No one really expected the Stars to miss the playoffs last season, but with a weak defensive core and some suspect offense, Dallas had a horrible season. Also adding to the trouble was the sub par performance put up by Marty Turco. Goaltending was supposed to be the strong point on this Stars team, but lately Turco has not played like a number one goalie. The past two seasons have been mediocre at best with 32 wins in 2008 and just 33 last year. The two years before that, 2006 and 2007, Turco posted 41 and 38 victories.
For the Stars to get back into playoff contention they must have Turco ready to go and play like an All-Star. He most certainly can regain his form and hit the 40 win mark, but the defense in front of him needs to be fixed.
During this summers free agency period the Stars stayed put and didn’t make many moves in improving their defense. The one move the Stars did make to help out their defense was real good, with the addition of Jeff Woywitka. In four seasons in the St. Louis organization, Woywitka has yet to play a full season in the NHL. He has great potential and wasn’t drafted in the first round for nothing. This season, with the Stars in a stand still, Woywitka should get a full season this year, and will open some eyes.
The one real good defender on this team is Stephane Robidas and will play heavy minutes this season which will hurt the Stars’ chances at the playoffs. How much will Robidas possibly have left in the tank at seasons end?
Karlis Skrastins is another defender with some experience, but he really isn’t the most reliable defender and one you don’t want on the ice during crunch time. Beyond Robidas and Skrastins the Stars are real weak at the defense position and will need Woywitka to really step up his game in order for the Stars to have at least one good defensive pair.
Something that shouldn’t have been a problem for the Stars last season was offense, but in the end they weren’t that good. Unfortunately for the Stars two of their three top forwards missed chunks of last season. Brendan Morrow, the team’s captain, only got into 18 games last season, and Brad Richards has yet to play more than 55 games since joining the team three years ago following a trade from Tampa Bay. The one player that did play a full year and did not upset was Mike Ribeiro, as he led the team with 78 points. Over the past two seasons Ribeiro has averaged well over 75 points and more than 20 goals. This season he should be able to match those numbers or even beat them if Richards and Morrow stay healthy. After these three proven scorers there is major drop off in consistency.
For starters, Steve Ott, he is not good and who knows what the hell the Stars see in this goon. Even though last season was his best season in the NHL with 46 points, he still manages to get well over 120 PIM’s. This guy is all about being an asshole and playing the game the dirty way. He may score twenty goals this season, but he will be an in and out type of player who will go into prolonged slumps.
Then there is the so called Swedish superstar Fabian Brunnstrom. He started the season off hot but went into a nice slump the rest of the way, getting into 55 games, and scoring just 17 goals. This from a player who was touted as being a sniper and a sure fire twenty goal scorer. It is safe to say that Brunnstrom is a bust so far and will be one the rest of the way.
Two players that are most definitely on the rise are Loui Eriksson and James Neal. For Eriksson last season was a breakout year when he scored 36 goals to lead the team in that category. He may just be the leading scorer for this team at the end of the season. As for James Neal he showed flashes of the type of player he could become one day, a smart checking forward. In his rookie season he scored 24 goals. Neal and Eriksson surprised many people around the NHL, but most importantly the Dallas coaching staff.
With veterans Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen back for another go around, the younger players will have wise leaders to look up to.
OVERALL--> WITH THAT THE STARS DO HAVE A GOOD OFFENSIVE UNIT, BUT THEIR DEFENSE AND TEAM DEFENSE WAS A MAJOR LET DOWN, AND WILL MOST LIKLEY HURT THEM AGAIN THIS YEAR. MARTY TURCO REALLY NEEDS TO STEP UP HIS GAME AND WILL NEED TO BAIL OUT THE DEFENSE IN FRONT OF HIM. HEAD COACH DAVE TIPPET WILL BE BUSY TRYING TO GET THIS TEAM TO PLAY DEFENSE.
POSITIVE--> THE STARS HAVE SOME GOOD OFFENSIVE PLAYERS AND SOME SOLID YOUTH.
NEGATIVE--> STARTING AND BACK-UP GOALTENDING WILL BE AN ISSUE IF MARTY TURCO DOESN’T GET HIS GAME RIGHT. THE DEFENSE DOESN’T HAVE MANY VETERANS AND IS WEAK.
X-FACTOR--> BRENDAN MORROW IS THE LEADER OF THIS TEAM AND WHEN HE WENT DOWN AFTER PLAYING IN JUST 18 GAMES; THE STARS SEASON WENT DOWN AS WELL. IF HE STAYS HEALTHY AND PLAYS OVER 72 GAMES, THE STARS WILL HAVE A FIGHTING CHANCE TO AT LEAST CHALLENGE FOR A PLAYOFF SPOT.
SLEEPER PICK--> JEFF WOYWITKA, HE WAS BOUNCED FROM ST. LOUIS AND NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND HE IS A BETTER PLAYER, AND WILL PLAY LIKE ONE THIS SEASON.
PREDICTION--> THE DALLAS STARS WILL WIN 38-42 GAMES THIS SEASON, AND BATTLE FOR A PLAYOFF SPOT.
The opinions and thoughts expressed in this or any other article written by 12nadnuk are of his thinking and what he thinks is correct or close to it in the sporting world. If there are any problems by anyone, 12nadnuk is open for rebuttal and what not, and honest criticism. There is also a comments section, so feel free to post what is on your mind about the article. Thank you for reading.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment