Dallas Stars Will Show Their True Colors Early On In Season

Things are not going to be easy for the Dallas Stars. They have a rare and tough situation to endure, but will they be able to conquer it?

Welcome to October, Dallas Stars fans. As September exits into the rearview mirror for another 12 months, the NHL regular season rolls into frame.

As season openers quickly approach, everyone is trying to figure out which teams are set up best to make a run at the Stanley Cup this year. Which ones are definite contenders? Which one could be dark horse teams? And which ones are doomed for failure?

At this point, it’s highly illogical to group the Stars in the third category. After a Central Division championship and second round playoff exit last year, Dallas arguably became better over the offseason through key signings and has a chance to do some big things in the season ahead.

It was an offseason of change, that’s for sure. For starters, the Stars let go of Vernon Fiddler, Colton Sceviour, Jason Demers, Alex Goligoski, and Kris Russell. On the other hand, they signed Dan Hamhuis and Jiri Hudler from free agency and extended captain Jamie Benn with an eight-year deal. In other words, it was a pretty packed offseason.

There are a plenty of theories floating around in regards to whether the Dallas Stars’ offseason endeavors will have a positive or negative effect. But at this point, all of those theories can be thrown out the window.

One of the biggest keys to succeeding in any given NHL regular season and qualifying for the postseason is having a fast and consistent start. After missing the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs due to an early slump in the season, Stars players stuck by the promise of having a quick start in October 2015.

They did just that, hoisting a record of 17-5-0 by Thanksgiving and holding the best record in the NHL for a little over a month. The quick start helped push Dallas ahead of the pack and keep them in the running for the Central Division title, which they eventually claimed.

So after applying what we’ve learned, we can come up with this simple mathematical equation: fast starts = playoff berths.

However, this year has some different challenges in store for Dallas that could halt them from getting a strong jump on the 2016-17 season. These challenges are all spurred by injury.

The month of September saw the Dallas Stars quickly turn from dominant to shaky at best. Tyler Seguin, Radek Faksa, Cody Eakin, Ales Hemsky, Devin Shore, and most recently Mattias Janmark have all gone down with injuries since September 9th.

Since then, only Faksa has returned from his ailment, which turned out to be nothing more than concussion-like symptoms acquired during a hard hit in the World Cup of Hockey. But for the rest of them, there is either a long-term recovery period or no definitive timetable.

Take a look at the list. There are four regular centers on that list and two wingers. The fact that the Dallas Stars are currently missing three of their four regular starting centers sheds no positive light on the future. Players are dropping like flies before the season even begins.

They said it wasn’t easy to get the Cup, but no one ever mentioned that the level of difficulty would reach this serious of an extent.

Must Read: Dallas Stars' Injury Woes

With all of these injuries piling up, the true composure of this new Stars team will definitely be tested. Will Jamie Benn be able to rally his troops, both new and old, and put together a strong enough effort while the wounded heal? Will Benn himself even be at full caliber after his offseason surgery?

And what about the new additions to the team? Will Hudler be able to make a sizable impact in the absence of others? Are there any players in the farm system (besides Shore and Jason Dickinson, who just so happen to be recovering from injury as well) that are ready for NHL minutes?

Then we look away from the ailing offense and take a glance at the questionable defense and goaltending. Will the younger but bigger blue line be able to provide Dallas with a shutdown force? Will Dan Hamhuis be able to help lead the young recruits? Are Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi ready to finally transform into a next-level tandem?

These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered as the Dallas Stars slowly limp back to full strength. On the bright side, if the Stars can manage this they should be able to manage just about anything once their roster is back to normal.

Next: Janmark Becomes Next Domino To Fall To Injury

So it’s officially October. The weather is cooling off, football is in full swing, and Dallas Stars hockey is within reach. Only this won’t be the regular Stars hockey we are used to seeing. This will be an entirely new brand. Will it be able to endure the harsh reality that is the NHL? We’ll just have to wait until October 13th for that answer.