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Dallas Stars: Examining Their Path Through The Central Division

By Josh Clark

DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 04: Chicago Blackhawks right wing Jordin Tootoo (22) and Dallas Stars left wing Antoine Roussel (21) get into a fight during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Chicago Blackhawks on February 4, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Chicago defeats Dallas 5-3. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 04: Chicago Blackhawks right wing Jordin Tootoo (22) and Dallas Stars left wing Antoine Roussel (21) get into a fight during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Chicago Blackhawks on February 4, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Chicago defeats Dallas 5-3. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Dallas Stars
DALLAS, TX – FEBRUARY 04: Chicago Blackhawks right wing Jordin Tootoo (22) and Dallas Stars left wing Antoine Roussel (21) get into a fight during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Chicago Blackhawks on February 4, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Chicago defeats Dallas 5-3. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

After an excellent offseason, the Dallas Stars look poised to bounce back in a big way in the 2017-18 season. But how do they stack up with the competition in the Central Division?

Every professional sports league has that one division that is inexplicably stacked in terms of competition. In the NBA, it’s the Northwest and Southwest Divisions; in the NFL, the AFC West and NFC East rule supreme; in the MLB, it’s the AL East and NL West; and finally in the NHL, it’s the Central Division.

These roles of dominance tend to shift around as the years pass, but the NHL doesn’t necessarily see a shift. Though they may not bring home the Stanley Cup every season, the competition is consistently deep and intense.

The Dallas Stars will be the first to attest to this fact. Since the realignment occurred in the summer of 2013, the Stars are a combined 50-47-20 in divisional play. While that is technically above .500, it’s not very impressive. That’s because the Central is always threatening.

Last season, the Stars turned in an ugly 34-37-11 record. It was the second-worst season in franchise history, and their play in the Central was a large part of their demise. Dallas finished with a 9-15-5 record in the division, which plotted them sixth out of seven.

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That’s an ugly finish to a year, but it just goes to show the immense amount of depth within the division. And it looks to be relatively the same for the 2017-18 season as well.

Luckily for Dallas, they restocked in the offseason. The Stars upgraded every position that needed help and look poised to have a bounce-back year in 2017-18.

But will it be enough to get them through the Central? How does the Dallas Stars’ path through the Central Division look this year?

Here is a brief rundown of each of the six teams that Dallas is up against within the division this year. Read up and draw your own conclusions.

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