Well, it's Thanksgiving Day, and everyone is ready to eat and watch the Cowboys stink it up on the field against the New York Giants. When people gather around the dinner table to enjoy a feast, they try to avoid politics during an election season or who brought the best dish. If you are a Dallas Stars fan, there are so many things that you can be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The Stars have one of the top goaltenders locked up for the next eight seasons, which is one of those thankful reasons.
I want to do something different this season. Instead of talking about what I'm personally thankful for, I want to talk about things that Stars' fans should be thankful for this year. The fact the Stars have been one of the surprising teams the past two seasons is good. The fact that the Stars are able to sign Matt Duchene to another one-year deal is another thankful reason. Here are four things to be thankful for that are related to the Dallas Stars.
Dallas Stars Thankful Things: 4. A Prospect System
Ever since Jim Nill became the General Manager of the Dallas Stars, he has been trying to build one of the best prospect systems in the league. He has been able to draft players such as Jake Oettinger, Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven, and others is just amazing. We have seen the Stars bring up their players from the AHL and be able to plug them into the team. The Stars have such a deep prospect system, which is one of those things for which Stars fans should be thankful.
Dallas Stars Thankful Things: 3. Jake Oettinger
Oettinger is another thing Stars fans should be thankful for. The fact the Stars have developed their next franchise goaltender is nothing short of awesome. You can thank the Chicago Blackhawks for wanting to trade up in order to get who they wanted. If the Blackhawks didn't want to trade up, Oettinger would have terrorized the Stars every season. The fact the Stars locked him up for another eight seasons means they won't have to go through a carousel of trying to find another starting goaltender.
Dallas Stars Thankful Things: 2. Matt Duchene
I was very concerned when Nill signed Matt Duchene two offseasons ago. Even though it was a one-year contract for a million dollars, Duchene has been a producer on the ice for the Stars for the past two seasons. His veteran presence has unlocked Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment's scoring capabilities. I have enjoyed watching Duchene being the leading goal-scorer for the Stars this season. Maybe next offseason, Duchene will want to stay in Dallas for a couple more seasons.
Dallas Stars Thankful Things: 1. Pete DeBoer
The last thing fans should be thankful for is Pete DeBoer. When the Stars announced they hired him as the next head coach of the Dallas Stars, everyone looked at his coaching record in Vegas with the Golden Knights. While the Stars haven't made the Stanley Cup Finals the past two seasons, making it to the Western Conference Finals has been a fun ride for the fanbase. I know last night's game didn't match DeBoer's expectations for the Stars, but you must admit he's brought hockey back to relevance in Dallas.