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Dallas Stars Biggest Disadvantage Is Holding Rookies Back

By Josh Clark

Mar 21, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars left wing Curtis McKenzie (11) skates against the Chicago Blackhawks at the American Airlines Center. The Stars shut out the Blackhawks 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars left wing Curtis McKenzie (11) skates against the Chicago Blackhawks at the American Airlines Center. The Stars shut out the Blackhawks 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Stars once again proved that they are under the “win now” impression this past week. While it is comforting to see the all-star roster they have built, their rookies are being put in a tight spot.

The 2016-17 NHL season seems to be carrying a lot of weight. There are a plethora of teams that believe they were cheated out last season and are ready to go the distance this year. There are also a lot of teams who improved strongly this offseason and are ready to prove their worth.

This is also the final season to play before everything changes. Once the NHL crowns its newest champion in June of 2017, the league will make a monumental shift from 30 teams to 31, granting Las Vegas its first professional sports franchise in history.

With the addition of this new team, every NHL franchise will be forced to lose one of the players on their roster in order to help Vegas get off on a somewhat stable foot to start 2017-18.

So with all that is happening in the near future for the NHL, a lot of teams are planning to put it all out on the line this season before the overhaul occurs.

The Dallas Stars are one of those teams. Ever since GM Jim Nill took over the front office in April 2013, he has completely abandoned the rebuilding process that former GM Joe Nieuwendyk attempted to instill. He replaced it with the “win now” motive, and Stars fans have had little to complain about since.

Dallas reiterated their dedication to “win now” on Tuesday night when they signed RW Jiri Hudler out of free agency. The move only added on to an already unstoppable Dallas Stars offense, leaving little doubt that the Stars will once again be near the top of the league in scoring this year.

But as I pointed out in an article yesterday afternoon, it seems as though the Stars have a down for each one of their ups.

While it is nice to see Dallas picking up both young and veteran talent through free agency and trade with each passing offseason, there is a disadvantage built in. It lies with the Stars young prospects and farm system.

Ever since the 2013 offseason, Nill has shocked the league by bringing in players like Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya, and Antti Niemi for practically nothing in return. These are just a few of the superstar names that have made their way to Big D over the past four seasons.

But while the Stars continue to acquire veteran talent and inch their way closer to their second Stanley Cup in franchise history, the prospects continue to wait on the doorstep.

The Dallas Stars are known for having one of the strongest farm systems of any team in the NHL. Their AHL affiliate the Texas Stars won the Calder Cup in 2014 and have made the playoffs each year since. They have a handful of rookies who are prepared for NHL play as well. Some of those names include Brett Ritchie, Curtis McKenzie, Jason Dickinson, Devin Shore, Esa Lindell, and Julius Honka.

must read: Stars World Cup of Hockey Coverage

As Dallas continues to sign new talent that has been at the NHL level for some time, their prospects take another year to bounce between the NHL and AHL and not play an entire season in a controlled and comfortable format.

While it’s nice to win and possess a team capable of shocking and beating opponents, it is coming at a cost. These Dallas Stars’ prospects are hungry for NHL playing time, but their test for a spot seems to keep getting more difficult.

If these Stars continue to be used as 13th and 14th forwards or seventh and eighth defensemen, they won’t get any better. They need to be playing full seasons so they can continue to fix kinks and become efficient players.

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Nill securing skilled talent is not a bad move at all. If anything, his actions are the only reason Dallas is currently running the strongest division in hockey. But at a certain point, those younger players need the playing time. After all, they’ve paid their time.

Whatever the case may be, Nill knows what he’s doing. Trusting the process is easy when Dallas has moved from 91 points to 109 points between 2014 and 2016.

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