With the NHL season now less than a week away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the Dallas Stars.
Last Season: 34-37-11 record (79 points), sixth in Central Division (missed the playoffs)
Remaining Cap Space: $503K per CapFriendly
Key Additions: G Ben Bishop (trade, Los Angeles), F Martin Hanzal (free agency, Minnesota), D Marc Methot (trade, Vegas), F Tyler Pitlick (free agency, Edmonton), F Alexander Radulov (free agency, Montreal)
Key Departures: F Cody Eakin (expansion, Vegas), F Ales Hemsky (free agency, Montreal), F Jiri Hudler (free agency, unsigned), G Antti Niemi (buyout, Pittsburgh), F Patrick Sharp (free agency, Chicago)
[Related: Stars Depth Chart From Roster Resource]
Player To Watch: G Ben Bishop – Despite the fact that Dallas has been among the top spending teams in goaltending in recent years, the position has been an issue for them for a while now. That’s why they acted quickly to acquire Bishop’s rights from the Kings and then sign him to a six-year, $29.5MM contract.
Bishop isn’t coming off the best of seasons himself though as his .910 save percentage between Los Angeles and Tampa Bay was his lowest in any of his full NHL seasons while it actually checked in below the league average. However, Kari Lehtonen and Niemi combined for a .893 SV% so even if Bishop plays at a similar level in 2017-18, it would represent a significant upgrade over what Dallas received between the pipes last season.
If the 30-year-old can get back to his level of the previous few seasons though, he could wind up being one of the most important acquisitions of the offseason while making Dallas that much closer to being a contender. That’s a lot to ask of any goalie but Bishop’s track record suggests he has the capability to have that type of impact for the Stars.
Key Storyline: The goaltending has been upgraded with Bishop. The offense has been bolstered with Radulov and Hanzal and projects to among the stronger forward groups in the league. GM Jim Nill added Methot to the back end as well but is that enough of an upgrade for a group that struggled last season?
Dallas finds themselves with several blueliners who have higher potential but have yet to reach it just yet in players like Julius Honka, Esa Lindell, and Jamie Oleksiak while veteran Dan Hamhuis is coming off a quiet season himself. Obviously, they’re hoping for continued development from their younger players but this isn’t a group on paper that’s among the best league-wide.
As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Nill try to add some help on the back end at some point during the season. Given their current cap constraints though, they’re going to have a hard time taking another player on without shipping someone out the other way so will the Stars look to deal from their strength up front to get a defensive upgrade? They’ll wait to see what they have first but this situation could be one to watch for as the season progresses.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.