Dallas Stars’ Stanley Cup Window Is Wide Open

The Dallas Stars may not have gone as far as they wanted to this season, but 2015-2016 was just the beginning. A whole new world of potential awaits them.

The 2015-2016 NHL year could conclude tonight. The Pittsburgh Penguins currently lead the San Jose Sharks three games to one in the Stanley Cup Finals, and will play game five from Pittsburgh tonight. This game will either end in the Sharks staying alive or the Penguins being crowned Stanley Cup champions in front of their fans.

If the Pens end up pulling it out, the season is officially over and the league turns into a clean slate. This clean slate promises new beginnings and opportunities for all 30 teams, and each franchise is on the ground level, waiting to begin their ascent.

While the ascension cannot occur until mid-October, each team has the chance to begin improving on their flaws from this prior season in order to come back stronger and better prepared. This is where the NHL draft and the free agency market come into play.

Some teams in the offseason are in dire need of a long list of things, while others are just a few items short of a shot at the Cup. For the Dallas Stars, they may already be close enough.

The 2015-2016 season was a year of realization and great power for the Stars. After floundering and falling seven points short of the playoffs in 14-15,  Dallas licked their wounds and fixed their weaknesses over the offseason to come back a stronger, better team.

They came roaring out of the gate this year, holding onto first place in the league for a little while and finishing as Central Division champions. They also won their first playoff series in eight years, and were one win short of advancing to the Western Conference finals. They came up just short in game seven against the St. Louis Blues, falling 6-1.

It was not the greatest way to end such a promising year, but the Dallas Stars did so much more than fall shy of a trip to greatness. Instead, they opened up a world of potential and proved that they are ready to conquer the NHL for years to come.

Most people call this phenomenon a team’s “Stanley Cup window.” In other words, it’s an estimated time frame for how long a team will logically be in competition for the Cup based on a number of different factors.

Some teams have yet to open their windows. Some have just opened their windows, but could see them closing very soon. And some have had their windows open for years, but see them either slowly or quickly shutting.

In the Stars’ case, their window could not be wider. Led by Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, the team could be poised for a Cup as early as next year.

An offense? They own the best one in the entire league. How about a defense? It’s much better than it has been, and could even see some improvements in time for next year. Goaltending? Finally have some consistency by using a two-goalie tandem, but still need to fully gel together. Special teams? You bet. Playoff experience? We’ll count this past year as plenty. Past Stanley Cup winners? Definitely.

must read: Jamie Benn Has Proven That He Is Hart Trophy Material

The Dallas Stars could logically have a Stanley Cup caliber team in the works for the next five or six years. It all depends on what general manager Jim Nill decides to do with the club. So far, he’s made nothing but genius decisions. In a matter of three years, he’s brought Seguin, Jason Spezza, Ales Hemsky, Antti Niemi, Johnny Oduya, and Patrick Sharp to the club.

As long as he continues to not only improve the weaker parts of the Stars’ team (as he has done over the past season), but also build primarily on long-term assets, he could be in for multiple rings.

The Dallas Stars have a great team, we know that. They are arguably the best team in hockey (especially considering they had no trouble with the Penguins or Sharks this past season) and need to continue living up to that state of mind.

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In 2014, the Stars’ window squeaked open after six years of being shut and locked. In 2015, that smidgen of light was made even tinier. But 2016 has busted the window open to the point of where it is gaping. Now Dallas simply has to hop through and take control.