Dec 3, 2011; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars center Tomas Vincour (81) during the third period against the New York Islanders at the American Airlines Center. The Islanders won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Last year around this time, the Stars were in a similar, if not better, position to make a run at the playoffs. The fans, players, and organization were hungry for a taste of what they had been missing for the last two years. Then the injuries began to pile up. A number of Texas Stars were called up, among these were Aaron Gagnon, Francis Wathier, and Tomas Vincour. Of these players, Vincour was the most-lauded and highly anticipated. Anyone who watched his long stretch of games with the Stars last season heard it over and over. The kid has NHL-level skill, and it’s only a matter of time before he starts producing and becoming a staple on the lineup. Head coach Marc Crawford bought into this hype, placing Vincour on the third line that included Steve Ott and Tom Wandell instead of making him just a body to fill up space on the ice playing on the fourth line.

A full month passed and Vincour had no points with a -1 plus/minus to show for his first taste in the NHL. That finally changed on March 9th versus the Calgary Flames. Vincour shot a wrister from the half boards and it sailed neatly into the corner of the net, giving Vincour his first NHL goal and point. He would score just one more point, a secondary assist, in his remaining time with the Dallas Stars. His stat line at the end of his 24 game tenure showed 1-1-2 with a -5 rating. No one called for his head, no one said he was a bust. He was just a 20-year old kid who’d been given his first NHL taste. Everyone would have to wait and see what the 2011-2012 season would hold for Tomas Vincour.

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Tomas Vincour: Not Yet His Time To Shine - Blackout Dallas - Blackout Dallas - A Dallas Stars blog

So where do the Dallas Stars fit into everything this season? Last year I think most of us didn’t expect for the Stars to make a big trade in the second half of the season. They didn’t have ownership still, money was tight, and GM Joe Nieuwendyk really looked like he had his hands tied unless he moved Brad Richards and decided to give up on the season. But then Nieuwy made a move that few of us might have seen coming. Young power forward James Neal was on his way to the Pittsburgh Penguins with struggling defenseman Matt Niskanen and the Stars received a young puck-moving defenseman in Alex Goligoski that they wanted. Despite the argument that Dallas might have overpaid, they did make a move during a time that it seemed they would have little ability to pull one off.

Fast forward a year and things are starting to kick up again. The Stars are again in the playoff picture, but are again having injury issues and inconsistent efforts that are leaving them bouncing around the final playoff spot. But what the Stars do have this season is new ownership. With Tom Gaglardi now in place, the Stars do have an owner willing to spend some money. He has already said he does not plan to keep the Stars close to the salary-cap floor. So with the team struggling at times and now without Jamie Benn and Mike Ribeiro, some fans are eager to see GM Joe and the team make a big move.  … [visit site to read more]

Why Dallas Stars Fans Shouldn’t Wait For A Big Trade - Blackout Dallas - Blackout Dallas - A Dallas Stars blog