Dallas Stars Missing Playoffs Has It's Own Positives

The Dallas Stars magical run at the playoffs ended in a bit of catastrophe, as we all know. Even with the thought of playoffs being wiped from memory, the Stars still found a way to make the last few games memorable.

Finishing the season on a 4-0-0 streak, performing beautifully to dominate the Nashville Predators on Fan Appreciation Night, and Jamie Benn escaping on the coattails of a miracle with the Art Ross Trophy are just a few of those awesome memories.

The spirits are higher than ever for next season, and everyone in the locker room seems bent on starting and finishing strong once the 2015-2016 season rolls around. Even with that, the topic of playoffs is still tender for Dallas Stars fans, especially when they think about what the team they saw the last few games could be doing in the postseason right about now.

Though missing the playoffs does sting, it is important to look for the positives in their situation. As it turns out, there are plenty of them.

Hips don’t lie

First off, it’s important to note the injuries that submerged to the public for the first time on exit interview day, two days after the season ended. Their leading goal scorer on defense Trevor Daley, forward Ales Hemsky, and even NHL scoring champion Jamie Benn all had hip surgery over the past week. Daley’s was less extensive than Benn and Hemsky’s, but nonetheless all three will need months to recover.

“There is concern whenever you have surgery, but we feel good about the timing and about the time that each will have to rehabilitate properly. If you have to deal with these during the season, then you miss almost all of the season. If you take care of it now, then you’re ready to go.” -Jim Nill

Their recovery periods will be between now and training camp next season. According to Jim Nill, all three are expected to be close by training camp and definite by the season opener next year. All three of these players were handicapped by these injuries, meaning that their production this season must have been affected. The fact that they will be able to get it behind them during the offseason, like John Klingbergj did last offseason, is a great advantage. No playing time will be missed and the players will be back and better than ever to start the 2015-2016 season.

Youthfulness can be catastrophic

Another advantage is simply experience for younger players. Last season, when the Dallas Stars qualified for the postseason, 9 of the 19 players that suited up had never played in a playoff game before. Most had just experienced their first full season in the NHL. As a result, the Stars struggled out of the gate in the postseason, dropping their first two contests to the Anaheim Ducks.

If the Stars had qualified for the playoffs this year and stuck with the roster they had before their playoff hopes were crushed, they would have had 5 players without real NHL playoff experience. That does not seem too bad, but the fact that those five did not even have a complete season in the NHL under their belt yet, it could have proven to be the same result. With these players looking forward to another year of experience before any postseason competition, you can bet that they will be more comfortable in a playoff scenario assuming the Stars make it next year.

A team becoming one

Finally, this Dallas Stars team is headed for major success. And by that, I mean THIS team. Not a completely redone team this coming offseason. Not even a team with only a few minor changes. THIS team is destined for a long run coming up very soon, even as soon as the season to come. Sure they were held back with a slow start due to injuries and new players getting accustomed to the team. But once those issues were either overcome or at least mastered, the Stars found a way to get on top of things and put together a great 32-21-5 stretch from December 1st to the end of the year, including a 14-6-0 finish to the season.

We’ve changed a lot of guys in the three years I’ve been here, so I think we need to have a quiet off-season. I think that’s our best strategy. I don’t see free agency as a big answer. I think there are teams out there that will have cap issues, and that might not come until September. We need to be patient, and we need to be opportunistic. I think with a lot of areas of this team, we just need to be patient.” -Tom Gaglardi

With production like that, it seems almost silly to make any changes. Now, an addition of a top 4 defender could help out significantly, but if Jim Nill wants to take that task remains to be seen. The Dallas Stars also have a few free agents that need new contracts, and they may not be entirely willing to offer new deals to all the FA’s considering what they have coming up from Cedar Park.

As Jason Spezza said on exit interview day, “I think it’s a good group and we have a lot of potential here.” This is coming from the guy who moved on from a soon-to-be playoff team last offseason for a team that had high hopes and fell short.

So, look at the bright side? Sure the playoffs weren’t in the Stars lot this year, but that doesn’t mean that next year is going to be the same. It may have come too late, but this team found its niche, and that is nothing short of encouraging for the 15-16 campaign. This offseason will prove to be a good lesson for the Stars team as a whole, so they can learn from it and come back all the stronger for next year.

Next: Jason Spezza Speaks To The Media On Exit Interview Day

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