boss.

More specifically with Bowness, his contract was up at the end of the season anyway. His announced departure was likely a face-saving measure instead of the front office saying he wouldn’t have his contract renewed. Furthermore, if he did have time left on his deal, the likelihood of him returning was small, and that’s probably being gracious.

If you’re realistic, the Dallas Stars dragged themselves to a successful year.

I’m having a hard time recalling a coach that drew the ire of the fans the way Bowness did. To hear a lot of them talk, he was this clueless doofus maniacally gesturing behind the Stars’ bench, oblivious to a talent-laden roster sitting right in front of him.

Me? I’m more of the opinion that Bowness and his now mostly departed staff (assistant coaches John Stevens, Derek Laxdal and Todd Nelson are not returning either) drew every ounce they could from this particular Dallas team. Despite riding one scoring line all year, the Stars made a decent case to upset their way into the second round. Only a barrage of Calgary shots toppled them in the end.

Of course, the out-of-his-mind goaltending from Jake Oettinger helped. But let’s examine the rest of the team for a moment. It’s in a weird spot. I think some of the fans still consider the current iteration to be an elite roster, which is definitely part of the reason Bowness raised their dander so much. But in reality, it’s a group that is bridging the gap between the past and future.

And boy, did we all have plans for the past, didn’t we? The Stars were going to ride Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin into the sunset with untold postseason laurels and at least a Stanley Cup or two. But despite a couple of dalliances with it, The Stars only recently caught their postseason stride in regards to simply qualifying for the playoffs to begin with.

This is not an indictment on Benn or Seguin. Both were fantastic soldiers at one point–Benn probably more than Seguin, really–but their bodies started betraying them a few years ago if we’re all being honest with ourselves. Further, the contracts each were given proved to be prohibitive in terms of cap flexibility.

This is especially true in Seguin’s case since he has a full no move clause written into his deal. With his declining production, the prospects of moving that contract are dependent on him waiving that clause, and even less likely, another team being willing to take on that kind of money. Neither is a realistic prospect for an aging center that hasn’t topped 30 goals in four years and has battled an injury bug the whole time.

Then, when it comes to goal production, there is the dead weight the Stars carried around for the whole year. Denis Gurianov seems to have regressed to the mean after being such a factor in the Finals run in the Edmonton bubble. Radek Faksa couldn’t buy a goal. Finally, Alexander Radulov is just a shell of his former self. No knock on him. Father Time simply remains unbeaten.

On the other hand, you have the core for the next contender. Oettinger, defenseman Miro Heiskanen, and forwards Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson are all now proven commodities in the NHL. Also, the farm system is currently stacked with potential goal scoring machines Logan Stankoven, Mavrik Bourque, and Wyatt Johnston, each considered elite prospects in their own right.

Lastly, keep in mind that the Dallas Stars were 13th in the West as late as January 20th. From there, they jumped to the seventh seed and took the second seeded Flames to seven games before finally bowing out. Some of us aren’t willing to admit this, but with this bunch, that’s a successful season by any metric. Now it’s time to get back to the drawing board and find a way to improve.