Dallas Stars Details
With a 6th place finish in the Central Division last season, the Dallas Stars were never much of a threat to the four teams that made it to the postseason in that division. Coached by Lindy Ruff, the Stars had the 2nd worst defense in the league and just the 17th best offense. Finishing with a 34-37-11 record and 79 points, the Stars missed the playoffs and coach Ruff was relieved of his duties. After the season wrapped up, former Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock was named as Ruff’s replacement and will look to build a Stars team that can compete with the likes of Chicago, Minnesota, St. Louis , and Nashville.
Some of the Stars’ best return as well as some fresh faces. Dallas signed former Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop to a six-year deal after having little success with the team’s two current goaltenders in 2016-17. Kari Lehtonen will certainly still see time between the pipes, even after a poor 22-25-7 record and a 2.85 goals against average. But time will tell if Bishop takes over the starting job after a 2016-17 season where he finished 18-15-5 with a 2.54 goals against average for both Tampa and a short Los Angeles stint. Leading scorer Tyler Seguin, Dallas’ top-line center, returns after a very good offensive season. He finished with 72 points and 26 goals. Winger Jamie Benn also returns as captain after a 2016-17 season where he tallied 26 goals and 43 assists in 77 games. Jason Spezza and defenseman John Klingberg will also return as the Dallas Stars try to win and win often, especially at home in American Airlines Center.