Dallas Stars Evaluation: Possible Downfalls

As nice as it is that the bulk of opinions on line about the Dallas Stars have been positive, there’s also the very plausible chance that they might not be that good. Regardless of a team’s abilities there will always be things they could improve and today we’ll take a look at the five main ones the Stars will look to overcome this season.

#5 Injuries

They happen every year to every team at some point. Players have freak accidents, or are purposely injured by another player and end up missing significant time during the regular season, which can ultimately lead to missing the post-season. Dallas is all too familiar with injuries to key players after having lost Tyler Seguin last season, but if their luck is extraordinarily bad and more than one key component to the line-up is out it could lead to a less than impressive year.

#4 Goaltending

On paper having Kari Lehtonen and Annti Niemi in net seems like the ideal situation, two excellent goaltenders with starting abilities battling it out.

However, there’s always the chance that the Stars could spend the whole season jumping back and forth between the two without ever establishing one as the true starter. That would be fine, but without that position filled they’d be forced to continuously go with the ‘hot’ goaltender and that could lead to severe inconsistency within the locker room.

The battle of the crease could really go either way, especially since some people think Lehtonen is the obvious starter and others are adamant that newcomer Niemi is the way to go. What’s your take? Leave it in the comments.

#3 Assimilation

Dallas acquired or signed multiple players this off-season in hopes of improving the team. Again, on paper Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya are great additions, but their styles of play might not align with the Dallas system in place, which could lead to a disappointing season to say the least.

#2 Chemistry

Another issue with a new crop of players being added to a line-up is that they just might not fit in anywhere. The trial and error period of trying to figure out exactly which defenseman Oduya should be partnered with and which line makes the most sense for Sharp has an expiration date. Exceeding that date could make the season the most disappointing yet.

#1 Individual vs Stars as a Team

The number one reason to not be overly confident about Dallas’ success this upcoming season is simple, really. Hockey is a team sport with extremely talented individuals that play it. If the Stars aren’t able to overcome their egos and personal goals as players they won’t be successful, plain and simple.

Don’t be too pessimistic about this team despite these five concerns. Every NHL organization has their own concerns for the season to come and considering the unpredictability of the NHL anything could happen.

Want a more optimistic take on the Stars’ upcoming season? The top five reasons they’ll be successful this season will be up this weekend.

Which concern is your biggest? Leave your thoughts in the comments and, as always, thanks for reading!