Dallas Stars’ Offseason Additions Add To Stanley Cup Desire

The 2017 offseason saw a lot of new talent make their way to the Dallas Stars organization. The common thread between them? None of them have won a Stanley Cup. That bodes well for the Stars.

The Dallas Stars have come a long way since April 8, 2017.

After defeating the Colorado Avalanche in the final game of their 2016-17 season, the Stars entered a long and unforgiving offseason. They had just finished the second-worst season in franchise history and needed to generate a quick turnaround. The only problem was that they had a lot to fix.

Luckily, GM Jim Nill got an early start and hit the NHL offseason hard. He had a to-do list to focus on and needed to make a lot of changes before the 2017-18 season began. The Stars were in a hole and had a short timeframe to right the ship.

Nill responded quickly and efficiently, adding a new head coach in Ken Hitchcock in the first week of summer. He followed that move up by securing goaltender Ben Bishop to be the Dallas Stars’ next starter in net.

Dallas Stars

Then the real portion of the offseason came along. Once the Stanley Cup Playoffs ended, Nill continued to put in work. He successfully navigated the expansion draft and brought in defenseman Marc Methot before the free agency market even opened. But July 1 was when things got really fun.

On the first day of the free agency market opening, Nill brought in forward Martin Hanzal. Two days later, he secured the most skilled winger on the market in Alexander Radulov. In addition to these, he also made a series of minor additions that helped increase the Stars’ depth.

In other words, Nill covered all of the bases this summer. He beefed up all of the Dallas Stars’ weak spots and has the team looking not only like a playoff contender, but also a Cup contender.

And despite the variety of players that he acquired this offseason, they all share one common thread: they have never hoisted the Stanley Cup.

During the 2015 offseason, Nill added a hefty amount of talent after the Stars missed the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His additions not only brought increased skill, but also more experience (especially in the playoffs).

Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya, and Antti Niemi were the three big additions in that offseason. There were six Stanley Cups between the three of them, giving Dallas some much-needed postseason experience.

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This time around, the Stars got the skill, but the Stanley Cup experience is missing. That may seem like a negative aspect, but it should come back to help the Stars in the long run.

The reason why is because Stanley Cup experience only gets you so far. The hunger and desire for a Cup (and a first Cup, at that) is what makes the gears turn. That is what the Dallas Stars need.

With Sharp, Oduya, and Niemi, the Stars made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, they fell to the Blues in seven games. The “experience” did not help carry a relatively young Stars group to the Cup like some thought it would.

Going into this season, the Stars have one Stanley Cup between them (being Tyler Seguin in 2011).  In addition to that, the Dallas roster is stocked with veteran talent. Bishop, Methot, Hanzal, Radulov, Jason Spezza, and Kari Lehtonen are just a few of the veterans still in search of their first Cup.

Next: Three Big Questions Facing The Stars In 2017-18

The desire is building up, and that will help boost the drive within the team. This Dallas Stars team has a lot of potential, but very little Stanley Cup experience. Just about every member of the team shares one common goal: to lift the Cup FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Experience can get a team a long way, but only desire can carry the team to the top. These new recruits should help boost that desire. 16 days.