Dallas Stars: What Washington’s Stanley Cup Win Means Moving Forward
Despite its lack of Dallas Stars, the 2018 Stanley Cup Final was one of the most unique we’ve seen in a while, and will have an impact on the upcoming season.
I probably speak for a vast majority of NHL fans in my jubilation that anyone but the Penguins is now in possession of the Stanley Cup. Beyond that, though, we witnessed a pretty special match-up in this Stanley Cup Final, and can expect the Capitals’ win to reverberate in the 2018-2019 season.
While Washington’s first ever Cup win comes as a pleasant surprise to those of us who like to root for the underdog, this series was a tough one to wrap our minds around because both contenders were so different than any team we’d seen fighting to hoist the Cup before. Both so green and seemingly untested, but at the same time razor sharp and up to the challenge.
This strange turn of fate only serves to validate the new reality and culture of the NHL as a whole. The competition is getting stiffer, and there are no longer any free rides guaranteed. While legacy and prestige are not dead in the NHL, they now no longer have a final say in which teams rise and which teams fall.
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When you take a step back, this could have many implications for the Dallas Stars. On one hand, a team like Dallas in the Southwest without too much legacy lean back on could take vast encouragement from the Caps’ triumph. In many ways, Washington and Dallas have charted similar paths and struggles over recent seasons. To see them succeed is in some ways an encouragement to persevere.
On the other hand, this monumental Stanley Cup win serves as a huge red flag and warning to the Stars. Not that very long ago, Dallas bested the Caps in their every match up. The Stars could out-skate them, and appeared to be the team with more experience and know-how. But those days seem little more than memory now.
Its been no secret that teams all around the NHL are picking up the pace, with new powerhouses taking the place of old ones and the landscape of the league changing. Many teams, like the Caps, have done a phenomenal job keeping up with the increase of pace and acknowledging the need to change with the times.
While the Stars seem aware of these realities, the follow-through has been less than satisfactory for several seasons now. The most damaging event that springs immediately to mind was Dallas’ silence on the 2017-18 trade deadline day.
Like the Caps, the Stars have some valuable pieces on their board, but unlike their Stanley-winning counterparts, the Stars have often been too satisfied to sit back and try to muddle through as they are.
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After this postseason, though, it’s become apparent that such apathy can no longer coast a team through a decent NHL season. The outcome of this Stanley Cup contest should inspire the Dallas Stars to keep reaching, but should sting enough to remind them that they much start reaching farther, and harder.