It has definitely been a painful year so far for Dallas Stars fans. Already at the bottom of the central, and the entire NHL after a 4-0-0 start. On top of that this club was just two wins from a Stanley Cup in September, 2020. There are many things wrong with this picture, obviously. But after 2021 there could be a silver lining to it.
Health is the biggest concern for the Coach of the Stars. “You run the risk of guys who have to play 20-22 minutes a night in order to give us a good chance to win, it’s going to affect them the most. Those are the guys you worry about because they’re going to be playing tired a lot of nights. We can’t do anything about it. This is what the league has given us.” “There’s going to be more injuries coming up,” Bowness said. “There’s no getting away. When you look at that schedule, I see injuries written all over it.”
We of course would prefer for Rick Bowness to be wrong, but logic is not on the Stars’ side. Playing that many games in such a short time is bound to take a toll. If the Stars find a way to make the playoffs then we’re looking at even more injuries.
Another thing missing the playoffs this season could help with; improving the roster. The Stars this past off-season didn’t really do anything to improve the team from last year’s Clarence Campbell trophy (western conference championship). If anything, they lost more than they gained. Corey Perry went to the Montreal Canadians while Mattias Janmark went to the Chicago Blackhawks.
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The one player Dallas did add was defenseman, Mark Pysyk. Granted the Stars have young, and up coming talent like Jason Robertson, Ty Dellandrea, and Nick Caamano. Along with recent talents Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Denis Gurianov and Joel Kiviranta. Trades happen in this business all the time. Often times to reinvigorate the lineup, and produce more in the win column.
Just about every team in the NHL was more active than Dallas was, working to improve their respective rosters. An extended off-season would give the Stars more time to strengthen their roster, and add any pieces to cover any weaknesses other teams can exploit.
With the postponements of games to add to an already difficult, and condensed season this is not a schedule any NHL team wants to deal with. Perhaps in the long run missing the postseason this year is just what the doctor ordered. No pun intended, but the team could also certainly use the time to heal up many bodies.
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