Dallas Stars Will Not Need A Definite Defensive Group
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars will roll out a significantly different defensive lineup this year than what they ended with last season. That being said, they have an opportunity to go more diverse, thus bringing in more potential.
103 games. That is the maximum number of games it can potentially take to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. No more than 103, no less than 94. It takes a strong performance in every single one of those contests to come out as one of the two teams lucky enough to compete for professional sport’s most exclusive trophy.
It is a lesson that cannot be picked up immediately and must be learned by every team. The Dallas Stars learned it the hard way this past year.
After a 50-23-9 (109 points) performance that led to being crowned Central Division and Western Conference champions, the Stars hit the postseason with momentum behind them. It was relatively new territory for the young group, but they proved their legitimacy in the first round by fending off the Minnesota Wild in six games.
The second round had Dallas plotted against the St. Louis Blues, and that’s where things went awry. The Stars’ prolific offense could not best the Blues crease on a consistent basis, the defense began to falter, and the goaltending collapsed. Somehow Dallas made it to game seven, but a 6-1 shellacking closed out their Stanley Cup run and left them to stir over the offseason.
It was a disappointing way to go down, but the team had to learn the lesson that consistency is key. Hopefully that lesson will be able to translate from now on and the Dallas Stars will compete with no trouble down the road.
But why did the Stars fall so badly? Was it because the offense abruptly stalled? Or was it the defensive inconsistency and goaltending ineffectiveness? To be honest, it was a little bit of everything.
The defense and goaltending can be blamed for the majority of the problems, though. It was shocking to watch the defensive group, one that had risen from the troubles of the 2014-15 season and become a rather consistent lineup, fall so hard all of a sudden.
The Dallas Stars struggled with the big, physical Blues lineup. As soon as they were eliminated, the offseason rumors began to churn. The Stars had four starting-caliber defensemen becoming unrestricted free agents, and no one knew just who Dallas was planning on bringing back.
Amidst price negotiations and relevance on the team, general manager Jim Nill decided to re-sign Jordie Benn, trade Alex Goligoski, and allow Jason Demers and Kris Russell to drift off into free agency. All but Russell have found new homes.
But now the Dallas Stars are looking at an entirely new lineup on their blue line. Is it a good thing? Or is a period of adjustment in the cards, meaning the Stars will have to suffer this coming season in the goals against department?
All signs are pointing towards a strong and capable group that will be ready for action once the season rolls around.
One of the most exciting things about the new defensive setup is the number of players that will be involved.
At the moment, it looks as though the Stars will carry eight defensemen on their roster this season. The NHL schedule is rather tightly squeezed this year due to the World Cup of Hockey, so there will be little downtime. That being said, Dallas will need all hands on deck and plenty of substitutes to go to when things go wrong.
The Stars’ defensive pairings could very well look something like this on opening night:
Patrik Nemeth – Jordie Benn
The extra two defensemen will help the Stars consistently put out a ready lineup and give them comfortable flexibility. They have a nice mix of towering, physical defensemen and small, quick defensemen for the first time in a while, which they can use to their advantage.
For example, if they are facing a big and bruising opponent, they can start Oleksiak and Lindell while Benn and Nemeth sit. But if they need quick puck movers, they can resort to another combo. When one player or pairing begins lacking in performance, Lindy Ruff will have the option to switch them around for the two guys already waiting on deck.
must read: The Stars Goalie Tandem Could Lead Dallas To A Cup
The mixture of play style and performance that the Stars possess give them a massive upside for the coming season. There is also a good combination of experience and youth, so decisions can be made when the crucial games roll around, such as in the playoffs.
The only thing that Dallas will need to be cautious about is the playing time of all eight players. If a group of six players molds into an effective group, the other two players will need to find playing time one way or another. The Stars had similar troubles to this back in the 14-15 year when Jyrki Jokipakka and Jamie Oleksiak fought over the final spot in the lineup.
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So the Stars have the ability to pick and choose their defensive group in the coming season on a night-by-night basis. That’s something that not many NHL teams have the luxury to partake in. Will it pay off for Dallas?