2012-13 record: 22-22-4 (48 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: TBA
The Dallas Stars have missed the playoffs since 2009, and their most recent miss led to some major changes with owner Tom Gaglardi finally able to make his own imprint on the team. Gone: Glen Gulutzan as head coach, Joe Nieuwendyk as General Manager, and since the midway point of last season, Loui Eriksson, Michael Ryder, Jaromir Jagr, and Brenden Morrow. Incoming is Jim Nill as General Manager, Lindy Ruff as head coach, and Sergei Gonchar, Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, and Valeri Nichushkin. The biggest change for the Stars, however, is their branding, as in they completely overhauled their looks to something that they can now call their own after 20 years. Will all of this lead to success? Ask again in a few years, as the current Stars are still needing to fill some holes. The Seguin trade certainly shored up a center position that was lacking in recent years, as Peverley and Seguin, as well as Shawn Horcoff, were all brought in to fill the top three lines in that role. For a team that only had three double digit goal scorers on their roster at the end of the year (Jagr would have led the team in goals had he not been traded), the Stars did surprisingly well in goals scored per game, as they tied for 11th. However, their defense let them down considerably, and their goaltending in particular, especially when it was someone other than Kari Lehtonen in goal. Gonchar should at least help the blue line in its puck possession, but without a true shutdown defenseman, the Stars will need all of their players to give their best here. Lehtonen is pretty good, but he doesn't quite deliver when the games count the most, and certainly he's been counted on for a lot of games, as the backups have been horrible when they've had to spell Lehtonen. Unfortunately, it doesn't figure to get much better, as Dan Ellis (he of the 3.13 GAA last season) is the backup this season.
Prospects: Nichushkin may very well be the steal of the 2013 Draft, as he somehow fell to Dallas at number 10. Expect him to be on one of the top two lines right away, as the Stars have an opening on the wings. Alex Chiasson is less heralded, but he also figures to start the season with the Stars, as he gained valuable experience in a seven game cup of coffee last season. Jamie Oleksiak could fill the shutdown defenseman role in time, but for right now, he is likely to start on the third pairing.
Prediction: 5th in the Central Division
The Stars look like a new team, but until they fill some holes in their defense and can get better than average goaltending from their backups, it will be another long season for the Stars. At the very least, they're finally going in the right direction on all accounts, including their uniforms.
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