After an epic collapse that kept the Dallas Stars out of the postseason, a busy summer has them geared up and ready for a Stanley Cup run.
Last season, the Dallas Stars suffered one of the biggest collapses in NHL history. After beating the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 9, the Stars had an impressive 33-19-4 record. They literally had a 99 percent chance of making the playoffs. The Stars went 9-13-4 after that, led by an eight-game losing streak. They missed the postseason by three points.
This led to an offseason of changes, starting behind the bench. Head coach Ken Hitchcock stepped down, taking an advisory role with the franchise. To replace him, the Stars hired Jim Montgomery from Denver University.
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Dallas choked last season because they relied far too heavily on their top three forwards and top defenseman. John Klingberg had 67 points, good for fourth on the team. He had nearly double the points of Mattias Janmark, who was fifth with 34.
Offseason Recap
Additions: F Blake Comeau, G Anton Khudobin, D Roman Polak, F Erik Condra, F Valeri Nichushkin, F Michael Mersch, D Miro Heiskanen
Departures: D Dan Hamhuis, G Kari Lehtonen, G Mike McKenna, F Curtis McKenzie, D Greg Pateryn, F Antoine Roussel
Re-signings: F Mattias Janmark, F Devin Shore, D Stephen Johns, F Gemel Smith, F Jason Dickinson, D Dillon Heatherington, F Remi Ellie
The Stars addressed their scoring by bringing back Nichushkin, who was previously in the KHL, and signing Comeau, a versatile top-nine forward. Khudobin gives them an upgrade in net, as he’s better than Lehtonen. He could step in as the starter if when starting goalie Ben Bishop gets injured.
Polak gives them a third pairing option who can kill penalties, but hopefully, he won’t steal playing time from any of their young defensemen who deserve a chance. Condra and Mersch are decent depth forwards, with the former having as a niche as a penalty killer.
Hamhuis and Pateryn will be missed, but on the bright side, their departures open up some opportunities for some potentially better defensemen.