What Pete DeBoer brings the Dallas Stars as new head coach

It appears as though the wait for the new Dallas Stars‘ head coach is over. Word started trickling out late Sunday evening that the team is going to go with Pete DeBoer as their new bench boss. DeBoer most recently coached the Las Vegas Golden Knights, but had been relieved of his duties upon missing the playoffs.

For his part, DeBoer posted a record of 98-50-12 in his three seasons in Vegas. In terms of playoff success, his high water mark was guiding the Golden Knights to the Western Conference Finals in 2020 before bowing out to the Stars in five games in the Edmonton bubble.

The Dallas Stars will reportedly hire ex-Vegas boss Pete DeBoer as new coach.

Now, while DeBoer certainly brings a solid track record to the table, he also brings an element of the recycled coaching club to the party. He’s been rumored to be the the apple of the Stars’ eye for a while now, so his hiring isn’t exactly a surprise. For a franchise that is looking to continue a string of playoff appearances, this hire is exactly what it sounds like: safe.

Does it resonate with the fans? No, not exactly. A lot of us were hoping the team would’ve gone another direction (i.e. Marc Savard), but we’re also not general managing a professional hockey club either. Barring an absolute catastrophe, the Stars will contend for the postseason again under DeBoer’s tutelage.

As fans, we’re simply going to have to sit back and hope for the best. And like I’ve said before, this roster is in a weird spot. The team is in transition between the Benn/Seguin era to whatever the new era will become known as. Further, there’s the crop of prospects making big waves in the minors that will eventually start filtering in.

Bottom line is General Manager Jim Nill sees DeBoer as the man to usher that era along, and all we can do is wait and see. it’s not exactly the ideal scenario, but it isn’t Ken Hitchcock by any stretch of the imagination.

Further, the young core isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Forwards Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz, defenseman Miro Heiskanen, and goalie Jake Oettinger figure in the long term plans around here. So there is a foundation to build around a team that came within an overtime goal of making the second round of this year’s playoffs.

Fans are also justified with their concerns regarding DeBoer’s questionable treatment of goalies. To that I would say that the situation here is a lot more stable than it was in Vegas. With Oettinger locked into legitimate number one status, I don’t foresee any trouble in regards to how playing time gets divvied up in net.

So while the hire hasn’t been finalized as yet, I would imagine the team will proceed with that formality sooner rather than later. It’s all just another chapter of Dallas Stars‘ drama, and this isn’t our first rodeo. In the meantime, only four months stand between now and the dawn of the DeBoer era in Dallas. Let’s see what he’s got.