Dallas Stars’ Most Improved Player from 2016-17 Season

Though the Dallas Stars significantly missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to an atrocious 2016-17 campaign, there were some positives to come from it. One of those was the improvement of multiple players.

There were not many positive aspects of the Dallas Stars’ 2016-17 season. And they ended the year with a different coach and decently different roster than they started with as a result.

Although as a season it was not great, one player in particular improved vastly from previous experience. That man is Curtis McKenzie.

Established NHL Player

McKenzie has played in games for the Stars since the 2014-15 season, but this year was his first in which he played a significant amount of the year. With more games come more responsibility, however, in McKenzie’s case it also came with improvement.

More from Analysis

• Dallas Stars Traverse City Tournament: Who had great performances?
• Taking a look at the teams the Dallas Stars will be playing in the preseason
• Should the Dallas Stars revisit signing Patrick Kane this season?
• Realistic regular season stats for Dallas Stars Roope Hintz
• Realistic regular season stats for Dallas Stars Joe Pavelski

Knowing that he was going to be in the line-up more often than not, especially during stretches when he was playing very well, boosted his confidence. That translated to more production on the ice in a variety of ways, which allowed McKenzie to grow as a player.

He has maintained his physicality against opponents throughout his NHL career, but has simultaneously improved in other areas as well. That constant, rather steady improvement makes McKenzie an established NHL player with the skills to back it up.

Offensive Contributions

In the 2014-15 season No. 11 totaled 5 points in 36 games. In the 2015-16 campaign he only appeared in three games and had no points. However, in 2016-17 McKenzie played in 53 games earning 16 points.

While the increase in games played certainly improves chances to earn points, there is still no guarantee that players will contribute offensively. Some depth forwards in the league struggle to score throughout their entire careers, so the fact that McKenzie was able to contribute more regularly in a season following one in which he played only three games is impressive.

And if looked at through a critical lens, McKenzie more than tripled his points total in less than twice as many games. While that kind of improvement is difficult to maintain season to season in an NHL career, his offensive contributions certainly contributed to No. 11’s best season yet.

Three Zone Threat

Lastly, McKenzie’s game improved in the defensive and neutral zones. In his rookie season the British Columbia native left with a plus-minus of minus-8 on the year. He was minus-1 in his three games from last season and this past campaign, he ended the year plus-5.

Admittedly plus-minus is not the best indication of defensive play. There are many reasons for this, one being line changes are so fluid in the NHL that a player merely hopping off the bench could be given a minus with no influence on the play occurring at all. However, in a general sense it indicates trends about defensive play relative to offensive play.

In that regard, McKenzie’s play has continued to improve as he spends more time in the NHL, which is a great sign for the Stars moving forward.

Next: Multiple Dallas Stars Headed to World Championships

What’s to Come

The Dallas Stars have a decent bit of work to do this offseason and big decisions will be made. They can, however, rest assured that players like McKenzie will be working to improve every year. That is something any team in the league appreciates.