Dallas Stars Offense Needs Leaders For Proper Depth
Although they’ve added quite a bit of talent this offseason, the Dallas Stars can’t forget that they’ve also unloaded some and they will have to resort to practical and resourceful methods to fill these voids.
For a time of year when no games are scheduled, summer sure is a crazy time to be a hockey fan. It seems each new offseason, teams are reborn and it can take us (and let’s be honest, them) some time to figure out how to integrate pieces of a new identity into the working parts of an old one.
This seems to be working to the Stars’ benefit this summer. Their last-season identity left a lot to be desired, although deep at the core of them is a winning team that wants to get out. Dallas has made a lot of intentional moves to prevent any further stifling of that ability.
Because they’ve gained so much (think Bishop, Radulov, Methot, Hitchcock, the list really goes on), it can seem a little defeatist to spend time pondering what they’ve lost. But in order for the Stars to get this new version of themselves up and running smoothly with as little friction as possible, they must be practical about what they have and what they no longer have.
Something the Stars have never truly lacked is depth. Part of their deep-down winning identity as an organization has been the drive to produce and develop young talent over time. This has always kept Dallas with a constant supply of young, hungry, and talented players ready to work their way into the NHL.
Dallas Stars
After the most recent draft, we can’t say that drive has changed very much. However, the Stars have also always had choices when it came to third and fourth, even second, line offensive depth. Guys like Cody Eakin, Patrick Eaves, Patrick Sharp, and Ales Hemsky- although not always players with booming production- were always ready to grind it out and provide the team with consistent effort.
As always, injuries and slumps can get in the way of good things. These factors have interfered with each of these players, but now the Stars have parted ways with each of them for good (it seems). And the benefit they had over young, freshly drafted players or AHL players is simple: experience and age.
Currently, with trades and moves over the last few seasons, the Dallas Stars have added in more supplementary offensive depth, but the depth guys with the most experience are suddenly no longer on the roster.
Jason Spezza and Antoine Roussel are arguably the most experienced forwards left outside of Hitchock’s presumed desired first line. The Stars have tons of young talent to fall back on; Devin Shore and Radek Faksa have been among the most dependable and promising.
But what about this experienced-depth forward vacuum? What are the Stars to do? Most of the leadership, age, and experience for the Stars falls squarely within the first two lines.
BUT is that such a bad thing? Yes, we want third and fourth lines that can compete and that leave no weak links in what Dallas has prided itself on in the past as a solid offense. However, it’s not a matter of whether or not these younger guys can compete. Shore and Faksa have proven that much. What is in question, though, is the maturity, drive, and perseverance (more metal than physical) that these guys can bring to the table.
Read More: Is There Anything Left For The Stars To Do This Offseason?
The simple solution is for the guys who used to be the rookies and the kids to step up for the Stars. Brett Ritchie and Curtis McKenzie have both been around for a while now and seem prime for this kind of role. The Stars’ roster also currently boasts several other older depth forwards who, if they can prove some grit, diligence, and determination, could be wonderful anchors for the team on the bottom two lines.
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Adam Cracknell and recent additions Martin Hanzal and Brian Flynn are really in a position to step up to the plate this season. This past season was Cracknell’s first one with the Dallas Stars, and he ended it with 16 points in 69 games.
Hanzal and Flynn are both new arrivals, with Hanzal known for his ability to contribute in multiple areas, while Flynn has gained some knowledgable experience through a few seasons in Montreal.
But now, as the Dallas Stars hold their development camp, they’ll be discerning which young players are up and coming. Still, it will be a while before any of these players will develop into the type of veteran presence that the Stars have lost for their bottom two lines.
In the meantime, the best approach is for the Stars – Hitchcock, specifically – to spend some time before the season begins grooming some of these in-between players for leadership. Hitchcock has mentioned the player-leader dynamic in interviews multiple times, saying that he has high hopes for players like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.
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That spells out some great things for the first and second lines. If the Dallas Stars want to merge the offensively threatening Stars of old with their new, progressive mentality, then they will need to start preparing for it now by allowing once-rookies to transition into their new roles as leaders on the bottom lines.