The Dallas Stars have improved this offseason. But nothing happens in a vacuum. Let’s take a look at what the other teams in the Central Division have been up to this summer.
In the Jim Nill era, the Dallas Stars have been big offseason winners. From Jason Spezza to Tyler Seguin to Alexander Radulov, Nill has consistently made significant moves to acquire big names through free agency and trades.
Despite being linked to big offseason names like John Tavares and Erik Karlsson, neither of whom made sense on the Stars roster, Dallas has only made minor moves, effectively patching leaks instead of bringing in the bulldozer. These moves, while small, should make the Stars better in 2018-19.
But what about the rest of the Central Division? The Dallas Stars finished sixth in the Central in 2017-18, so it’s not like they were the cream of the division. Any moves the Stars make can’t be viewed through a narrow lens and must be seen through the context of the moves their divisional foes have made.
And what of their competition? Everyone knows that in hockey, you’re only as good as the other teams in the division allow you to be. If the Dallas Stars made some small, “hole filling” moves while the Wild and Avalanche made massive enhancements, how will the Stars find a way to gain ground after finishing below those teams in the standings last year.
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There’s a lot that goes into how a division functions and eventually pans out. It all starts with what each team does to better themselves in the offseason and prepare to compete.
And after finishing sixth last season, the Dallas Stars seemingly have a lot of ground to cover if they want to bounce back into the top three or four and get into the playoffs. It’s doable, but will take a lot of success when going up against the toughest division in hockey. But how will their opposition look?
Let’s take at the transactions made by the other Central Division teams this offseason.