Dallas Stars Predicted To Win Central, Lose In Second Round By THN

The Hockey News Yearbook for 2017-18 is out, and as we all expected, they have the Dallas Stars doing some pretty big things. Take a look at all of their projections and rankings.

The Dallas Stars have a lot riding on the 2017-18 season.

After a disastrous 2016-17 campaign that saw Dallas take a roster seemingly stacked with talent and turn in the second worst season in franchise history, it was clear that something needed to be done.

So naturally, GM Jim Nill went out and did EVERYTHING. He upgraded the offense by signing Martin Hanzal and Alexander Radulov, bolstered the blue line by trading for Marc Methot, and gave the crease an entirely new look with the addition of goaltender Ben Bishop.

Nill deliberately went all in with the “win now” motive and did everything in his “general managing” powers to prepare the team for a thrilling run in 2017-18. All that he can do now is hope that the supposed success translates to on the ice under the reign of head coach Ken Hitchcock.

Dallas Stars

It’s no doubt that the Dallas Stars have some of the most elite talent in the league at the moment. Combining Radulov and Hanzal on offense along with an already present trio of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Jason Spezza gives the team a multidimensional and threatening scoring attack.

Their young corps on defense is only getting better and could have a breakout year under a new head coach that specializes in defense. And finally, bringing Bishop in to be the new starter will not only give the Stars consistency and balance in between the pipes, but also an elite player with an abundance of skill.

But none of this matters until the team proves their worthiness on the ice. Opening night is less than 60 days away when the Stars take on the Vegas Golden Knights and officially kick off their 2017-18 campaign. Until then, all we can do is speculate about how the season will pan out.

The Hockey News is already projecting about the season ahead, but they are doing it on a league-wide basis instead of team-wide. And according to THN, the Dallas Stars are in for some exciting things this season.

I’ll dig into their Dallas Stars-specific report at a later date, but for now, let’s take a look at where they see the Stars going. As I said, they are expecting big things out of the team just as Stars fans are.

THN projects that the Stars will win the Central Division title this year, making it their second title in the past three seasons. They will finish in first, with Nashville and Chicago rounding out the top three.

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As the Stars enter the playoffs, they will meet up with Hitchcock’s former team, the St. Louis Blues, in the first round. The Blues will be the first wild-card team in the West and will consequently face the Stars, who are projected to be second in the Western Conference behind the Anaheim Ducks.

THN projects that the Stars will defeat the Blues in the first round and advance to the Western Conference semifinals for the second time in three years. But, as they did in 2016, the Stars are projected to drop in round two at the hands of the Nashville Predators. Nashville is projected to make it to the third round before being knocked out by the Edmonton Oilers, who are estimated to be Stanley Cup-bound.

Though you may not want to believe it, this is a pretty realistic projection for Dallas. This will be their first year under head coach Ken Hitchcock, and it’s unlikely that they will magically become an elite team overnight. They have a chance to do some serious damage in the regular season, but the playoffs are an entirely different animal, especially with a young Stars team such as this.

Next: Counting Down The Days Until Dallas Stars Stuff

It’s only the first year, but the Dallas Stars are in a good position to be a contender for the next few years. This is only year one, and it’s expected to be an exciting one. Let’s hope they can live up to the hype.