Blackout Dallas
Fansided

Dallas Stars: Ranking Each Of Jim Nill’s Five Stars Teams

By Josh Clark

DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Lindy Ruff of the Dallas Stars discusses strategy during a timeout against the Los Angeles Kings at the American Airlines Center on December 31, 2013 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Lindy Ruff of the Dallas Stars discusses strategy during a timeout against the Los Angeles Kings at the American Airlines Center on December 31, 2013 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
DALLAS, TX – APRIL 29: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been retouched at the request of the Dallas Stars.) Members of the Dallas Stars pose for the official 2013-2014 team photograph at American Airlines Center on April 29, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – APRIL 29: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been retouched at the request of the Dallas Stars.) Members of the Dallas Stars pose for the official 2013-2014 team photograph at American Airlines Center on April 29, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images) /

3. The 2013-14 Dallas Stars

You may not agree with this team being behind another certain team (*cough* 2017-18 *cough*), but let me explain. And on top of that, don’t let it diminish all that this team did. After all, this was the team that started it all.

Record: 40-31-11 (91 points)

Finished: 5th in Central Division, 8th in Western Conference

Made playoffs/missed playoffs by: Made playoffs

If the 2013-14 Dallas Stars were known for one thing, it was being resilient and beating the odds.

The 2013-14 season was a season filled with firsts for the Stars. It was the first season for Jim Nill as GM and the first season for Lindy Ruff to serve as head coach. Jamie Benn also entered his first season as captain of the Stars and the Stars donned Victory Green and their new logo for the very first time.

And to cap it all off, they somehow found their way into the playoffs.

They definitely didn’t have the build of a playoff team, though, and that’s why I have them at no. 3.

To put things in perspective, take a look at what the Stars’ lineup looked like towards the end of the season.

Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Valeri Nichushkin

Erik Cole – Rich Peverley – Alex Chiasson/Ray Whitney

Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Ryan Garbutt

Shawn Horcoff – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour

Alex Goligoski – Trevor Daley

Jordie Benn – Brenden Dillon

Patrik Nemeth – Sergei Gonchar

Isn’t that a sight to behold?

The 2013-14 Dallas Stars quickly turned into a “flash in the pan” team. Five of the forwards listed above have retired since the end of the 13-14 season, one went to Russia, and the Stars either traded, exposed, or neglected to re-sign four others. If you do the math, that leaves Benn, Seguin, and Roussel as the only players still remaining. On defense, there isn’t a single player still on the Stars roster. That’s shocking considering it was only four seasons ago.

That’s because this Stars team wasn’t built as a contender. They were built as a first step in a remodel and just happened to scrap together enough points for a playoff run. It’s not like they didn’t have some help, though.

Live Feed

New Jersey Devils' Tom Fitzgerald Robbed of Jim Gregory Nomination
New Jersey Devils' Tom Fitzgerald Robbed of Jim Gregory Nomination /

Pucks and Pitchforks

  • Dallas Stars stand fast at the NHL Trade Deadline: Good move or bad? Sports Dallas Fort-Worth
  • Dallas Stars front office takes major pay cut during pandemic Puck Prose
  • 5 teams that didn't do enough at the NHL Trade Deadline FanSided
  • Dallas Stars Bulletin Board: Zuccarello out, the road, and more Sports Dallas Fort-Worth
  • Dallas Stars: Breaking Down the Ben Lovejoy and Mats Zuccarello Trades Sports Dallas Fort-Worth

    • Dallas finished the year as the eight seed but capped off their season on an 8-8-0 run. That’s not typically a stretch that will get you into the playoffs.

    The reason they worked their way into the postseason was largely due to the fact that Arizona, the only other team in contention with Dallas for the eighth seed, suffered a colossal meltdown. Mike Smith went down with an injury in mid-March and left the Coyotes to finish the year on a 3-5-4 note in his absence.

    With that, the Stars still had to battle it out and didn’t clinch a spot until game 81. They were tenth in the league in goals for and 14th in goals against. In other words, they were a pretty average team.

    And when Cody Eakin, Ryan Garbutt, Alex Chiasson, and Ray Whitney make up half of your top eight point producers, it’s hard to go very far.

    But still, Nill’s first season in Dallas was considered a success and built plenty of hype and hope for the future. It was a successful first step, and helped usher in a new era of expectations that the new GM now must live up to.

    Home/Editorials