The Dallas Stars did a lot of good things in the 2017 offseason and seem to be ready to go against the best in the league. But here are a few reasons why this seemingly perfect offseason could leave Dallas in a similar boat to last year.
Have you ever planned a party before? You go about your business, putting in all the necessary energy and work and forming what seems to be the perfect shindig.
All of the food is ready, the events are planned, the decorations are set, and the guest list is confirmed. And then, it happens.
An uninvited person shows up and ruins all of the fun. Half of the guest list is allergic to one of the key ingredients in the meals. Someone spills all of the drinks. The power goes out. Half of the group doesn’t even show up.
It could be any number of things. The point is, something goes terribly wrong and seems to ruin all of the hard work you put into it. The party doesn’t go as planned and it’s an absolute letdown.
Dallas Stars
This feeling can be felt in a number of ways, including with your favorite hockey team. Take the Dallas Stars for example.
The 2017 offseason has been the Stars’ best offseason in a long time for a number of reasons. Following a catastrophic 2016-17 campaign in which Dallas finished sixth in the Central Division and 11th in the Western Conference, Jim Nill made a massive overhaul on his team’s structure.
He hired a new head coach Ken Hitchcock, acquired a new starting goaltender in Ben Bishop, added defensive stability by trading for defenseman Marc Methot, and brought in offensive firepower with the additions of Martin Hanzal and Alexander Radulov. In short, the Stars arguably had the best offseason of any team in the NHL and skipped over the thought of a rebuild and back into contention talks.
But before any talks of a Stanley Cup run can happen, the Dallas Stars have to do something that has stymied them in two of the past four seasons: make the postseason.
On Tuesday, I put up an article listing some potential reasons that the Stars will make the playoffs with relative ease. But there are two sides to every potential story.
With that being said, it’s time to play devil’s advocate. Here are a few reasons why the Dallas Stars making the playoffs this season might be a little more difficult than expected.