Dallas Stars Still Have Plenty Of Time To Right Their Ship

By Josh Clark | Nov 1, 2016

Oct 29, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin (91) shoots in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s time for the Dallas Stars to batten down the hatches. They may be in a corner with no reinforcements on the way, but there is still plenty of time to realign the ship.

Everyone probably remembers that corny commercial by Discover Card (the credit card company that the NHL partners with in everything) about surprises.

This card holder calls one of the Discover employees and asks him about his card. He also explains that he hates surprises. As soon as he tells the employee this, he opens his apartment door to find a goat with a party hat in his living room. The goat screams and causes the guy to screech in fear.

It’s a funny commercial that gets the point across, but it also confused me when I first viewed it. I never assumed that there are actually people who do not enjoy or are even repulsed by surprises. I thought it may have just been made up to further the commercial’s point, but surely enough I began running into people who hated the element of surprise or spontaneity.

It still baffles me that people hate sudden shocks that catch them off guard. Maybe it’s just in how people are wired. Or maybe it’s the fact that surprises can go one of two ways. They can either be good or bad.

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After all, there’s a stark difference between, “Happy 20th birthday! Here’s your surprise party,” and, “You’re fired.” Both can come as a shock, but each has a different lasting effect.

When it comes to surprises, the Dallas Stars are definitely a wild card. In other words, they can go either way. One season they’re falling hard from the lofty expectations that were set for them and missing the playoffs, and the next season they are winning the Central Division title after logging 50 wins and 109 points.

It’s an interesting trait to possess, but after all the Dallas Stars are an interesting team. And after producing a spotty record of 3-4-1 to start a “Stanley Cup hopeful” season so far in 2016-17, it’s clear that we could be in for plenty more surprises.

Surprise: Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, Cody Eakin, Patrick Eaves, and Jiri Hudler will all miss playing time during the first month of the season. Surprise: Mattias Janmark and Ales Hemsky will both have surgery to repair injuries that will sideline them for 5-6 months, leaving the Stars without two prime pieces in their lineup.

Surprise: the Stars will struggle heavily on offense, which they have not done since before the 2013-14 season. They will sit 26th in average goals for with 2.25 after the first month. Surprise: the Stars special teams will take a severe dip (21st on power play efficiency, 25th on penalty kill efficiency).

Surprise: the Dallas Stars goaltending tandem, which seems to be the prime area that has hindered their success in the past, will be the only area of contribution to applaud after the first month.

These past few days have probably been the most stressful. Surprisingly enough, the Dallas Stars have lost four of their past five games (1-3-1) and one of their most efficient players in Hemsky. Their most recent loss to the Wild may be the most frustrating loss in a while. It seems as though the Stars did everything right (especially considering their ailing lineup), yet they still lost 4-0.

October is now in the rearview mirror, and it seems as though the Stars’ hopes at success are following it.

But that is not the case, at least not for now.

No matter how dark things may seem at the moment, the fact of the matter is that there is plenty of time left to right the ship. Times may not be as promising as they have been, but there is still promise to be found.

The Dallas Stars are simply trying to adapt at this point. They’ve quickly been thrust into what is most definitely an unnatural problem and are figuring out how to deal with it. It’s not easy. That would explain the losses.

But at the same time, they can manage it. One of the most impressive wins of their short season so far was last Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. They were heavily undermanned but still found a way to rally together and put on a decent performance on offense, defense, and in net through the work of Antti Niemi. It just goes to show that they can still be the team everyone was hoping for them to be. It’s just going to take some time.

The primarily young lineup they are currently running on offense and defense is learning how to take on bigger roles. Brett Ritchie, Curtis McKenzie, Devin Shore, Esa Lindell, Stephen Johns, Patrik Nemeth, and even Jordie Benn are taking on new roles that they have not experienced prior to this predicament.

They can’t put on a new face overnight. It takes some time to adjust and get on a consistent path. On the bright side, the season is still very young. Anyone who is counting the Stars out already does not understand the concept of an “82 game season.” After all, don’t forget the struggles that the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016 Stanley Cup champions) endured all the way up until Christmas of last season. They still turned out alright.

It’s not the greatest start, but the Dallas Stars are a team that is capable of doing a lot of things, including adjustment on the fly. October was just a brief hiccup. But it’s time to take a few hefty swigs of water and get rid of the hiccups and inconsistencies.

The Dallas Stars are a surprising team. They could rip your heart out or completely catch you off guard after you’ve already counted them out. That’s just how they roll. Being a Stars fan makes you unique in that fact.

Next: The Stars Just Cannot Catch A Break Right Now

If we know anything about this team, it’s that they know how to surprise. It’s time for the Stars to batten down the hatches and get to work. Don’t count them out just yet. There’s still a lot of season left to be played.

Do your worst, November.

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