The Dallas Stars have a fairly challenging overall schedule that begins in Winnipeg. It doesn't get any easier as they travel to the Colorado Avalanche before returning home for their home opener at the American Airlines Center. With Glenn Gulutzan returning to take over the Dallas Stars, it could be a bumpy start to the season as the new system is implemented. However, the Stars have the preseason to work on it until it's nearly perfect.
There are numerous points in the schedule where the Stars will face off against some tough teams. One stretch of the season, in particular, sees the Stars on the road for a couple of weeks in January, going up against some tough teams. However, it's not the point in the season that I'm worried about. It could derail the Stars' chances of making the playoffs next year. Here is one part of the schedule I'm most concerned about heading into next season.
That one part of the season I'm most concerned about is the Olympic break. It's essentially two parts: the Stars' players who are in the Olympics and those who are not. While I do hope the Stars' players get to represent their countries in February, I'd rather they be in Frisco working on their game if the Stars are having issues during those couple of weeks the NHL is off. We already know three of the Finnish Mafia players on the team will be participating in the Olympics. However, Jake Oettinger and others may also participate, and their participation may be announced later on before the Olympics begin.
I know Oettinger wants to represent Team USA by being their starting goaltender. I genuinely hope his dreams come true next February. However, the last thing the Stars need going into the final quarter of their schedule is a frazzled Oettinger if they haven't secured their playoff spot. You also don't want him to get injured and possibly be out for the rest of the season. It's one of those catch-22s that fans will have to answer when the Olympics come around.
The other thing that you don't want to happen is for a forplayer to go cold during the Olympic break. You saw how Matt Duchene froze up after the Four Nations Faceoff last season. It got the Stars into a losing skid going into the playoffs. I'd rather have the players feeling good coming out of the Olympic break by practicing during the break. I know Gulutzan will tell them to rest up, but I'm concerned it could affect the scoring for a couple of games after the break.
In conclusion, the last thing the Stars need is a bunch of players going cold during the Olympic break by sitting out two weeks. You could also say you don't want them to get injured overseas at the same time. It's just one of those things the Stars are going to have to deal with every four years if they continue to allow the NHL to send their hockey players to the Olympics. For now, let's focus on training camp and the preseason as the Stars prepare for their grueling schedule.