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Dallas Stars: Five 2018 Offseason Priorities For Team

By Josh Clark

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: Tyler Seguin #91 of the Dallas Stars celebrates scoring a first period goal with teammates against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on March 20, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: Tyler Seguin #91 of the Dallas Stars celebrates scoring a first period goal with teammates against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on March 20, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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5. Draft The Perfect Prospect At No. 13

This may seem like an obvious priority simply because it should always be one regardless of the year or situation. Using draft picks to their utmost advantage is always a necessity because it helps breed internal competition and strength.

When you look around the league, the best teams are not built on free agency endeavors. Drafting solid prospects with high upsides is the key to success in today’s league and building around youth as much as possible is the best recipe for long-term success.

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    • This is one explanation as to why the Dallas Stars have missed the playoffs in eight of the past ten years. After a horrific stretch of drafting under GM Joe Nieuwendyk that included Scott Glennie, Jack Campbell, and Jamie Oleksiak as first round picks, Nill came in and tried to stop the bleeding.

    And while the Stars have done well drafting in rounds 2-7 in recent years, their first round picks haven’t been at the top of the production chain. Valeri Nichushkin has been playing in Russia for the past two seasons, Jason Dickinson has 38 NHL games under his belt since being drafted in 2013, Julius Honka was underused and left in the press box in what was supposed to be a breakout year for the defender, and Denis Gurianov is still trying to take the next step in the AHL.

    Miro Heiskanen broke the trend last year by being drafted at no. 3. He’s a franchise defender that could break the mediocre streak of first round picks in Dallas.

    But this year’s pick could further reinforce that, and the Stars need to make sure it does.

    At the recent NHL Draft Lottery, the Dallas Stars received the 13th pick in the 2018 Draft. While that’s not necessarily the luxury they received last year, it still gives them a chance to draft a quality prospect that could make a splash soon.

    And that’s what they need. Dallas could very well find a young talent at no. 13 that could slot into the lineup within the next year or two depending on if they make the right choice. They could still use depth on offense and need to consider all available options at their pick as well as which ones fit the organization best.

    No. 13 gives the Stars an opportunity that is reserved for non-playoff teams to build on their future. And after a few years of rocky drafts, this year needs to be surefire.

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