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Dallas Stars Have Many Options On Offense

By Josh Clark |

When it comes to sports and deciding which part of the overall scheme is the most important, there are many different presuppositions. For some, the offense is the part that makes or breaks the team’s chances at success. For others, if there were no defense the entire attempt at victory would be to no avail. The last argument proves that if there were no goaltending support, there is absolutely no chance of winning.

To be honest, all three are correct. But in the end, it boils down to that if you don’t have at least average success in all three, you cannot take the next step.

The Dallas Stars are a prime example of this theory. Back in the 2014-2015 season, the Stars ended up sinking below their preseason expectations. After having a big offseason in 2014 and adding the likes of Jason Spezza, Ales Hemsky, and Patrick Eaves, they looked to be a team on the brink of a Stanley Cup. But they fell seven points short of even qualifying for a playoff spot, surprising many as they did so. The problem was pinpointed though, being the defense and goaltending. While the defense gave up the most goals since the mid-1990’s the goaltending had one of it’s worse years for both the starter Kari Lehtonen and the plethora of backup attempts.

But the one thing that ran efficiently all year without a leak was the Dallas Stars offense. They finished 2014-2015 second in the league in regards to goals for, and captain Jamie Benn won the Art Ross Trophy for the NHL player with the most points at the end of the year.

This past offseason, the Stars ended up going all in for the third year in a row. They drastically improved the goaltending and defense, but surprisingly enough made a massive improvement to the offense.

The Dallas Stars added the services of Patrick Sharp, a three-time Cup winner and longtime member of the Chicago Blackhawks. With the addition of the veteran sniper, the Stars have more than enough firepower to get them in the NHL driver seat in regards to offense.

With this addition though, the Dallas Stars have given themselves a multitude of options on offense. With 12 spots waiting to be filled, there are 14 Stars who legitimately qualify for a chance at a spot, along with a few more prospects knocking on the door.

The inevitable additions are Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, Ales Hemsky, Valeri Nichushkin, Cody Eakin, Antoine Roussel, Patrick Eaves, and Vernon Fiddler.

That leaves two spots open. Colton Sceviour, Curtis McKenzie, Brett Ritchie, and Travis Moen all have legitimate cause to be included. Also, Radek Faksa, Devin Shore, and Jason Dickinson have all proven in their minor league time that they could compete for ice time at the NHL level as well.

Not only that, but once the Dallas Stars decide the 12 players who will be included, the line combinations raise an eyebrow. The Stars have many flexible role players that can fill multiple voids, the strongest of these being Patrick Eaves. Last season, Eaves proved that he can play just as well on the first line as he can on the third.

The Stars could not be in a much better position on offense. 14-17 capable offensive weapons all waiting at the drop of a hat for ice time. If they go with a certain 12 players and one or two start to slack, they can either mix up the lines or simply just swap them for one or two players waiting on the scratch list.

The Stars offense is electric, that’s for sure. With the new addition, there is reasonable cause to believe that the offense will be near unstoppable in the upcoming season. But last season is an example that anything is possible. We’ll just have to wait and see. But the Stars are in a good position on all fronts, and now is not the time for them to be quiet. Training camp will be interesting for all three sides of the puck, with nine defensemen competing for six spots, two goaltenders battling for the start on opening night, and a bunch of forwards battling for the final twelve spots. Let the competitions begin.

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