Welcome to Dallas, home of Mike Modano..for 15 seasons.Not often do we see a team drop off as drastically as the Dallas Stars did in transition from their 2007-08 near Stanley Cup berth to their 12th place finish in the Western Conference in 2008-09. Although the losing happens on the ice, the roster and coaching staff simply cannot be held 100 percent responsible for the horrid start the Dallas Stars got to.
By far the biggest addition to the Stars during the free agency frenzy of over-payment of 2008 was Rangers pest and arguably the league's most hated man, Sean Avery. The 29-year old Avery was moving to his fourth team in just seven years in the National Hockey League and was never one to shy away from the cameras.
Known more so for his on-ice antics, fashion-designer aspirations and the now legendary "Avery Rule", Avery was anticipated to bring an added edge to the Stars line-up, an edge that Stars GM Brett Hull felt was needed for the Lone Star State's hockey club. The results were in fact just the opposite as on November 30th would be the last time Avery ever suited up for the Stars.
Prior to a game against the Calgary Flames on the road, Avery gathered reporters around him and mentioned how it had become a "common theme for players to date his sloppy seconds", which was of course referring to Elisha Cuthbert, current girlfriend of Flames defensemen Dion Phaneuf and ex-girlfriend of Sean Avery. The NHL suspended the agitator indefinitely and the Stars ultimately bought out Avery's four year contract.
With a member of Avery on the roster, the Stars were just 8-11-4 and were seemingly disconnected with one another on the ice. Avery's signing ultimately rests on the shoulders of Brett Hull, a former player who was once a teammate of Avery in Detroit. As many Stars players admitted, when Avery departed with the club the team felt united and as if a distraction in their locker room was now gone and they went on to finish with a 36-35-11 record.
Playing a large factor in the downfall of the Stars last season were injuries to key players. Most notably, captain Brendan Morrow was held to just 18 games before his season was cut short due to a torn ACL in his knee. After Morrow, the list got longer and included key players such as Sergei Zubov, Brad Richards and Selke-trophy winner Jere Lehtinen. With the bad, comes the good as these injuries opened the doors for players like James Neal, Loui Eriksson and Matt Niskanen to shine for an injury riddled club.
Going into the 2009 off-season, the Stars realized they were in need of some serious help on the blue line with Zubov unlikely to return and the surging offenses of the Pacific Division.
Stars new General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk wasted no time making his changes to the team one year removed from the Western Conference Finals. For starters, Joe sent coach Dave Tippett packing in favor for Marc Crawford, who last coached the dreadful 2007-08 Los Angeles Kings. Crawford comes into the Stars system with a 470-361-100 record with a Stanley Cup championship to boot.
Considering the presumably healthy line-up in Dallas, the changes to the forwards were not needed direly as they were in both defense and goaltending. On defense, the Stars biggest additions will be Karlis Skrastins and Jeff Woywitka and in net backing up Marty Turco will be journeyman Alex Auld.
Personally, I think the trade for Alex Auld was a great move by the Dallas Stars. His price tag was cheap as he was acquired for the Stars sixth round pick in the 2010 Draft and what he brings to the table for one million dollars is more than a bargain. In no way is that an insult to the goaltending of Marty Turco, but a solid back-up may be exactly what he needs behind him considering his 2008-09 numbers.
For the Stars this past season, Turco played in a career high 74 games and had career worsts in goals against average, save percentage and losses. His final numbers of 33-31-10 indicate that Turco indeed does need a solid and proven NHL back-up to stabilize his workload. Auld seems to fit that bill perfectly as he put together a solid season for the mediocre Senators with his 16-18-7 record and .911 save percentage.
With the Stars healthy and ready to rebound, their opening night line-up looks to be a large improvement from last season's injury plagued squad.
Brendan Morrow - Brad Richards - Loui Eriksson
Mike Ribiero - Mike Modano - Jere Lehtinen
James Neal - Steve Ott - Fabian Brunnstrom
Brian Sutherby - Krys Barch - Toby Petersen
Extra Skater: Tom Wandell
Trevor Daley - Matt Niskanen
Stephane Robidas - Karlis Skrastins
Mark Fistric - Nicklas Grossman
Extra Skater: Jeff Woywitka
Marty Turco
Alex Auld
If, emphasize the if, this team can stay healthy they will be back in the playoff picture and playing more than just 82 games this season. Look for Crawford to really light a fire under this team like he during his Colorado days.
Players To Watch: A player to watch for certain is defensemen Trevor Daley. He's seemingly becoming better and better with every additional year in Dallas. With Zubov in the KHL, Daley has officially become the Stars number one defensemen and will be expected to up his point total from the year before. Another player to watch will be Loui Eriksson, the 24 year old Swede is coming off a 63 point season, doubling his total from the year before. Eriksson will without question be defended against with more awareness of his skills following that 36 goal performance. Can he produce those stats again or was he just a beneficiary of a role bigger than his talent.
Prediction: 3rd in Pacific Division. 8th in Western Conference.
No comments:
Post a Comment