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Dallas Stars Playing With Fire By Constantly Signing Talent

By Josh Clark |

The Dallas Stars fell short of their expectations in the 2014-2015 season, and as a result they are enjoying an early vacation instead of striving forward in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

They had an exceptional end to the season, but still managed to finish seven points behind the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. With this in mind, it looks as though the Dallas Stars will be faced with the “winds of change” for a third straight offseason.

But if the Dallas Stars know what is good for the organization as a whole, they may want to be a little hesitant on how they perform in the offseason.

When Jim Nill arrived as the offseason prior to the 2013-2014 season began, it was clear he was ready to begin an overhaul. And he succeeded. The Stars organization picked up young gun Tyler Seguin and veteran leader Shawn Horcoff on two trades that seemed larcenous at the time, and still prove to be. After a brilliant 2013-2014 season that ended in a playoff berth, Nill continued to search for the necessary pieces to turn the Stars into top-tier contenders.

Once again, an offseason of big names came into play. The Dallas Stars traded a handful of rookies and prospects to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for lethal sniper Jason Spezza. Along with signing Ales Hemsky, the newcomers came in and helped the Stars offense become one of the top two in the NHL. But with a young and inexperienced defensive core mixed with an unsuspecting goaltending department, the Stars fell short of the playoffs.

So, a big offseason ahead signing a bunch of huge names will fix everything, right? Not so fast.

The key to this answer revolves in the lower ranks of the Dallas Stars’ organization. That means the farm system of the AHL.

The fact is, the longer the Stars stay glued to the free market and leave the younglings in the shadows, the more difficult it will be to manage two awesome clubs. The Texas Stars of the AHL have a handful of names on their roster that need the NHL exposure. They have been in the minors for long enough and are itching at a chance to step into the spotlight.

If the Stars continue to put off their problems by diving into the free agency pool, the young talent that brought home a Calder Cup in 2014 will start to evaporate. You must begin to think from each player’s perspective. The one thing they want is to be on the big stage, and if that chance continues to be put down by a new, big money veteran, they will look for ways to move on to another organization and share their talent somewhere else.

Take Travis Morin for example. The superstar center was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the ninth round back in 2004. He was signed in 2009 by the Texas Stars. In 80 games, Morin scored 21 goals and tallied 52 points. As each season progressed on, Morin only got better, including an 88 point 13-14 campaign in which he led the Texas Stars to the Calder Cup. Morin is clearly an elite player at age 31, yet he is still not up to the NHL level yet. In addition to that, Morin only has 13 NHL games under his belt with the Stars since 2009. Morin inked a two year deal with the Stars organization this past January, but something tells me two more years of AHL isn’t going to please him.

“I think any team that relies on free agents to fix their problems, that’s a bad place to be. I think they can definitely help if you find the right one, but you have to build from within, that’s where the strength is going to come from.” -Tom Gaglardi

Scott Glennie is another example. Glennie is currently 24 years old, but has been a consistent center for the organization since he was drafted first round in 2009. Glennie is going to be an RFA this coming offseason since his one-year deal that he signed last offseason is set to expire. He has only played in one NHL game in his career, and may be looking for a change of scenery in order to show off his talents. It’s only eagerness in youth.

So maybe Tom Gaglardi is right. Maybe what the Dallas Stars need is a quiet offseason ahead. An offseason where the far system is reassessed and dealt with accordingly.

Next: Jhonas Enroth May Not Come Back To Dallas Stars Next Year

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