No matter how you look at it, this just hasn’t been the year for the Dallas Stars. But it’s better to get this one out of the way now rather than later, right?
For the Dallas Stars, this season has been an extremely difficult one, filled with disappointment and distraction.
“Sell everyone.”
“This team is a new kind of bad.”
“How many days until next season?”
Maybe you have used these quotes on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram at some point during this season. Or maybe you’ve simply been exposed to them being posted by fellow fans.
Dallas Stars
Whatever the case may be, it’s likely that you agree with at least one of them. And you have every right to. The 2016-17 regular season has, for a large portion of it, been a wasted one for the Dallas Stars.
27-30-10 is not where any team wants to be with only 15 games to go in the season. Yet, here the Dallas Stars are. With a maximum of 30 points left on the table, the Stars sit at a lowly 64 and are on the brink of extinction. They sit seven points out of the final wild card spot in the Western Conference with two games out of hand and have three teams between them and the spot.
In other words, their playoff hopes are all but mathematically diminished. And at this point, would you want them to make it to the postseason? They would have to go on an insane run, and it may not even do them any good. Wouldn’t you rather a high draft pick instead of a first-round playoff exit? This team has yet to prove that they could do any sort of damage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s simply the facts.
They own one of the less impressive defense/goaltending combos in the NHL, an egregious special teams unit, and an offense that is lacking the spark it used to have. All in all, they are a sad shell of what they used to be.
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In 2015-16, the Dallas Stars were Central Division champions. They won 50 games and finished the year with 109 points. They fell one win short of the Western Conference Finals, and the game seven loss to the Blues obviously hit them harder than most initially assume. And now they are in a rut.
But maybe this year had to happen.
As you know, there is no such thing as a hockey team who dominates each and every year. Sure there are some teams who have been on a solid run over the past few years, but at one point or another, they have struggled just as much as the team who is consistently at the bottom of the standings.
After all, the Arizona Coyotes went to the Western Conference Finals in 2012 and now sit near the bottom of the West. The Colorado Avalanche won the Central Division in 2014 and are now on track to be one of the worst hockey teams in history. It’s all a matter of what hand the team is dealt before and during each season.
The Dallas Stars have been on a rollercoaster for the past few years. In 2013-14, they barely squeaked into the playoffs, but broke a five-year drought by doing it. The following year, inconsistencies and a slow start caused them to fall seven points short of the postseason. And we all know what has happened over the past two years.
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So maybe it’s just a down year for the Dallas Stars. Maybe they had to learn from their mistakes, and that required a hard path to bear. And maybe it just means that next year they will be right back to flying high.
The Stars are certainly not on the rebuilding trail. A move like that would mean wasting the final years of Jason Spezza‘s contract as well as the prime years of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.
It’s the worst possible time for a rebuild, and the Stars are not in a position where they require a rebuild. Hypothetically, all they need to bring in this offseason is a young and competent starting goaltender and a veteran defender that can play top-two minutes and succeed. It seems like a lot to ask for, but it can be done. That’s what the offseason and free agency are all about.
And this year had its benefits. While it did not give off the ultimate benefit (a shot at the Cup), the Stars will receive some positives from it. For example, they had a chance to substantially develop young players like Esa Lindell, Devin Shore, and even new guys like Remi Elie. Not to mention that they incorporated some new faces into the system, like Dan Hamhuis and Adam Cracknell.
They also had a chance to assess the entire team from the bench on out and now have a better grasp on the changes they need to make.
Next: Stars' Playoff Hopes Rely On Pressure
It was an important opportunity and the Stars are lucky to have it at their backs now.
At the end of the day, it’s disappointing to see this Dallas Stars team struggle. But it’s not all bad. You just have to find the silver linings in the tough situations and remember that the current struggles simply make you enjoy the good times even more.