Dallas Stars: Three Reasons They Miss The 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs

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Playing devil’s advocate is never fun, but it’s a necessary evil when it comes to trying to predict the future. As a result, let’s look at some potential factors that could hold the Dallas Stars out of this year’s playoff race.

The NHL is back. And while the Dallas Stars don’t start up play until Thursday night, tonight is the beginning of the big show.

Game one. The 2018-19 season. A new chapter and a new chance to chase greatness and eternal glory for 31 clubs. Well, at least that’s what they might think.

At the beginning of each regular season, every NHL team sets their game plan into motion. They each have a specific set of goals that they want to achieve and have 82 games (or possibly more) to check the boxes.

One common theme between every team centers around winning the Stanley Cup. When asked about what the team’s goal is, members of both the Arizona Coyotes and Washington Capitals will likely point out the Cup as the primary goal.

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But at the end of the day, that’s not a realistic goal for many clubs to set before the season begins. Teams like the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, and Detroit Red Wings already have pretty large odds stacked against them. As a result, their chances rest somewhere between bleak and non-existent. It’s not being harsh, but instead just facing the facts.

As a result, teams and players may set multiple goals for their respective seasons. That’s where the Dallas Stars come into play.

This season, the Stars could very well be a contender for the Stanley Cup. It’s certainly not a shoo-in and it looks as though there are a handful of teams that have a better chance at hoisting it than them, but they could find themselves in the race come April and May.

But that’s not what their main goal needs to be. Instead, their main goal should revolve around simply getting into the playoffs first and foremost.

For three of the past four years, the Dallas Stars have hosted their exit interview day in early April following their last game of the regular season. They have fallen short in the playoff hunt on each of those occasions and been forced to return to the drawing board and try to solve their problems with the offseason. And while that works at times, it’s never guaranteed. The Stars have learned that specifically over the past two years.

As a result, they spent the 2018 summer trying to revamp the team and fill in all of their weak spots. That included forwards for scoring depth, a backup goaltender, a head coach, and a few other areas.