Stars Mailbag: Excitement Builds

Apr 27, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski (33) checks Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) during the third period in game six of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Good afternoon Stars fans! It has been a couple of weeks since we have had a mailbag and there has been no shortage of noteworthy news surrounding the Dallas Stars.

July 1^st turned out to be a massive step forward for the franchise when GM Jim Nill acquired superstar Jason Spezza, crafty winger Ales Hemsky, and goaltender Anders Lindback. Nill continued on his signing spree when he inked veteran centre, Vernon Fiddler, to a two-year contract.

The Stars find themselves in fairly unfamiliar territory. They have not been a team that has been talked about much in the offseason for a couple of years. All of a sudden, the national media is taking notice of what is going on down in Big D. The Stars are once again, being dubbed “contenders”. Oh, how sweet it is!

Whether you are a newly formed Stars fan or a fan for the past decade, here are some answers to fan questions that will help you better understand what lies ahead for the team.

What can we expect from the Stars defence this season?
-Sheri

Thanks for the question Sheri. The Stars defence will be a huge question mark heading into the 2014-2015 season. On paper, many people expect the Stars to be set at the forward and goaltending positions, but not at defence. Last season the Stars defence showed flashes of brilliance that made you think they could handle the big and tough forwards of the Western Conference, while on other nights they made you want to put a bag over your head. I strongly believe if the Stars defence is something we are simply not talking about, it is a good thing. The entire defensive corps will be returning, minus Aaron Rome, so the cohesion and familiarity of playing with one another should be there. The top pairing of Alex Goligoski and Trevor Daley were excellent the last half of the season and into the playoffs. They should be expected to put together another steady campaign this season. I have also been told by many fans and analysts of Eastern Conference teams that it usually takes Sergei Gonchar at least one season to adjust to a new team. If this holds true, expect a much better season from the veteran defender. Brenden Dillon will most likely be Brenden Dillon. A rugged, hard to play against defender, who is as consistent as they come. After those four defenceman then comes the battle for the last pairing. The last couple spots on defence are likely to be fought for amongst Jamie Oleksiak, Patrik Nemeth, Jyrri Jokkipakka, John Klingberg and Kevin Connauton. I give my inside edge to Nemeth and Connauton, while the other defenders will continue to develop down in Texas. With increased ice time I really think we could see Connauton have a breakout season. He is a great skater, with an elephant gun of a shot from the point. With increased playing time, I think he could be a sexy sleeper pick to breakout this season. Nemeth is like the aforementioned Dillon. The young kid from Sweden is a simple, consistent defender. He impressed mightily last season and is sure to get a crack on opening night in 2014-2015.

What facet of the Stars game is going to have to improve most for them to take the “next step”?
-Bill

Thanks for writing in Bill! I believe the biggest improvement the Dallas Stars need to make in order to take the “next step” is their powerplay and goaltending. Nill went out and directly addressed their need for a better powerplay when he signed Spezza and Hemsky. The Stars will run out one of the most dangerous units in the league on the man advantage this season. With the skill of Benn, Seguin, and Spezza on the ice together at times, the Stars powerplay must be powerful for them to continue progressing from the success of a season ago.

Although many Stars fans do not see goaltending as an issue, the bottomline is that it will need to be better. For the past couple of seasons, backup goaltending has been absolutely atrocious for the Stars. You might even say they have not had a consistent backstop behind their No.1 since Mike Smith backed up Marty Turco. As of recently, goaltenders Dan Ellis, Tim Thomas, and Andrew Raycorft have not played well enough to afford starting goaltender Kari Lehtonen time off. With the addition of Anders Lindback, the Stars hope they have found the answer to their backup goaltending woes. If Lindback is able to come in and play well enough that Lehtonen is held to under 58 starts, I think we will see a much better Lehtonen come playoff time.

During Steve Ott’s time in Dallas he was a fan favourite for a number of reasons. Anyway Nill brings him back?
-Doug

Thanks for the question Doug. Unfortunately for you, I see no way that GM Jim Nill brings fan favourite Steve Ott back. If there was ever a chance that Ott may return, it vanished as soon as Vern Fiddler signed last week. With Fiddler now signed, the Stars have a log jam of forwards in their bottom six. Adding Ott would only increase the complexity of that log jam.

That is all the time for now Stars fans! Thanks for another great round of questions. I look forward to answering some more next week! Remember to leave comments or questions below in the comment section or tweet us @BlackoutDallas