Dallas Stars May Not Be From 15-16, But They May Be From 13-14

Yes, it seems as though this year’s Dallas Stars are not the same as the ones from the 2015-16 season. But they might be similar to the ragtag group from 2013-14.

Expectations are fun. They’re fun to set, fun to monitor, and fun to look back on when things are all said and done. They can be exciting, such as when a group wildly exceeds the expectations set for them.

But they can be dangerous as well. If the expectations for a certain group are set higher than that group is capable of achieving, all that results from the trek is disappointment.

It seems as though the 2016-17 Dallas Stars are quickly falling victim to their own lofty expectations. And the worst part is that they aren’t even the ones who set them. It was the supporters around them.

After a season of excitement, dominance, and surpassed expectations in 2015-16, the Dallas Stars were in really good standing. They had claimed the Central Division title, managed to make it to game seven in the Western Conference semifinals, and put themselves on the NHL radar.

Jamie Benn was proving to be the perfect captain. Tyler Seguin was doing an exquisite job as his partner-in-crime. Other names such as Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp, and Ales Hemsky were finding new levels in their careers and helping the Stars build up the most dangerous offense in the league.

The defense, on the other hand, was finding an effective balance with young veterans like Alex Goligoski and Jason Demers. The goaltending, to top it all off, was trying out a new tandem of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi and seeing some impressive play from it.

In other words, the Stars were firing on all cylinders and it showed in their play. Dallas won 50 games, dominated their divisional play, and shifted the Western Conference back on their heels.

So what happened? Well, as we all know, the offseason happened. The Stars parted ways with defensemen Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers, and Kris Russell. This left some massive holes in the Dallas blue line which had just begun to find consistency after a rough 2014-15 campaign.

On top of that, the Stars lost forwards Vernon Fiddler and Colton Sceviour. These two fourth line grinders gave Dallas an extra edge in the bottom six and offered them a valuable set of skills, including scoring touch, physicality, and strength on the penalty kill.

After these players moved on through trade or free agency, Stars fans were under the impression that Dallas would remain just as good, if not better than they were during 2015-16. Adding Dan Hamhuis to the blue line on July 1 gave them another veteran presence and leader. The remainder of the blue line holes were filled in with younger defenders that had been in-and-out of the Stars lineup over the past few seasons.

But here we are. The 2016-17 season is almost two months in, and the Dallas Stars are slowly slipping into the background of the standings. After being thwarted by the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, the Stars fell to a record of 9-10-6. They now have 24 points in 25 games, meaning they average less than one point per game. That means that the Stars are on track for under 82 points, which would be their lowest total since 1995-96.

Luckily, they still have plenty of games left. There are 57 games yet to be played, meaning that the Stars could pull off a wondrous comeback at any moment over the next one or even two months. There’s plenty of room for improvement and progress.

But even if Dallas cannot defy the odds and return to their former spot of glory, it doesn’t mean they can’t still be a good hockey team.