Dallas Stars: Top Five Things To Get Excited About In 2017-18 Season
It seems as though the Dallas Stars are in for another new era in the 2017-18 season after a fruitful offseason. With that being said, here are five things to be ecstatic about as we count down the days until opening night.
Welcome to the month of August, Dallas Stars fans. It’s the most barren month of the year on the hockey calendar.
From October to April, the regular season is in full swing, giving hockey fans all the action they could ever ask for. April to June gives us the hustle and excitement of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And finally, late June through July gives us the NHL Draft, the annual free agency frenzy, and development camp to follow.
Then you have August, the month where literally NOTHING goes on around the NHL. We might be lucky to see one or two small-time free agent signings and some action in the junior leagues, but that’s about it. The month is simply a quiet one that seems to drag out the hopes and desires of hockey fans.
It’s rather cruel, but it happens every year. And we always seem to find a way to get through it, so it should be no different for August 2017. Over the next month, we’ll try our best to keep you entertained and continue to feed your need and desire for hockey.
For Dallas Stars fans, this particular August is probably settling in just as the last three or four Augusts have: with a heightened craving for Stars hockey due to lofty expectations.
It’s been a common theme throughout Jim Nill’s tenure as general manager. He finds a way to secure a few big names each offseason and seemingly revamp the roster, giving everyone hopes of a deep playoff run. And, as we’ve seen, it pays off at times and falters at others.
This August will be no different. Stars fans are excited after their team had what many call the best offseason of any team across the NHL. But there is always reason to doubt, and it is probably a good idea to wait until the team hits the ice before making any predictions.
Still, it should be an exciting year for Dallas for plenty of reasons. Here are five things that should get you giddy about the Dallas Stars’ 2017-18 campaign.
1. Opening Night
This one should be obvious.
Between the Expansion Draft reveal and the NHL Entry Draft came the regular season schedule release for all 31 teams back in June. As the other teams released their home openers on the day of the Expansion Draft reveal right as the 11:00 a.m. mark hit, the Stars remained quiet.
After a few minutes of unnecessary hyperventilating, the Dallas Stars social media team released a clever gif of a slot machine that revealed the Stars’ opening night opponent to be the Vegas Golden Knights. It will be the first regular season game in Vegas franchise history and gives the Stars a chance to give the Knights a “warm welcome” into the league.
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Oil On Whyte
So on October 6, the Dallas Stars will welcome the Golden Knights to the American Airlines Center for their opening night game. And you can be assured that you won’t want to miss it.
This will be the Knights’ first game in franchise history, and could be considered to be their “prove it” game. In other words, after spending an offseason stocking up on draft picks and young talent, not many are expecting the Knights to be dangerous this coming season or even the season after that.
But the veteran players on the team will obviously want to change that speculation. It’s no fun playing for a team abandoning the present for the future, so all of the new Knights that have been in the league for years will be wanting to make a strong first impression. One of those players is former Star Cody Eakin, who spent the past five seasons of his six-year pro career with Dallas.
Meanwhile, the Stars will be aiming to win a third straight opening night game in front of what should be another sold out home crowd. With their new talent, the Stars are looking like a completely different team than the one that ended the 2016-17 season with an ugly 34-37-11 record and 79 points.
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Vegas will be trying to earn a reputation while the Stars will be aiming to reclaim their 2015-16 reputation as one of the best teams in the league.
There’s so many good things about this game, and there will certainly be some sparks. Be excited that it’s only 67 days away (though you probably already knew that).
2. The “Scary Good” Top Line
The Dallas Stars made plenty of noteworthy offseason additions this summer. They brought in head coach Ken Hitchcock, goaltender Ben Bishop, and defenseman Marc Methot before the free agency market even opened up on July 1. And once it did, the Stars were right back at it, adding more talent.
They added Martin Hanzal along with some other depth forwards on the first day of free agency, but landed the big prize two days later when they announced the signing of right wing Alexander Radulov.
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Union and Blue
Going into the offseason, the Stars had three big positions to fill: starting goaltender, top-pairing defenseman, and top-six right wing. After filling the first two in May and June, Dallas needed a powerful right wing to play alongside Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, and pending UFA Alexander Radulov fit the bill.
But after the first day of July passed and the Stars-Radulov talks died down, the high hopes were quickly disappearing. On July 3, they were restored when Dallas landed one of the top wingers in the free agency class on a very manageable deal.
And now the Dallas Stars have a top line that could very well rival the 2015-16 line of Benn-Seguin-Sharp as the best top line in the Nill era. Benn, Seguin, and Radulov have the potential to not only be the best top line in recent Stars history, but also in the NHL this season.
As you know, Benn and Seguin are perhaps the most consistent and dynamic duo in the league. Benn provides physicality, well-roundedness, and a decisive scoring touch while Seguin offers blistering speed and a rocket of a shot. Adding Radulov will only further their talents.
