Dallas Stars Preseason Appraisal

Pondering the Dallas Stars’ losing preseason is kind of like rehashing a bad break up. First, the denial. You see the whole thing through rose colored glasses- it’ll be ok, it’s not that bad, your expectations were just too high, you idealized the whole thing. Then comes the blame game. It wasn’t you, it was them, and goshdarnit, do they need to clean up their act, or so help you.

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But then, with enough time and distance, you can start to see things a little more rationally. More clearly. Because win or lose, analysis will always be there to eat ice cream on the couch with you and binge-watch Netflix while you rock matching Snuggies.

Or…whatever adult way you handle your problems.

But don’t resort to the ice cream and Snuggies just yet (or even really ever, as far as the Snuggies go). Stay calm, cool, and collected. Daryl “Razor” Reaugh noted on Monday that preseason performances aren’t always sure evaluators of the season’s outcome.

What preseason is good at, however, is providing the time, context, and judgment-free zone needed to experiment with various solutions to predicted problems.

Starting with the issue most likely not at the top of every fans’ list of the Dallas Stars fatal flaws: the roster. Through the duration of training camp and preseason, the Stars made the necessary cuts to the roster, leaving eight defensemen. In this, the Stars have wisely put themselves in a position to not only continue growing some great young talent at lower levels, but to really put the sandbags down on the blue line, if you follow.

The Dallas Stars roster was most recently modified to reflect the addition of Mattias Janmark, who with his two goals scored in six games and eleven shots on goal, was one of the most impressive players in the preseason. Curtis Mc Kenzie, the other contender for the spot and a definite fan favorite, is headed back down to the AHL where he will presumably be keeping Brett Ritch ie company when he starts his recovery from wrist surgery.

Another area in which the preseason served as a practice run was goaltending. I know the very mention of it probably has you running for your stash of rocky road as we speak, but don’t drown your sorrows in dairy just yet.

In his defense of the Dallas Stars’ preseason, Razor mentions goaltending, and the problematic fact that this still seems to be problematic. He addresses the importance of keeping in mind that new goalie coach Jeff Ree se should be given a little more time to work his magic and implement change before we all pass judgment.

But this is the advantage of having a preseason, right? It’s a dress rehearsal for the big show, a chance to anticipate who needs to study their lines more and who doesn’t know stage left from stage right so those issues can be addressed before the curtains go up on opening night.

And it’s also a chance to get players back into the swing of things. Especially players like Jam ie Benn, Ales Hems ky, and even Vale ri Nichushkin, who are all in various states of repair after hip surgery. And their hips aren’t lying: this setback made the preseason offensive production slow, but I would say that it’s better to be slow in the preseason than blown out come Thanksgiving.

So, I’m leveling with Razor on this one. Don’t spend too much time brooding over this preseason and emptying tissue boxes dreaming of what could have been. Keep in mind that the Leafs won five of their preseason contests last year and comfort yourself with the fact that fairytale beginnings don’t necessitate happy endings.

Just the same, rough starts don’t have to mean sure heartbreak in the end. For the Stars’ eight-man defense roster and certainly for Mattias Janmark, this could be the start of something beautiful.

What would you consider to be the biggest silver lining of a pretty lackluster, though not hopeless, preseason? Share your thoughts below!

Next: The Best Looking Line In Hockey: Do The Stars Own It?

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