After missing the playoffs yet again, the Dallas Stars have some things to fix in the 2018 offseason. A few of these things, however, are priorities that must be addressed. Let’s take a look at some of them.
In April of 2017, the Dallas Stars were in a deep hole. They were missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh time in nine years and had just turned in one of the worst seasons in franchise history. But that wasn’t why they were in a hole.
Instead, it was due to all of the things that the Stars would have to accomplish in the offseason. At the end of the regular season, Dallas compiled a massive checklist of offseason priorities. It was the most intricate and detailed offseason list of general manager Jim Nill‘s time with the Stars.
A new head coach and coaching staff, an elite starting goaltender, veteran help on defense, a top-line right winger, and more forward depth all helped comprise the list. That’s a lot to cover in one offseason, but Dallas needed every bit of it if they wanted to get back to contending in the packed Western Conference.
Jim Nill followed through with yet another offseason for the history books. Within the first month of the offseason, Nill had secured a proven winner in Ken Hitchcock as the Stars’ new coach and traded for veteran starting goaltender Ben Bishop. Two months later, he had acquired defenseman Marc Methot and signed Alexander Radulov, Tyler Pitlick, and Martin Hanzal.
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The Dallas Stars looked replenished, revitalized, and more powerful than ever. The team entered the 2017-18 season with cautious excitement and plenty of potential.
And though they capitalized on that potential for 60 games or so, they missed out on the 82-game season. While the Stars collapsed in the month of March, the rest of the NHL passed them up and left them outside the playoff picture yet again.
Here they are in May 2018 with another failed season still weighing on their shoulders. And while eight teams continue their strife to the Stanley Cup Final, the Stars are looking for a way to regroup and get back into the postseason… again.
Will they be able to do it? After all, the Central Division is growing deeper and stronger with each passing season and the Stars will have to find a way to outlast at least two or three of their divisional rivals.
It can be done, but it will depend on how the Stars approach the 2018 offseason.
Just like in 2017, Dallas has a lot of priorities on their to-do list. Nill will need to find a way to capitalize and fulfill many of these items if they want to successfully pull off a turnaround in the 2018-19 season. But what are the biggest priorities for the franchise?
Let’s take a look at a few of them.