The Dallas Stars need to work on bouncing back from the losses incurred after trading away some of their most consistent players this season.
The Dallas Stars are NOT headed for a rebuild. Repeat, no rebuild necessary. Ken Hitchcock has made it clear that he believes in the current Stars squad and is basing his evaluations off of the 15-16 Stars who dominated the Western Conference.
But in many ways, the Stars are not the same team that went to playoffs that season. The foundation pieces, as many see them, are still there, but some previously underrated players have departed, a sad consequence of this season’s failings, and leave behind them empty talent pockets that need to be filled before the Stars can get back to their 15-16 glory and build on it.
First and foremost on the majority of our minds, of course, is Patrick Eaves. In past seasons, he was considered maybe more of a liability than anything else, having suffered multiple injuries and taken lengthy time out to deal with them. However, Eaves became a true grinder for the Stars this season, in a period where they needed that kind of player the most.
Before he become a contributing piece of Anaheim’s Stanley Cup bid, he was an even more important part of the Stars’ team. Eaves registered 21 goals in his 59 games played with the Stars this season, really filling in the gap left by other injury-sidelined forwards. He was one of the most dependable, consistent players that the Stars relied on.
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Jordie Benn, too, found his greatest deal of consistency yet for the Stars this season before they had to ship him out to Montreal, where he also participated in their recently ended postseason push. Benn registered 13 points for the Stars in his 58 games with them, but behind John Klingberg and Esa Lindell, his pairing with Dan Hamhuis was the second most consistent one used by the Stars this season. However, he had to go as well.
Overall, it’s not the bright-light crazy high-production players that the Stars need more of. As they work to construct a stronger presence in their own zone, the restoration of the Stars’ offense to its glory days will probably follow. What the Stars need more of now are consistent, every-night, grinder players who they can count on to rise to the same level of supportive and smart play each night.
Several players had reached a similar status through past seasons, but seemed to drop off during this one. Cody Eakin, Ales Hemsky, and Patrick Sharp‘s production all declined this season, obviously influenced by injury. However, several new players seem primed to step up to these roles.
Antoine Roussel was able to work up to more consistent production, even in the midst of injury. In his 60 games with the Stars, he notched 12 goals and could be argued as one of the more consistent players on the Stars’ current squad- one that we hope is protected in the expansion draft.
The rookie Devin Shore was also able to fill an important gap for the Stars this season. In 82 games, he scored 13 goals and as a young player seems primed to exceed that in following seasons and in better conditions than this season’s. In two less games this season, Klingberg seemed to make efforts to return to his classic two-way style, with another 13 goals scored.
Will these players who are already a part of the Stars team be enough to even out the empty roles left by trades? With players like Devin Shore, perhaps only time will tell if he will turn into a high-production player, or a consistent every-nighter. For sure, the Stars should protect the assets they already have when it comes to the upcoming expansion draft.
However, the Stars should still keep their eyes open for pieces that can be added to the puzzle. Again, Hitchcock doesn’t believe that the Stars need a full-blown rebuild, and I would tend to agree.
Next: A Few More Reasons We're Cool With Missing Playoffs
The Stars need a bit of rewiring and a decent paint job- that is, they need to find and keep motivated players who can carry consistent play on nights when the Stars are clicking, and on nights when they aren’t.