Dallas Stars: Five Bold Predictions For The 2017-18 Season

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It’s September, Dallas Stars fans. In other words, let’s start making some seemingly crazy (but educated) predictions about how the Stars’ 2017-18 season is going to pan out.

It’s hard to believe that eight full months have already passed in the 2017 calendar year. It’s also hard to believe that it’s almost Dallas Stars hockey time in Texas.

In just 35 days (five weeks), the Stars will take the ice at American Airlines Center to kick off the 2017-18 season against the Vegas Golden Knights. Before this, though, Dallas must get through training camp and the preseason.

There are plenty of storylines to follow in both of those events, so for now we’ll just be happy that a form of hockey is back in two weeks.

But once the season gets here, what can we expect from the Dallas Stars? That’s a loaded question. For one, there will be plenty of change. The Stars had a packed offseason and their team looks significantly different on all fronts than it did at the end of last season. As a result, the team will likely have a new swagger to carry them.

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Does that mean more wins and even a playoff berth? That’s still yet to be decided. The Stars look much better on paper and should be a more driving force than they were last season. Still, nothing is set in stone until the team actually hits the ice.

So is there any way of knowing where the Dallas Stars will go this year? Not really. They could shoot for the stars (pun intended) like in 2015-16 or thud back into the atmosphere just like last season. It’s completely up in the air.

But that doesn’t mean that analysts, journalists, beat writers, and fans everywhere can’t log their bold predictions ahead of time, right?

In honor of the month of September finally being here and all of the Dallas Stars hockey excitement being just around the corner, here are a few modest predictions regarding the team in the 2017-18 season. Proceed with caution and an open mind. It will probably help.

DALLAS, TX – NOVEMBER 21: Dallas Stars Left Wing Antoine Roussel (21) celebrates after Right Wing Brett Ritchie (25) scores a goal during the NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars on November 21, 2016, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. Dallas defeats Minnesota 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Dallas Stars: 2017-18 Central Division Champions

Upon first glance, you may not think this is a bold prediction. But let me explain to you why it should be considered as such.

The 2016-17 season gave the Dallas Stars a lot of grief. It also gave them a lot to think about. The Stars turned in an ugly 34-37-11 record with 79 points and finished in sixth place in the Central last year. Only the Colorado Avalanche, who finished dead last and were a whopping 21 points away from 29^th place, finished behind them in the Central standings.

That means that the Stars will hop from sixth to first place in a span of one season. Starting to seem a bit more bold? I thought so. After all, it’s pretty easy to go from first to sixth place in one year. But from sixth to first? Not so much.

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But there is also good reason to believe that Dallas has a legitimate shot at winning their second Central Division title in three years. That’s primarily because of the offseason they had.

The Stars secured some of the best talent that the 2017 offseason had to offer and upgraded every position. GM Jim Nill started the summer off by hiring Ken Hitchcock to be the next head coach not even one week after the final game of the year. Three weeks later, the Stars added a new starting goaltender when Nill traded for and signed elite starter Ben Bishop.

Just a few days before the free agency market opened, the Stars made another move by acquiring defenseman Marc Methot via trade to help stabilize a young blue line. And then the fun part began.

In the first three days of the free agency frenzy, the Stars signed depth forwards Tyler Pitlick and Brian Flynn and added valued veterans in Martin Hanzal and Alexander Radulov. When it was all said and done, the Dallas Stars easily had the best offseason of any team in the league.

Is it going to pay off? It’s too early to tell, but the paper predictions would say so.

The Stars have a good shot at winning the Central title this year, and it’s not just because of their upgraded team. While the Stars excelled, the rest of the Central seems to have not gotten much better and even weakened in some areas.

There are plenty of good arguments to be made that while the Stars upgraded, some their biggest competitors, such as the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues all fell off at least a little. Dallas has a solid chance at making a run for the title if their roster produces the way it is supposed to. That’s the biggest key.

The Central Division is known for its unpredictability, though, and no team can ever be counted out until the final bell. But from the looks of it, the Stars seem to have a good shot at taking it all.

But we cannot forget about the 2017 Western Conference champion Nashville Predators. If anyone has a claim to the Central title, it’s them. It will be fun watching the Stars and Predators duke it out this year, going toe-to-toe in what looks to be one of the most exciting Central Division races in recent memory. But don’t be surprised if this Dallas Stars team turns some heads during their battle to the top.

DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 03: Tyler Seguin /

2. Multiple Stars Will Break The 50-Point Barrier

In today’s NHL, it’s not easy to put up 100+ points like it used to be. 25 years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for at least 10-15 players to put up at least 100 points in each season. Nowadays, it’s deemed extremely impressive if a player hits 80. The game has changed and improvements have been made both in defensive and goaltending schemes, which in turn makes it more difficult to score.

It seems like forever ago that Jamie Benn won the Art Ross Trophy in miraculous fashion even though it was only a little over two years ago. Benn tallied four points in the final game of the 2014-15 season to bring his season total up to 87, just narrowly edging John Tavares for the award in the dying seconds of game 82. The Art Ross is awarded annually to the player with the most regular season points, and Benn’s 87 were enough to carry him to the title.

3. Antoine Roussel’s Breakout Year

The French are known for a lot of things: Napoleon, the Eiffel Tower, all of the wonderful art, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Tour De France. One thing they definitely aren’t known for is producing elite hockey players.

A total of 11 French-born hockey players have skated in an NHL game, and one of those is Dalas Stars forward Antoine Roussel, and he will enter his sixth season of NHL play this year. All five years of his pro career have come in a Dallas Stars uniform, and let’s just say that each year has been much livelier and entertaining because of Roussel’s presence in the lineup.

