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Dallas Stars Projected To Win Central Division In 2015-2016

By Josh Clark

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The Score recently put up an article about hypothetical standings for each division at the end of the 2015-2016 season.

There were clearly a few surprises and some givens. For example, they projected the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks to finish first in their respective divisions. On another hand, they put the reigning Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning in first in the Atlantic Division.

But one thing that came as a bit of a surprise was their predictions of the Central Division. While they kept the Colorado Avalanche pinned in last place where they had finished last season, the rest of the standings saw almost a complete reversal. But the biggest part was that they had the Dallas Stars projected to take the Central Division title.

Here is an excerpt from TheScore.com:

OK, we’re clearly at the “Wait, what?” part of this exercise. The whole Dallas thing. I know, I know.

  1. Dallas Stars
  2. St. Louis Blues
  3. Chicago Blackhawks
  4. Minnesota Wild
  5. Nashville Predators
  6. Winnipeg Jets
  7. Colorado Avalanche

But here’s the way I see it. They’ll have the best line in hockey next year with Tyler Seguin-Jamie Benn-Valeri Nichushkin (only Perron-Crosby-Kessel is close, and I still think I prefer the Dallas trio). Their second line is a whirring blade of talent (Patrick Sharp-Jason Spezza-Ales Hemsky), and their bottom six is a mix of good, tough, and annoying. John Klingberg’s emerging as a legit D-man – is 40 points in 65 games as a 22-year-old rookie blue-liner good? – and Johnny Oduya is coming on board. With the rest of the crew (Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers, Jordie Benn) near career primes and some good young players coming up, I think they’ll be just fine on defense.

Last year they got the league’s second-worst goaltending (.893 save percentage, all told). That seems likely to get better – and the Stars still finished with 41 wins (92 points). This division is going to be crazy tight, but someone has to win every night. Looking at the rosters of the contending teams below, I’m just not sure I prefer any of them.

So, eff it. Dallas takes the Central.

While this makes sense considering the almost unreal offseason the Stars recently went through, we’ve been fooled before. Last year, there were people going as far as protecting the Stars to win the Stanley Cup. Instead, they ended their 82-game slate seven points out of a playoff spot.

So, there is necessary caution, even if the Dallas Stars truly improved in every aspect of their game. Adding key veterans on offense, defense, and goaltending were necessary actions, and GM Jim Nill made sure to do them in the least excruciating of ways. Now with two years under his belt as GM, Nill has transformed the Dallas Stars into a seemingly elite and unstoppable force.

Just as a refresher, here is the standings from the 2014-2015 season in the Central Division:

1. St. Louis Blues

2. Nashville Predators

3. Chicago Blackhawks

4. Minnesota Wild

5. Winnipeg Jets

6. Dallas Stars

7. Colorado Avalanche

Not a pretty sight, but the past is the past. It may still sting, but that is the case with trial and error. It’s time to start another trial. Let’s hope they don’t run into another error.

But the only thing that is consistent is change, and the Dallas Stars have a lot of good, potential change in their corner. All they need to do is use it. It would be quite the hop, but if you remember correctly, the Nashville Predators finished sixth in the division the year before. It can be done.

Next: Is Jamie Benn Due Up For A Big Time Contract?

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