2007 NHL Season Preview - Dallas Stars

As the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Dallas Stars last season in the postseason, a lot of questions surrounded the Stars heading into the new season. Do they really have a team that can compete or are they just fooling themselves with a team just good enough to be good in the regular season? Well, as the league prepares to drop the puck on another season, the Stars are hoping that the former rings true.

They really did not make many changes to this team, but they did lose two key members of this team during the offseason. This Stars team was able to keep up pace for the regular season with the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division but could not continue that performance in the playoffs. Has the offseason changed their fortunes or are they simply overmatched in the Western Conference?

Dallas Stars
2006 Record (W-L-OTL-PTS): 50-25-7-107; 3^rd in Pacific Division
2006 Postseason (if applicable): Lost in Western Conf. Quarters (4-3 to Vancouver)
Coach Name (record w/team): Dave Tippett; 193-89-28 (18 ties, .684)
Key Additions: LW Todd Fedoruk (Philadelphia)
Key Subtractions: D Darryl Sydor (Pittsburgh); LW Ladislav Nagy (Los Angeles); D Jon Klemm (Los Angeles) , C Eric Lindros (retirement?)

Offense: Instead of their postseason goaltending woes, the Stars were offensively inept in their series last season against the Canucks. It does not appear like much really has changed for the Stars. They return basically the same lineup and there still really does not appear to be much punch on this lineup. Only two players (Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen) scored more than 20 goals for them last year.

Modano is still a productive force, but even his numbers tailed off a bit last season. They have a few players that can be contributors, but there really isn't a go-to player in Dallas. Modano did serve as that player in years past, but it looks more and more like he can no longer be counted on to do that for them. Names like Lehtinen, Mike Ribiero, and Jussi Jokinen are just not pure scorers.

They are all playmakers, which really does not bode well for them. They have a roster full of offensive playmakers, but no real scorers. It's not very efficient when you have a team that can put the puck on someone's stick but that person cannot put it consistently in the net. The team really expects more production if Brendan Morrow is truly healthy.

They even get great playmaking from their blue line with both Sergei Zubov and Phillipe Boucher able to make good passes and plays in the offensive end. Again, though, they need someone there who can take the puck and the team on his back and finish. Until then, their offense might get them through the regular season but this team will struggle to score when it gets tighter.
Grade: B-

Defense: For the past decade or so, this team really has been built on tough defense and goaltending. This edition of the Dallas Stars is no different. Their top two defenders, Zubov and Boucher, do not sacrifice any defensive tenacity or awareness to contribute on the offensive end. They are both incredibly solid defenders that rarely find themselves out of position and know how to play the puck.

Their contributions on offense just make them even more dangerous for opposing teams. There is still a lot of veteran presence in the locker room besides those guys; players like Mattias Norstrom, acquired from the Kings at the trading deadline last season, and Nolan Baumgartner.

There is no lack of blue line experience or capability with this team. It will be a chose for players to get by this team; even if one of the defenders does make a mistake, their system covers up for a lot of those mishaps and still stop the opposing team from even getting a good opportunity at the net. This team also does a great job of getting on the ice and taking away lanes from the opposing teams.
Grade: A-

Goaltending: Marty Turco had a spectacular season last year, and did not collapse in the playoffs like most would have expected him to do in the past. Matter of fact, Turco really did his job when it came to keeping the Stars in most of those games against the Canucks during the postseason. Coming into the new season, there is a bit of disappointment with how the team performed but there is a newfound confidence in their goaltender. Turco has proven season after season that he has the ability to stifle opposing teams and 'stand on his head.'

Turco will not make spectacular saves, but he always seems to be in the right position at the right time to make a positive save on a defender. Turco is not the type of goalie to come gliding across the ice to make an incredible save, but he will be in position 99 out of 100 times. If the Stars can improve their offense and get Turco some leads, he has the ability to shut the door and frustrate opponents. Young Mike Smith is a name to watch out for as well; he'll get the occasional spot start but he's talented and can be a future starting netminder for an NHL franchise.
Grade: A

Coaching: Dave Tippett has been the source of much displeasure when it comes to Stars fans. Great regular seasons yet early playoff exits have them reeling as to what to think about their head coach. This teams plays great, yet it loses too many division games, especially against Anaheim and San Jose. He really needs to get his team more consistent against their own division and get them to play with some consistency instead of always feeding off the emotional roller coaster. They can be much more effective that way.
Grade: B

Bold Predictions
Points/Conference Standing: 85-100 pts; middle of the pack (4^th - 8^th in conference)
Team MVP: Sergei Zubov
Prediction Notes: This team will have a tough time dealing with in-division rivals Anaheim and San Jose. Both teams have youth and can throw 4 lines at you. But the Stars are no slouches themselves. They will win a lot of close games with defense and goaltending, but their offense will really need to put up consistent goals for them to make more noise than mere playoff appearances. They want to go deep in the postseason and getting consistent offense from guys like Modano and Morrow will be key.