2014-2015 Central Division Preview: Dallas Stars

As part of our ongoing coverage of the Minnesota Wild’s division rivals, we bring you a review of the Dallas Stars and their impact on the heated Central Division race.

Remember when the Dallas Stars were the Minnesota North Stars? I remember, and it still brings a tear to my eye. Mike Modano was my hero as a tiny state of hockey resident. In 1993, we lost our beloved green and gold to warmer climates, becoming the Dallas Stars we loathe today.

There isn’t a single team in the Central Division that can’t contend for a playoff spot, and Dallas is no exception. With a fearsome top line and a new-look second line, the Stars stand to be a thorn in the side of the division and the league. The Stars, under head coach Lindy Ruff, have taken an offensive style of play in a division that is stacked on solid defenses. With that, we break down the Dallas Stars and their chances for the 2014-2015 season.

2013-2014 Season Review:

Record: 40-31-11, 91 points, 5th in Central, 8th in Western Conference.

Apr 16, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) during game one of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Power Play: 15.9% (23rd)

Penalty Kill: 81.4% (21st)

Goals For: 231 (10th)

Leading Scorer: Tyler Seguin 84 Points (37G-47A)

Leading goaltender: Kari Lehtonen 2.41 GAA, 0.919 save percentage

40-31-11 in the regular season, The Stars finished off playing well at the American Airlines Center, but were under .500 on the road, with a final record of 17-20-4 for 38 points. They fared well against the Wild, going 2-1-1 (2-0-0 at home.) Lehtonen played well enough to rank 17th in the league for save percentage, but the offense in front did enough work to protect him. 12th in the league overall in even strength Fenwick and offensive zone starts, Dallas was 10th in the league in Goals For.

The Stars finished with 91 points last season, good enough for 8th in the West and earning a first round series against the Anaheim Ducks. Bowing out in 6 hard-fought games, the Stars lost 3 of 4 games by one goal.

Off-season roster moves:

Don’t get me wrong, Chuck Fletcher is great, and easily one of the best things ever to happen to the Wild; however, Dallas’ Jim Nill is also a commendable G.M. Here are his off-season moves.

Key Additions: C Jason Spezza (via trade), RW Ales Hemsky (free agent), G Anders Lindback (free agent), G Jussi Rynnas (free agent), D Julius Honka (draft)

Key Departures: RW Alex Chaisson (trade), LW Ray Whitney (free agency), G Tim Thomas (free agency)

Spezza is easily the biggest addition to the Stars. Their top line of Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Valeri Nichushkin is strong, with Seguin alone accounting for 84 points. Adding Spezza, who has scored at least 50 points in nine seasons, and Hemsky builds a second line. Hemsky has chemistry with Spezza and is an adequate replacement for Chaisson, who was sent to Ottawa with a few prospects for Spezza. Spezza is also in a contract year, so I expect to see quite a bit from him if he stays healthy.

Tim Thomas departed in free agency and remains unsigned. Lindback and Rynnas will compete for #2 goalie time, with Lindback taking the edge at the moment as the Stars have cleared Rynnas through waivers and sent him to their AHL affiliate, but neither are proven. Rich Peverley remains a huge question mark on the season for the Dallas Stars. He still hasn’t been cleared to skate and is recovering from cardiac arrest suffered during a game last season. The fact that Peverley returned to his baseline mental status alone is impressive, less than 5% of people nationally regain a pulse after such an event. My guess is he goes on long-term injured reserve to start the season. Don’t completely rule out Peverley for the back half of the season, though.

Two reasons the Stars make the playoffs:

1) Offense: The Stars already had great offense from their first line. Adding Spezza and Hemsky will help, with Spezza a proven scorer and power play threat. It’s hard to believe that their top line is composed of players that are all under 26-years-old, so the upside is tremendous.

2) Depth: Dallas’ top farm team, the Texas Stars of the AHL, will enter the 2014-2015 season as defending AHL champions. Julius Honka, the Star’s top draft pick in 2014 will join the Stars as their youngest player. Highly touted goalie prospect Jack Campbell and defenseman Jamie Oleksiak are just two of the prospects that could step in to a NHL role as needed this season. After re-signing Brenden Dillon earlier this week, the Stars will enter the season with all their restricted free agents signed.

Two reasons the Stars miss the playoffs:

1) Special teams: The Stars special teams leads something to be desired. Ranking 23rd on the power play last season, they’ll need to improve with the man advantage. Spezza should help, and Nichushkin strikes me as someone who will grow in to his role. After all, the Russian winger is only 19. The penalty kill wasn’t much better, ranking 21st last season.

2) Defense: It’s no secret that the Stars are thin on defense. Alex Goligoski, Trevor Daley, Brenden Dillon, and Jordie Benn are the presumptive top-4 defenders entering the 2014-2015 season. Daley and Goligoski are both on the wrong side of 28-years-old. Jordie Benn and Dillon are both young with room to grow. Interestingly, all four are left-handed shots. Their depth at defense is okay, but the blue line as a whole leaves a lot to be desired. Goligoski was the only defenseman to crack 40 points (6G-36A=41). One of the biggest stories during free agency was whether the Stars would add a big defenseman with a right-handed shot. They didn’t add any NHL-ready defenseman. Now, 3rd pair D-man Sergei Gonchar is out with an ankle injury, leaving them to using youngsters Oleksiak, Patrick Nemeth, or Kevin Connauton to fill the void. Connauton has the most NHL experience with just under 40 games.

How the Minnesota Wild stack up against the Dallas Stars in 2014-2015

Jan 21, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Minnesota Wild right wing Nino Niederreiter (22) skates against the Dallas Stars during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Stars shut out the Wild 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota has done much to improve this off-season, including bolstering their blue line and adding speed all around. Don’t be surprised to see chippy, fast paced games between two young teams out to prove their worth for the 2014-2015 season. The Wild play the Stars 5 times in the regular season. Much like last year, each of these games is crucial for the playoff race. If the Wild can exploit the defensive corps of Dallas and avoid getting caught in races with their speedy top two lines, they stand a good chance of sneaking away a few wins

Minnesota Wild vs Dallas Stars 2014-2015 (all times central)

Stars at Wild 11/01/2014, 7:00 P.M.

Wild at Stars 11/15/2014, 1:00 P.M.

Wild at Stars 11/28/2014, 7:30 P.M.

Wild at Stars 01/03/2015, 7:00 P.M.

Stars at Wild 02/22/2015, 7:00 P.M.

My Prediction for the Dallas Stars 2014-2015 season

46-30-6= 98 Points, 4th in Central, 7th in West.

What do you think, Wild fans? How do our Wild match up against the Stars? Will the Wild take a higher playoff seed than the stars? Let us know in the comments below!

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