The Dallas Stars are here to stay, according to Tyler Seguin.
After pacing the Western Conference with 109 points and reaching the second round of the playoffs for the first time in nine years, Seguin feels the club is trending in the right direction, with their best years still to come.
"(It's a) young man’s game now. I'm starting to feel a little bit old turning 25 with all of these changes, but I think our team has been great the last couple years," Seguin said, according to Mark Stepneski of the Inside Edge. "Our window just opened, and I think every team's got kind of that window that opens where you can win a championship, so that part's exciting. Getting a veteran guy like (Dan) Hamhuis, it makes you even more excited for the season to start."
Prior to last season, the Stars made the playoffs just once dating back to the 2008-09 season, when they were knocked off by the Anaheim Ducks in six games in 2013-14.
Now with a stronger nucleus of players - including the addition of Hamhuis - and a better taste of the playoffs, Seguin feels the club is extra hungry to get back and build on its recent playoff appearances.
"You can talk about playoffs all you want, but until you win a game, until you lose a game, until you win a series, until you lose a series, you don't know that taste and what it's like," said Seguin. "That’' the kind of stuff that drives you, gaining that experience. Obviously, a couple years ago we made the playoffs, but when you look at our team, this was the first real run a lot of guys have had, so that's good for us and something we want to build on."
Time will tell if this Stars club will be able to replicate its 1999-00 predecessors who captured the club's lone Stanley Cup.
