The Dallas Stars had a decent season last year in the National Hockey League standings, finishing fifth in the Central Division and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, but the early 4-2 series loss to the Anaheim Ducks, might have been a huge wake-up call to the team’s management. The team is hungry for another return to the playoffs and many Stars fans and local media seem to be pleased with the progression of the club under new team owner Tom Gaglardi.
Gaglardi, who is a Vancouver businessman and owner of the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers, purchased the Dallas Stars officially on November 18,2011 after the approval of the NHL Board of Governors. On September 13, 2011 lenders voted to agree to have the Stars file for bankruptcy and sold at auction, where Gaglardi’s bid was the only one submitted, therefore setting the stage for him to be the new owner.
With the assets of new ownership, General Manager Jim Nill was able to make some deals that the man he replaced in the GM chair, Joe Nieuwendyk, could not make due to the team’s previous owner’s finances. Nill’s first big trade was to shore up the Stars defense by trading the sixth pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft to the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Sergei Gonchar. Gonchar would then sign a two-year, $10 million deal. Gonchar is a serviceable, steady defenseman and, when healthy, has the potential to be a double-digit goalscorer, while contributing 30 assists a season.
On July 4, 2013 Nill and the Stars would make a blockbuster trade with the Boston Bruins, sending longtime Stars forward Loui Eriksson, prospect forwards Reilly Smith and Matt Fraser, and defensive prospect Joe Morrow, to Boston for 2010 second overall pick forward Tyler Seguin, veteran forward Rich Peverley, and prospect defenseman Ryan Button. Adding Seguin to a roster that already had young, up-coming players like Jamie Benn, Ryan Garbutt, and Valeri Nichushkin would prove to be masterful.
The Seguin and Benn show in Dallas did not disappoint, as the two had career years on the scoresheet with Benn posting 34 goals, and 45 assists, while Seguin contributed 37 goals, and 47 assists in his first season as a Star. Both players were also in the top ten in NHL scoring during the regular season.
The Stars finished the 2013-14 season with 40 wins, 31 loses, and 91 points, going 23-11-7 at American Airlines Center, and 17-20-4 on the road. Dallas was a surprising tenth in the NHL in team scoring with 231 goals during the regular season, with 159 of those goals coming via even-strength.
With all the new faces, and after many steps moving forward, the Stars still needed more depth to be a top team in the Western Conference’s Central Division for this upcoming season. On July 1, 2014, Nill pulled the trigger on another trade, acquiring veteran forward Jason Spezza, and prospect forward Ludwig Karlsson from Ottawa, in exchange for Stars forward Alex Chiasson, prospects Nick Paul and Alex Guptill, and a second round selection in the 2015 NHL Draft.
After being named the Senators captain last season, it became known to Ottawa General Manager Bryan Murray that Spezza was no longer happy playing in the Canadian capitol and requested a trade. One trade rumor that was heard at the 2014 NHL Draft in Philadelphia was that the Ottawa Senators had made a deal to send Spezza to the Nashville Predators and was said to be negotiated by Senators GM Murray, but later found that Nashville was one of the teams that Spezza had on his limited “no-trade” clause. In Spezza’s career in Ottawa, he has 251 goals, and 436 assists, appearing in 686 total games, all with the Senators.
Another new face on the Stars team this season – also a former Ottawa Senators forward from last season – is Ales Hemsky. Hemskey, a long time Edmonton Oiler, was traded to the Senators on March 5, 2014 for draft picks, and made quite an impression playing on a line with Spezza. However, in 75 games between the Oilers and the Senators last year Hemsky only posted 13 goals and 30 assists.
Journeyman goaltender Anders Lindback has also joined the Stars over this past summer, assuming the role of back-up to starter Kari Lehtonen. This signing is more or less a “cap friendly” move and probably gives more time for goaltending prospect Jack Campbell to develop in the American Hockey League.
Prospect goaltender Cristopher Nilstorp left for the Swedish Hockey League, signing a two-year contract with the Vaxjo Lakers on June 23, 2014. Nilstorp, a longtime Stars prospect, could not secure an NHL roster spot last year and was sent down, but helped the club’s AHL affiliate Texas Stars win the franchise’s first Calder Cup in the 2013-14 season.
With the additions and subtractions throughout the Stars organization, and the way Director of Amateur Scouting Joe McDonnell and staff have selected players through the draft over the years, like young future Stars Brett Ritchie, Brett Pollock, Curtis McKenzie, Radek Faksa, or John Klingberg, the Stars have a considerable amount of depth throughout the organization to bring up players from the AHL to fill roster spots that may become available when seven current Stars hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
I believe that the Dallas Stars will be back in the playoffs after this upcoming season, and if Nill can continue to find the pieces to put together a solid line-up, the team could very well be a team to be reckoned with year after year. The question moving forward in rebuilding this Stars team is, can they be competitive with teams in the Western Conference like the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, and the St. Louis Blues?
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