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Dallas Stars: Reasons to Still Be Excited About the Team

By Allison Scott

Jan 21, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars defenseman Patrik Nemeth (15) and right wing Patrick Eaves (18) and right wing Adam Cracknell (27) celebrate a goal against the Washington Capitals during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars defenseman Patrik Nemeth (15) and right wing Patrick Eaves (18) and right wing Adam Cracknell (27) celebrate a goal against the Washington Capitals during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Stars might as well start preparing for the offseason at this point. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to get down in the dumps. This team’s future is very bright.

The Dallas Stars’ season has been underwhelming no matter how you put it. They are at serious risk of missing the playoffs after being just a season removed from leading the Western Conference. They have spent the last few months confused about their identity.

They have been unable to answer any of the criticism surrounding the team with anything substantial on the ice. In essence, this team is a mess.

However, despite their stress-inducing tendencies and edge-of-your-seat style of play this year, there are still reasons to be excited about the Stars.

Upcoming Expansion Draft

The NHL is expanding next season and adding the Las Vegas Golden Knights to the league. While it is an exciting time to see a new franchise be born into the great sport that is hockey, it also means an expansion draft is coming.

The draft will be exciting to say the least because the Golden Knights could possibly choose an unprotected Stars player for their franchise. Obviously being a new franchise means they have no players at the moment and the expansion draft serves as a way for them to get on par with the talent of the league.

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Despite the nerve-wracking nature of having a Stars player eligible to be uprooted and move to the new team, it is going to be thrilling to see what happens.

The Stars could part ways with one of their goaltenders or possibly a young defenseman because of how the expansion draft works. Essentially, Dallas will only be given a specific number of players to protect from each position and the rest are fair game.

While that ensures the protected players, assuredly Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg, will stick around, it means that a supporting player could see his time in Dallas come to a close.

Strong Core

Speaking of Benn and Seguin, it is easy to be excited with a core as strong as Dallas’. While their season has not officially ended, their future beyond this year looks bright.

Jamie Benn is locked up until 2025, Klingberg will be in Victory Green until at least 2022 and Seguin’s current contract expires in 2019. Contracts are the biggest logistic component of professional sports and Dallas already having their core locked down for years to come is a key to their future.

Not to mention that the core will continue to improve as time goes on. Klingberg will settle in as a No. 1 defenseman with time. This season was his first being a go-to for the Stars without the help of a veteran to play alongside. While that has negatively impacted Dallas during 2016-17, it should yield benefits in the years to come.

Youth

Teams are always looking ahead, trying to build championship teams years in advance. The Stars are no different. They have a solid group of young prospects and players that are working their way up to becoming full-time NHL professionals.

The best part about the Stars’ planning scheme is how well they have done so in a variety of positions.

Dallas has a plethora of young defensemen that can skate with the best in the league. They are physical and skilled at their position and they certainly make for a positive outlook on what is to come. Jamie Oleksiak, Stephen Johns, Esa Lindell and Julius Honka will continue to improve. And those are just a few of the defensive young guns Dallas has in their arsenal.

As far as the future offense of the club, Dallas is pretty much set. Denis Guryanov had an incredible showing at the 2017 World Junior Championship, contributing four points in five games for Russia. His efforts helped them to go on and win the bronze medal in the tournament.

And the list goes on. Youth is one thing the Stars definitely have on their side.

Next: The Hockey Gods Hate the Dallas Stars

Moving Forward

Despite their hardships and the challenges they have faced this season, the Stars have a number of exciting things to look forward to. The team may change, but the spirit of the Dallas Stars will certainly remain.

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