The Dallas Stars will be looking to make a new beginning for the 2010-2011 Season. For the first time in franchise history, Dallas will begin the season without Mike Modano, after the Stars decided not to give their former captain an offer during the summer. Also gone is longtime net-minder Marty Turco, who became expendable after the acquisition of Kari Lehtonen from the Atlanta Thrashers last February. The Stars are also hopeful that the sale of the team can be finalized soon, providing some much needed stability in the front office so that second year GM Joe Nieuwendyk knows what direction to take this team.
Regardless of whether or not the ownership issues are settled quickly, Dallas will face an uphill battle to reach the playoffs, as only Columbus and Edmonton allowed more goals in the Western Conference. The additions of Andrew Raycroft, Adam Burish, and Brad Lukowich aren’t very likely to change that either. The bad news for Dallas is that the Pacific Division appears to be very solid. San Jose is still among the cream of the crop as far as the regular season is concerned. Los Angeles is on the verge of great things after years of rebuilding. Phoenix looks to be a legit playoff contender and Anaheim still has one of the most dangerous lines in hockey with Getzlaf, Perry, & Ryan. Dallas will have a chance to forge their own destiny though as 11 of their final 20 games are against division foes and eight others are against Western Conference teams.
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Up front, the top two lines look solid as Dallas had 6 players score 20 plus goals last year and Mike Ribeiro, who had 19 goals in 66 games, should be a lock to score 20. Brendan Morrow seemed almost returned to form after missing most of the 2008-2009 season after having knee surgery. Brad Richards matched his career high 91 points, while youngsters Jamie Benn and James Neal contributed 22 and 27 goals respectively. One of the key pieces though is winger Loui Eriksson, who has increased his points total every year he’s been in the NHL. He’s added 65 goals over the last two seasons and seems to be a consistent scoring threat for years to come. However, after the top six, only Steve Tot had more than 10 goals last season so if injuries are a problem among the top six forwards it will be a very long season for Dallas.
Defense is a major weakness for the Stars as they allowed 244 goals against last year, good for 23rd in the league. The team did nothing to address this issue, as the only defenseman they added, Lukowich, probably won’t start the season with the big club. Stephane Robidas nearly doubled his career best points total as he led all Star defenseman with 41 points last year. A break out season from Matt Niskanen could help provide another source of points from the back end. The team will also need youngsters Niklas Grossman and Mark Fistric to step up their game, as well as veteran Karlis Skrastins to find his mean streak in order to cut down the goals against. Smooth skating Trevor Daley rounds out the top six.
Goaltending is the major question mark facing the Dallas Stars as they enter the season. After letting Turco go, it’s time for Kari Lehtonen to finally show he can be among the games best. Ability is not a concern for Lehtonen as he has posted a save percentage better than .910 over the last three seasons. He has however, only played 106 games over those seasons. When healthy, Lehtonen can be a game stealer. If injuries continue to plague Lehtonen then the Stars will have to either make a move, or use the inconsistent Andrew Raycroft or longtime minor leaguer Brent Krahn.
Like most teams, goaltending and health will be the biggest concern facing the Dallas Stars as they begin the 2010-2011 season. So, as the season goes on, all eyes will be focused on Kari Lehtonen. Even if he stays healthy and shows game- to- game consistency, the Stars will probably lack the depth to make a serious push for the playoffs. With that being said, in the modern NHL with so many teams in the hunt year in and year out, perhaps the stars might just be aligned for a return to the post season for these Stars.
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