Pioneer Trail – Dallas Stars 2018-19 Season Preview

Tom Dorsa — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 19:05:38 +0000

Review/State of Play - When you close your eyes and think of the Dallas Stars, you imagine this fast, creative, and dynamic team running the wheels off of their competition with high-end talent and energy all throughout the lineup. This was their identity as the team with the best record in the Western Conference in the 2015-16 regular season, a run that took them to game seven of the Stanley Cup Playoffs' second round before eventually falling to St. Louis.

After former head coach Lindy Ruff lost the locker room and was dismissed following a disappointing 2016-17 campaign, the hiring of Ken Hitchcock completely reversed this identity. Hitchcock, an older, more conservative coach, committed to an outdated approach that changed the Stars from a speedy, risk vs reward team to a classic, old-school, defense-first club.

The results were, well, as expected. The hiring of Hitchcock turned the squad upside down and way behind the times, culminating in Dallas' second consecutive season outside of the postseason. In fact, within their so-called competitive window, the Stars have qualified for the playoffs just twice, and winning only one series, a first-round bout against Minnesota. So what can this club do?

Jamie Benn

New coach, new approach - With former Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Benn, 40-goal scorer Tyler Seguin, skilled 70-point winger Alexander Radulov, and two-way All-Star defenseman John Klingberg, the Stars have a team with as much top-end talent as nearly any other club in the league. As they exist in the prime years of their respective careers, there is no time to waste for anyone involved.

Enter Jim Nill. Throughout his tenure as Dallas Stars general manager, Nill has been touted as the official champion of the offseason. From fleecing his fellow GMs in lopsided trades, to making shrewd free agent signings that immediately upgrade his team's depth chart at all positions, Nill is never afraid to make headlines. It was clear the king of the summer in the NHL had some work to do, and at this point in his career, it's put up or shut up for Nill.

The first big splash he made this offseason was the hiring of University of Denver's Jim Montgomery, a first-time NHL bench boss, to man the job as head coach. Montgomery vows to reignite the energetic, speedy Stars clubs that were successful in the earlier parts of the decade, starting from the top to the bottom and arranging lines based almost solely on generating scoring chances. The former Stars player did such so effectively at Denver that the transition to the NHL should be a breeze for the 2017 NCAA Division I coach of the year.

Depth built to support high end talent - Nill also addressed perhaps the biggest hole the team had entering the free agent period: depth scoring. In bringing former first-round pick Valeri Nichushkin back from the KHL, Nill gets a physical, skilled right winger for a depth chart light on such, and also inked speedy third-liner Blake Comeau to a three-year contract. Depth scoring was a glaring statistical issue for last season's Stars; after Benn (79), Seguin (78), Radulov (72), and Klingberg (67), otherwise referred to as the big four, the next-highest scorer on the squad was 34-point wing Mattias Janmark.

With depth scoring being shored up, the team looks much more competitive, especially given the ultra stout defensive core. For the first time in ages, the Stars' defense looks like more of a strongsuit than a weakness, with Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Julius Honka, and super prospect Miro Heiskanen -- all defensemen capable of being a number-one d-man -- competing for top-four spots on the blueline.

Outlook - The Stars franchise was on an international spotlight when they hosted the NHL Draft at American Airlines Center in June. Now, they hope to gain attention from success, and have people flocking to AAC again, this time for playoff hockey.

Waiver Wire: Hot or Not

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 03:28:05 +0000

Last week the waiver wire focused on players who were ridding hot streaks, and if you were quick to react you probably had a good week from guys like Kris Versteeg and even Ales Hemsky got on the board. While Versteeg looks like he will continue to perform, Hemsky (As I cautioned) probably will not.

This week I will look at players who are the unheralded stars this season; Players who are not super stars, but are having tremendous seasons. These players may be riding hot streaks, but have been steady producers for the first half and can offer good value throughout the balance of the season. Hot or not, these players are worthy of a waiver wire addition.

Matt Beleskey, Anaheim Ducks – 59% Fantrax Owned

Anaheim has tried several different options on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, from Dany Heatley to Rene Bourque. But for the past few games the job has gone to Beleskey who now has 14 points in 27 games but with a whopping 12 goals (12^th overall in NHL) He has proven to be a capable scorer on any line, but if he can stick on the top line look out!

Antti Raanta, Chicago Blackhawks – 55% Fantrax Owned

With the timing of the Hawks heating up, and Corey Crawford going down with an injury, now is the time to add Raanta to your roster. Earlier there was some question if perhaps John Darling could steal the backup role, but Raanta has performed well posting a 4-2-2 record with a 1.77 GAA and a .947 save%

Zemgus Girgensons, Buffalo Sabres – 55% Fantrax Owned

If you are in a roto league, this guys is a beast! In 25 games he has a nice point total of eight goals and six assists. But where it gets really impressive is he is a plus -6 on the Sabres and has a short-handed goal and 57 hits, 24 blocked shots and 161 faceoff wins. Bottom line is he produces in almost every category, has an affordable cap hit, his Coach loves him and he is now the number one centre on his team.

Blake Comeau, Pittsburgh Penguins – 55% Fantrax Owned

Comeau has turned into somewhat of a journeyman in the last few years but there have always been signs of potential with him. Perhaps he has finally found his home in Pittsburgh as he has 15 points in 23 games this season including five points in his last four games with a hat trick against the Leafs back on Nov 26^th. With a few recent injuries in Pittsburgh, Comeau finds himself on the second line with Evgeni Malkin so the immediate future looks even brighter.

Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres – 53% Fantrax Owned

While his overall stats are not overwhelming at 3.21 GAA and a .914 save% the Sabres have been red hot lately and Enroth is a big reason why. He has established himself as the incumbent in goal with his recent performance winning six of his last seven starts. Hot streak or not, Enroth is Buffalos number one goalie.

Mike Santorelli, Toronto Maple Leafs – 27% Fantrax Owned

Santorelli is red hot right now riding a five game point streak in which he has a goal and eight assists over that span. His role with the Leafs continues to grow as he has the Coach’s confidence and he is seeing time with the like of Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul on the second line. Santorelli may be producing at such a high rate at the moment that he will not be able to maintain, but his entire season has been productive as he has 18 points in 25 games now. Even after he cools off he should still have fantasy value in most leagues.

Blake Comeau – McKeen's Hockey

Pioneer Trail – Dallas Stars 2018-19 Season Preview

Waiver Wire: Hot or Not