DALLAS, Tex – The Dallas Stars of the Pacific Division may have placed third in the regular season division standings last season behind Stanley Cup contenders, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, but it was Dallas’s post-season performance where they eventually bowed out in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals to the Detroit Red Wings that had people taking notice. The name mostly associated with the Dallas Stars over their tenure in Dallas has been Mike Modano, but that has changed with Brenden Morrow taking over the captain duties where he led the Stars to an impressive post-season finish last year in the Western Conference Finals. An aging Modano enters his 19th season with the Minnesota/Dallas franchise and, along with the assistance of Morrow and team leading scorer Mike Ribeiro, the three should have no problem putting up the numbers. Dallas has other offensive weapons to compliment Modano, Morrow, and Richards in Jere Lehtinen and Brad Richards. Lehtinen, a solid and productive player will need to stay healthy and log more than 48-regular season games as he did last year. Richards had an impressive debut with the Stars, but his scoring touch cooled down. It wasn’t until the playoffs when Richards heated things up by netting 3 goals and 12 assists in Dallas’s 18 game post-season. His effort tied him for second with Morrow for the most points on the Stars during the team’s cup quest. Dallas has the recipe for post-season success, but the team will need to step up and remain consistent throughout the season where they can establish some momentum to help avoid slumps. Dallas gained a tremendous amount of confidence when all was said and done and carrying that over to the upcoming season will be crucial. Reasons they could Fail: Key members of the Stars roster including goalie Marty Turco, who sits atop the franchise for most wins with 207 and 33 shutouts. Turco will need to remain healthy. Turco’s backup, rookie Tobias Stephan, a second round pick in 2002, has only one NHL game under his belt. That itself can be a factor for this high caliber team. Rookie Watch: Fabian Brunnstrom is a name to watch out for during the season. Over twenty teams wanted to sway the Swede their way, but it was the Dallas Stars who won the Swedish lottery landing Brunnstrom for the upcoming NHL season. How will they Do: Dallas should have no problem repeating the success they tasted last year. It would be a surprise to see the Stars finish in the upper-middle part of the divisional pack, but not so when the team steps up and addresses business in the post-season. Dallas has the potential to go far once again in the playoffs, but getting past teams like Detroit and into the Stanley Cup finals may elude them for a second year in a row. Predicted order of finish San Jose, Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings Contact the author at brian.mclean@prohockeynews.com
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