Dallas Stars Offense: What It Looks Like Now
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars have endured quite the frantic offseason. Players have come in, players have left, some players are back for more. But how do these moves leave the team overall, specifically the offense?
3.23, 3.02, and 2.94. Those were the three highest goals scored averages in the NHL during the 2015-2016 regular season.
The 2.94 was owned by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Washington Capitals boasted the 3.02 on their way to winning the President’s Trophy. And who held that 3.23 high? Those Central Division champion Dallas Stars.
The Stars boasted one of the most deadly offensive lineups in the NHL for the second straight season this past year, scoring an insane 3.23 goals per game. When your top two lines include Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Patrick Sharp, and Jason Spezza, things are bound to go well.
The top line for the majority of the season (Benn-Seguin-Sharp) combined for a total of 94 goals (over a third of the team’s total) and 217 total points. Meanwhile, Spezza helped lead a strong charge on the second line with 33 goals and 63 points of his own.
So with those four guys all under contract through next season, the Dallas Stars are in for more excessive scoring, right? Well, more than likely yes. But there are some changes in the offensive lineup that could affect the performance of the entire unit.
First off, let’s take a look at who has departed. On July 1, the Stars parted ways with some dedicated soldiers. Vernon Fiddler (New Jersey) and Colton Sceviour (Florida) moved on to new destinations. Travis Moen remains in the free agency pool, though Dallas won’t be reaching out to him anytime soon.
Though they cleaned out their lockers for good, forward Patrick Eaves re-signed on a one-year deal. The veteran Eaves continues to be a productive force for Dallas when he suits up.
Essentially, the Dallas Stars had their entire fourth line and one substitute on the brink of free agency. Three of those four players hit the road. Eaves stuck around, but the fourth line is setting up to look significantly different come next season. That “different” could potentially entail more power, skill, and overall strength. But that remains to be seen.
While it is a safe bet that the first line stays the same (at least to start the season) and the second line is very similar, the bottom two lines could see some changes.
Basically, the Dallas Stars offensive lineup will at least more than likely look like this to start the year.
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Patrick Sharp
? – Jason Spezza – ?
? – ? – ?
? – ? – ?
There are plenty of opportunities to be taken advantage of, and the Stars have a plethora of talent to fill these slots.
The line of Antoine Roussel, Radek Faksa, and Ales Hemsky could very well find itself running the third unit again this year after the success it found late in the season and into the playoffs last year.
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That being said, it looks like there are a few different options for the final five spots. Mattias Janmark, Valeri Nichushkin, Cody Eakin, and Patrick Eaves seem like definite starters. The final spot could be taken by Brett Ritchie, Curtis McKenzie, or newly signed forward Adam Cracknell.
It’s a solid lineup, that’s for sure. The Dallas Stars have a lot of different ways they can go with their offensive setup, and every direction could produce a bountiful result. Head coach Lindy Ruff has proven over the past few years that he has no problem with juggling the lines when the scoring and chemistry goes flat, and that his new combos always tend to work out.
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It’s going to be an exciting 2016-2017 campaign for the Stars. While they should remain just as powerful as they were last year in the scoring department, they are still looking to patch up some defensive and goaltending inconsistencies. Will those renovations be finished this year just in time for Dallas to make a run at the Stanley Cup. To be determined.