Dallas Stars: Why They Will Win Central Division

The Dallas Stars will enter 2016-17 with some high expectations. Will they be able to live up to them, or will they crash and burn?

Welcome to August, Dallas Stars fans. It is perhaps the most quiet and dreary month in the NHL calendar year. With training camp and the preseason taking place in September, the regular season running from October to April and the Stanley Cup Playoffs going from then until June, actual play takes up 10 of the 12 months in a year.

Then with the draft taking place in late June and free agency running throughout July, there is still plenty of action to follow.

But then August comes around, and everything goes in the toilet. For the next 31 days, it seems as though there is nothing to do except speculate and dream about the season ahead. As much as it pains me to use speculation, there’s not much left to go off of. So how about a quick two-part series?

I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some of the reasons why the Dallas Stars are prepared to claim the Central Division title for a second straight year. The Stars have plenty of reasons to be excited about the coming season, including the fact that a Stanley Cup could be in sight.

But it is a double-edged sword, and that’s why I will be doing a two-part series. Tomorrow, I’ll have an article ready about some of the pitfalls that await the Stars this season that could bury them.

So first up, let’s look at some of the reasons why the Stars are on their way to another Central Division title and hopefully a long playoff run.

The prolific offense

If you have not already figured it out, the Dallas Stars have the best offense in the NHL. Their scoring production is second-to-none and they don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

Being led by an ensemble of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Patrick Sharp, and Jason Spezza, the Stars’ 2015-16 offensive assault posted an average of 3.23 goals per game. The most enticing part of the Dallas offense is that they don’t rely on one or two specific players for the entire year.

Sure Benn and Seguin do the majority of the heavy lifting. But Sharp, Spezza and even players in the bottom six like Ales Hemsky, Antoine Roussel, and Patrick Eaves contribute on a regular basis as well. The Stars offense is a well-oiled machine, unlike any other in the league. They just click.

And that right there is a terrific starting point for any team looking to repeat a division title in the toughest division in hockey. The Stars offense will more than likely carry the team for a third straight year, only this time it could be enough to take them all the way.

Size matters in a dog eat dog world

The Dallas Stars found themselves on the short and quick end of a towering division last season, and it really hurt them once the playoffs rolled around. The Stars did not have size and physicality to counteract some of the teams in the division that possessed massive players.

The Stars were able to survive during the regular season with their small, quick lineup. But once the postseason came around, they were manhandled by the bigger, more physical clubs.

That will hopefully change this season. Dallas has already made considerable changes to their defensive front with Dan Hamhuis coming in and Patrik Nemeth becoming a full-time starter, along with Jamie Oleksiak receiving a potentially larger role.

These moves adds size, weight, and grit to the lineup. These hard-nosed gladiators will help deliver the pain and throw their weight around next season to assert some dominance for an otherwise small Stars group. Dominance is key, and Dallas should be able to grab it by the throat.

Other teams are slipping

The Central Division is regarded by many as the most challenging division in the NHL. In each of the past three years since its origin, the division has sent the maximum number (five) of teams to the Stanley Cup Playoffs that it can. The Chicago Blackhawks are regarded as one of the division’s many powerhouses considering they have won two Cups in the past four years.

The St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars help round out the top of the list. Both teams made outstanding runs in the regular season and into the playoffs. The Stars racked up 109 points by the end of last year, while the Blues hit 107. The two teams had to fight it out to seven games in the second round of the postseason.

The Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild help finish up the top five. Even the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets can be dangerous on certain occasions.

But next season, things could be different. It looks like the Dallas Stars will be able to continue their success into the coming year, but it does not look that way for a few other teams.

The Blues and Blackhawks lost a lot through trade and free agency this offseason and did not add much in exchange. These teams could be dangerously close to falling into a slump. Meanwhile, the Wild spent another offseason sitting around. The Stars knocked Minnesota out in six games in the first round last year. With no additions for the State of Hockey, it looks like the same results may occur.

The Avs and Jets are still struggling along. The Preds made an excellent acquisition by picking up P.K. Subban, but lost captain Shea Weber in the transaction. They should still be relatively dangerous come next year.

But besides Nashville (who Dallas has not had much trouble with in years past), there does not seem to be much threat in the Central, at least not as much as in years past. The Central could potentially be wide open, and the Stars are on the doorstep.

Strong performance last season

The Dallas Stars really flipped the script between 14-15 and 15-16 in regards to their performance within the division. After a brutal 8-14-7 record against the Central in 14-15, the Stars turned a corner and surged to a 19-7-3 showing this past year.

Playing well within your division means a lot when it comes to playoff qualifications and seeding. Dallas made it look easy this past year within the division. And considering the strong teams from last year are looking considerably weaker going into this season, the Stars could run the table again.

It’s critical for Dallas to put on a strong performance in Central Division affairs, and they are quickly figuring things out. Let’s hope it stays that way.

must read: When Exactly Do Stars' Players Hit The Ice Next?

How about momentum?

The Dallas Stars have a lot of things going right for them right now. Captain Jamie Benn just signed an eight-year contract extension. They won the Central Division last season and were one win away from being in the Western Conference Finals. The offense is still intact with its threatening pieces, the defense grew substantially, and the goaltending is figuring things out at a rapid pace.

It’s a good time to be a Stars fan, in other words. The whimsical play by this team is exciting to watch, and the club has a chance to do that again this year only bigger and better.

The opportunity should be enough to motivate and energize this team for the coming year. There is simply a lot to be excited about, and the Stars are making the excitement into a reality. That 50-23-9 record last season should be enough to push this team for the year ahead.

Next: Some Way Too Early Predictions For Stars' Opening Night

Overall, the Stars have a chance to make some monumental strides this coming season. Just one final season before some big changes happen across the NHL, so why not go out with a bang?

They have a lot to go off of that is trailing them from last season, but the question is whether they will find the momentum and use it properly or not. Be excited, Stars fans. It’s still a long way away, but we’re getting there. Let’s just put our heads down and keep on trucking.