With Free Agency off and running, the 2019-2020 NHL season is officially underway, and with some big moves, the Dallas Stars are in prime position to make a Stanley Cup run.
It’s been twenty-one years since the Stars lifted the Cup and a decade since #9 skated at the AAC. With the additions of “Captain America” Joe Pavelski, hitman Corey Perry, and veteran defenseman Andrej Sekera, the Stars have instantly gone from Western Conference competitors to Stanley Cup contenders.
The Big 4 of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov, and Ben Bishop all had strong 2019 campaigns, with Benn, Radulov, and Seguin all scoring 25+ goals and Bishop ending the season with a 1.98 GAA, finishing as the runner-up in the Vezina Trophy standings.
The young group of Esa Lindell, Radek Fafsa, Roope Hintz, John Klingberg, and rookie and Central All-Star Miro Heiskanen were all great throughout the regular season and had a major impact on the postseason run.
With all that being said, can this Dallas Stars team get it done?
Last year, the Dallas Stars were one of the older teams in the league with an average roster age of 28, with the Big 4 averaging right at 30. With seasoned veterans Pavelski, Perry, and Sekera all being added to the roster and the departure of Tyler Pitlick and others, that number will rise by the time the team sheet is finalized before the puck drops on October 3rd.
But with age comes experience; Brett Hull was 34 when he scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 1999.
Without any current major injuries to its core, this Stars’ roster can go toe-to-toe with any other team in the league. They will have seven former NHL All-Stars on the roster and players like Hintz, Lindell, and Radulov that could add to that number with good production and some additional fan voting this year. They have scoring threats on all four lines from multiple positions and defensively have a great mix of brains and physicality throughout. This team is deep, dangerous, and skilled.
Additionally, they have a fanbase in the Dallas Metroplex that is back to its old ways. After the NHL Lockout in 2012 and subpar years under Ruff and Hitchcock, American Airlines Center wasn’t what it was in the years prior. Of course, the other team in Dallas with stars on their helmets get more of the attention, but Head Coach Jim Montgomery has his team looking energized, focused, and fresh with a facelift from free agency.
2019 was fun. 2020 could be great.
Featured Image: NHL
