Stars Season Preview: Championship trio has Dallas primed for playoff push
No one ever doubted that the Dallas Stars had skill, but they lacked experience.
After missing the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years, general manager Jim Nill used the team's cap flexibility to add a trio of players with Stanley Cup championships on their resumes.
Nill acquired Patrick Sharp in a four-player trade with the Chicago Blackhawks and signed former Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya in free agency. The duo won two Cups together following Sharp's first title in 2010.
The Stars also landed the rights to goaltender Antti Niemi in a draft-day swap with the San Jose Sharks, signing him to a three-year deal two days later. Niemi won the Cup with Sharp and the Blackhawks five summers ago.
The GM said earlier this month he isn't worried about essentially having two starting netminders, with goaltending duties split between Niemi and incumbent starter Kari Lehtonen.
The Stars already boast the league's reigning Art Ross Trophy winner, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin, who ranked fifth in the NHL in goals (37) and seventh in points (77) last season. Jason Spezza is no slouch either, notching 62 points in his first campaign as the Stars' second-line center after spending parts of 11 seasons with the Ottawa Senators.
Benn and winger Ales Hemsky are both expected to be ready for the start of the regular season after undergoing respective hip surgeries.
Scoring was never Dallas' problem. The Stars netted 3.13 goals per game in 2014-15, the second-best average in the NHL. However, they also allowed 3.13 goals per contest, which tied them with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the fourth-worst mark in the league.
Nill signed defenseman John Klingberg to a seven-year extension in April after the 23-year-old blue-liner collected 40 points as a rookie.
The Stars are relatively healthy and now have depth in all three facets of the game. Dallas should challenge for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference after missing out by five points a season ago.
Projected Depth Chart
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Jamie Benn | Tyler Seguin | Patrick Sharp |
| Valeri Nichushkin | Jason Spezza | Ales Hemsky |
| Antoine Roussel | Cody Eakin | Patrick Eaves |
| Travis Moen | Colton Sceviour | Vernon Fiddler |
| Curtis McKenzie |
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Alex Goligoski | John Klingberg |
| Johnny Oduya | Jason Demers |
| Jordie Benn | Jyrki Jokipakka |
| Jamie Oleksiak |
| G |
|---|
| Kari Lehtonen |
| Antti Niemi |
X-Factor
What the Stars get out of Sharp will go a long way in determining whether they return to the playoffs after a one-year absence or miss out on the postseason for the second straight campaign.
Sharp's point total last season (43) was his lowest since 2008-09, and his goal total (16) was his lowest since 2005-06, excluding the 2012-13 campaign when he was limited to 28 games.
The 33-year-old forward won three Stanley Cup championships with the Blackhawks, hitting the 30-goal plateau four times and besting the 20-goal mark seven times.
Sharp could be invigorated by the change of scenery after parts of 10 seasons in Chicago, but it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank.
Player to Watch
Valeri Nichushkin scored 14 goals in his rookie campaign back in 2013-14, but a hip injury limited him to eight games last season.
The 20-year-old winger is finally pain-free and could have an immediate impact playing in the Stars' top six.
Nichushkin will see plenty of scoring opportunities, whether he lines up as the left winger on the second line or the right winger on the top line, and should excel playing with the Stars' dynamic collection of playmakers.