Roussel is known as one of the feistiest and most aggressive players in the league. His reputation speaks for itself, and he has a knack for getting under the opposition’s skin with his driven attitude and scrappy play. And if you want someone to throw fists with, he’s your man.

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Since the lockout season, Roussel’s role on the team has never really been a demanding one. The Dallas Stars never really ask too much of him or have to rely on him in a given situation. Instead, they let no. 21 provide depth scoring in the bottom six and play the role of aggressor/protector.

And while the Stars will need the same results from Roussel this season, the Frenchman will need to reach new heights. That’s because at the end of the 2017-18 season, Roussel will become an unrestricted free agent.

Since the 2013-14 season, Roussel has been one of the most consistent players in terms of production. In terms of goals, he has turned in 14, 13, 13, 12; in the assists category, he has posted 15, 12, 16, 15; and in points, he has posted 29, 25, 29, and 27. This has all been done between 13:20 and 15:31 on the ice.

The only thing that has not remained consistent, and is something which the Stars should be extremely grateful for, is his penalty minutes. Roussel has dropped his PIM’s each season, going from 209 to 148 to 123 to 115. As a result, he’s becoming a smarter hockey player and a more effective member of the lineup.

But with his contract expiring after this season, Roussel’s chances of making sizable money rest on his performance this year. If he continues to focus on frustrating the opposition and spends a lot of time in the penalty box, the Stars (or any team, for that matter) probably won’t be interested in signing him to a new deal. Dallas has plenty of young talent in the system that needs NHL time, and ditching Roussel would leave them an open spot.

So this year will be his year in the spotlight. Dallas will offer him plenty of opportunities to shine, and it’s up to him to answer the bell. He’ll likely play the same role as he always does, but he has to maximize the chance. Can he hit the 20-goal or 40-point mark, provide smart physicality and keep his same level of energy? That’s asking a lot, but it almost seems like a big, new contract depends on it.

It’s time to see if the Rooster can provide a new edge for Dallas in 2017-18. I’m thinking he’ll find a way to get it done.

ST. LOUIS, MO – NOVEMBER 28: Julius Honka /

4. The Stars Will Have Top-10 Units Across The Board

This might be the boldest prediction of them all. In order to have a top-10 offensive AND defensive unit in the NHL, a LOT has to be done. Even more has to be done when you finished as the 24^th best team in the league last year.

And even though we may say that the 2016-17 Dallas Stars are dead and gone, the current team still has to claw back from last year’s debacle.

On April 8, 2017, the Stars closed the book on their second worst season in franchise history. They missed the playoffs by 15 points, had suffered one of the worst collapses in recent memory after winning the Central a year earlier, and had very little hope.

Dallas Stars

The Stars offense was the best in the league in 2015-16, scoring an average of 3.23 goals per game. In 2016-17, they dropped to 2.71 and 17^th in the league. The defense, on the other hand, went from the 11^th best unit at 2.78 goals against per game to second worst in the league at 3.17.

So how on earth is a mediocre offense and atrocious defense going to transform into top-10 units practically overnight? From a new coaching scheme and helpful offseason additions, of course!

The offense is going to receive a massive upgrade with the additions of Radulov and Hanzal. Both bring experience and precision to the Stars’ lineup and are known for their scoring capabilities among other things. For Radulov, it’s speed: for Hanzal, it’s physicality.

The Dallas Stars forwards will also hopefully benefit from a consistent lineup. Last year, multiple injuries and Lindy Ruff’s constant shuffling of the lines made it difficult for the forwards to find chemistry with each other and score on a consistent basis. If the group can stay healthy this year, this could be a top three offense in the NHL, especially with the top six they boast.

But it’s not the offense that fans are worried about. The Dallas Stars haven’t had any problems with scoring over the past few years. Their problems have come with stopping the puck on the other end.

Last season, the Stars’ two biggest problems were arguably their young and inexperienced defense and their inconsistent goaltending. But this season, that should all be fixed.

Adding Marc Methot will provide a big boost for the Stars’ defense, but Hitchcock’s influence will likely be the biggest difference maker. Hitch is known around the NHL as one of the brightest defensive minds in the game, and the young Dallas blue line offers plenty of talent and skill that can be worked with and incorporated.

Pairing Klingberg with Methot should give the Stars’ a dynamite top duo and could even help Klingberg jump back into the race for the Norris Trophy (bold prediction tidbit). The second pairing will likely feature Dan Hamhuis and Julius Honka, giving Dallas another nice balance of offense and defense. The final pair should feature Esa Lindell and Stephen Johns, giving the Stars’ three pairs that are balanced in terms of offense, defense, physicality, and scoring. Mix that with Hitchcock’s scheme and you could very quickly see the Stars grabbing a top-10 spot and bringing their GAA below even 2.60.

On the goaltending side, the addition of Bishop gives the Stars a Vezina-caliber presence manning their crease. Bishop still has plenty of miles left and is one of the most skilled and respected goalies in the league. But there’s another hidden element in between the pipes: Kari Lehtonen.

There doesn’t seem to be a legitimate reason that would keep Lehtonen from turning in his best year as a Dallas Star this season (bold prediction tidbit). He will transfer from the starter position to the backup position, and that will come with a few perks. It will give Lehtonen more recovery time between games, allow him to focus more on bettering his between starts, and take some stress off of his shoulders after seven years as the starter for the franchise.

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And when you combine the shutdown duo in the crease with a strong and capable blue line, the Stars’ back end could be one of the most threatening ones in the NHL this season. It may seem far-fetched, but this one is definitely a possibility.

Could The Stars Go The Distance In The West?

The final bold prediction for the Dallas Stars’ 2017-18 season is regarding something they have not done in an entire decade: make it to the Western Conference Finals.

In the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Dallas had their Stanley Cup dreams cut short in the WCF at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. Sadly, the Stars have not made it back since.