Whether you pay any attention to fantasy sports or not, they can provide a unique perspective for fans. The same goes for hockey. NHL Fantasy recently ranked each team’s top two lines against the rest of the league. The results for the Dallas Stars were rather interesting.
The Dallas Stars have spent the past few seasons boasting one of the best first lines in hockey. That’s not easy to do on a consistent basis. But when Jim Nill is general manager, anything is possible.
This first line dominance all began in 2014-15 when the Stars first experimented briefly with the “Supernova Line” of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Jason Spezza. It wasn’t a long-term solution, but gave Dallas an extra edge and dose of offensive firepower when enacted.
2015-16 was a good year for the Dallas offense overall as they led the league in scoring. Much of that scoring came from their dynamite top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Patrick Sharp. The trio combined for 94 goals and 217 points and turned into one of the most feared top lines in the NHL.
They stuck together for part of the 2016-17 season, though injuries to different members and an overall inconsistency on offense led the Stars to try plenty of different combinations that year.
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But in 2017-18, they were once again reigning supreme with the top trio of Benn, Seguin, and newcomer Alexander Radulov. The three put up 103 total goals and 229 points on the year. That’s a dominant first line.
Part of the reason that group did better than the 2015-16 line statistics-wise, though, was because of the lack of a true second line in 2017-18. While this lacking gave the top line an extended role, it hurt the Stars’ offensive balance and eventually contributed to the team missing the playoffs for a second straight season.
The bottom line is that every team in the NHL is only as powerful as its weakest link. And if the weak link sits in the top six on offense, they could be in for a rough ride.
That’s why as the 2018 offseason approached, it was clear that the Dallas Stars needed to build themselves a capable and powerful second line. Whether it meant trading for scorers or finding quality assets on the free agent market, they needed something to complement the top line and round out the offense overall.
And now that it’s August 1, it doesn’t really look as though they did much at all. At the moment, it seems as though Mattias Janmark will reassume his role as the left winger on the second line, Jason Spezza will slide in as the 2C, and Valeri Nichushkin will return to Dallas on the right wing to round out the top six.
It may seem like a gamble, even though Nill sounds confident in both of his top two lines.
On this past Monday and Tuesday, the folks at NHL Fantasy released their rankings of the top two lines for each of the 31 teams going into 2018-19. As part of their rundown for the fantasy hockey season ahead, they ranked each of the projected top lines in the league as well as each of the projected second lines.
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Whether you are an avid fantasy player for any sport or not, these rankings carry a certain amount of weight to them. After all, the goal in fantasy is to garner the most points from players doing well on your team in order to win a matchup. It’s almost, like, real life.
These rankings were designed to help fantasy hockey players break down the best lines throughout the league in preparation for their drafts. It gives them a chance to see where the best players are playing to start the season and which skaters will be the best options with the biggest payoffs.
The results, as you might guess, are pretty varied for the Dallas Stars.
In terms of first line rankings, the Stars are rightfullyone of the best. The trio of Benn-Seguin-Radulov was ranked by the fantasy writers as the no. 2 top line in the league going into 2018-19. It makes sense after their stellar 2017-18 campaign together, and all three will be looking for big years in the coming season. The only first line that beat them is Boston’s trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak.
That’s a pretty awesome place to be, considering the Stars’ trio beat out teams like the Capitals, Lightning, and Maple Leafs.
When talking about the second line rankings, however, there is a much different tone. The Stars’ second line came in at no. 22 on the list, sitting just above the Canucks’ line and just below the Islanders’ line. That means they’re wedged between two other non-playoff teams. And in total, only two 2018 playoff teams (Colorado and New Jersey) are ranked lower than Dallas on the second line list.
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That’s not the best place to sit, regardless of whether it’s a prediction or not. The NHL Fantasy people must have also been under the assumption that Dallas needed to make a sizable offseason move to add to their top six.
But even so, the trio of Janmark, Spezza, and Nichushkin could end up turning plenty of heads. These three played together on the second line in 2015-16 towards the tail end of the season and into the playoffs and put up solid numbers together. With Spezza’s playmaking abilities, Janmark’s speed and shot, and Nichushkin’s size and skating abilities, they might foster a nice balance to use throughout the season.
The belief in the Dallas Stars’ first line seems full and thorough. But the second line is where some problems arise. Whether those problems are simply premeditated or truthful has yet to be decided. We’ll have to wait until Oct. 4 and on to find out the answer.
Fantasy rankings can be beneficial at times because they give fantasy players something to trust in while also giving typical hockey fans certain things to contemplate.
The Dallas Stars’ top six will definitely be an area of conversation going into the 2018-19 season. Will it hold up?