Radulov is a playmaking forward that can score a beautiful goal, set up a teammate with a flashy assist, and even singlehandedly take games into his own hands when the team needs him. He had 18 goals and 36 assists last season with the Montreal Canadiens, making him second on the team in terms of points. Putting him alongside Benn and Seguin gives the first line a new world of opportunities.
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If this line can get on the same page early in the season and stick together, they have the potential to be the most feared line in the NHL. If you’re a Stars fan, be happy that your team won’t have to go up against this at any point in the season.
3. Ben Bishop’s Abilities
It’s been a long time since the Dallas Stars faithful have had a starting goaltender that they can sink 100 percent of their trust into. Kari Lehtonen has attempted to be that goalie for the past seven years, and while he has succeeded a majority of the time, there are certain times (*cough* playoffs *cough*) where he tests the confidence of fans.
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That’s why the arrival of a goaltender like Ben Bishop was absolutely essential this offseason. Dallas has needed to solidify their net for a long time now, and Bishop will hopefully be the one to help them do that. The last few seasons have been littered with Dallas trying to fill their void in the crease with mediocre goaltenders, and it never works out well.
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With Bishop, the Dallas Stars are getting more than just a regular starter in the net. They are getting a former Vezina candidate with incredible size, great reflexes, excellent vision, tremendous poise, and strong puck-handling skills.
He spent the past four seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning (along with a short stint in LA), and shone bright for the Bolts during his time in the crease, posting a .921 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average.
Bishop is an exciting goaltender to watch, and his saves provide entertainment for fans. With him in net for 50+ games with the Stars next year, Dallas has a flashy monster in the pads that they can rest their faith in.
If Bishop just does Bishop things this year, the Dallas Stars crease will be one of the most dominant across the league. And though you probably forgot what that feels like, it’s fun to watch.
4. The Potential May Be The Most Exciting Part
Though it isn’t as exciting or rewarding as results, potential carries a lot of weight. It practically sets the bar for teams and determines the expectations for each team for the season ahead.
For the Dallas Stars, their potential is bordering unbelievable. In one offseason, they went from the cellar dwellers of the Western Conference to a team that could compete for the Stanley Cup in 2018 as long as everything falls into place as projected.
That is easier said than done, of course, but the Stars are in good shape (at least on paper) right now.
Adding Ken Hitchcock was a critical first step in improving the team back in April. His presence on the bench will help greatly improve the Stars in their weakest area last season: defense. Signing Ben Bishop gives the Stars a one-two punch in the crease. Trading for Marc Methot provides Dallas with a powerful and quality defender to pair with John Klingberg on the top pairing. And finally, signing Martin Hanzal and Alexander Radulov gives the Stars a new dimension on offense.
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The things that a roster like this could achieve are astronomical. And while nothing is certain until the team hits the ice in October, they definitely did all that they could this offseason to address the weak points and reignite the roster.
Potential is a fun word to mess around with. The Dallas Stars have a world of potential in the upcoming year, as we have made evident over the past month here at Blackout Dallas.
There is so much to do and so much that can be done with a lineup like this. All they have to do is go out and prove it.
The potential and possibilities should be enough to get you overwhelmingly excited (and nervous).
5. The 25th Anniversary In Texas
In 1993, the city of Dallas and the state of Texas changed forever as they welcomed their first NHL hockey franchise. Some said it couldn’t be done or that it would never work. But 25 years later, it’s safe to say that the naysayers were wrong. That’s worthy of a celebration.
And that’s exactly what the Dallas Stars are doing this season with their 25th anniversary celebration, culminating their first 25 years in Texas since moving from Minnesota.
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The Stars’ 20th anniversary was largely overshadowed by the lockout in 2012-13, but the 25th looks to be completely unhindered and ready for a Texas-sized welcome. Dallas will wear patches with the 25th anniversary logo on their jerseys for the entirety of the season and will hopefully ring in the 25th year with productive and positive results both on and off the ice.
The franchise has plenty of fun and exciting events planned for the season, with the biggest one coming on November 24th when the Dallas Stars retire Jere Lehtinen’s number 26. Lehtinen played his entire 14-season career with Dallas and was one of the prime factors in growing the game of hockey in Big D.
In addition to Lehtinen’s number retirement, the organization will also have plenty of special guest appearances, including former Stars players, at certain weekend home games to help celebrate the festivities.
After the postseason ends, the city of Dallas will receive another large present as they host the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. All in all, the 25th anniversary season will have all sorts of exciting events attached to it.
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While you await puck drop on the 2017-18 season (or even training camp, for that matter), make sure to remember all of the exciting things heading your way this year. The Dallas Stars have a lot to look forward to this season, and there’s plenty of enthusiasm to go around. Keep passing it on and the regular season will be here before you know it.