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The Dallas Stars had a great regular season a year ago, from start to finish. Their finish was phenomenal, as the Stars went 25-7-6-3 in the second half. Everything clicked on both sides of the puck, on special teams and at even strength.
When a team goes that well, lots of guys have excellent seasons. That certainly was the case for departed captain Derian Hatcher. Last season was possibly the finest of his career. Replacing his team leading 26 minutes of ice time won't be the issue this season, with Hatcher now in Detroit. Of more importance will be the manner in which the Stars adapt to having a blueline comprised largely of puck-movers and devoid of any real physical presence. Ticketmaster
The other thing going on in Dallas that will impact their strategy is that the checking duties of the third and fourth lines will largely fall to youngsters instead of proven veterans. The combination of style change on the backline and reduced experience among forwards will mean more quality shots faced by Stars netminder Marty Turco. He was fabulous last season -- in fact, dominant most of the year -- but a repeat of the same gaudy statistics is unlikely, even without a dropoff in his performance.
All of which is
a pretty healthy situation for the Stars. They're still going to win a lot of
games and be a top team in the West, even if they don't dominate to the extent
they did a season ago. And they are taking a necessary step in getting some
of their younger players in the mix while the team is still atop team. It won't
hurt them too much this season and it bodes well for the future.
For most of its history, the Mighty Ducks' identity has focused on offense --
the former Ducks duo of Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne usually come to mind --
one spring of gettin' Jiggy with it changed all that. Now, the poster boy for
hockey in Anaheim is goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Ticketmaster
Giguere's phenomenal run in the playoffs thrust him in the stratosphere of NHL stardom. Of course, the Mighty Ducks makeover began long before April, as head coach Mike Babcock preached team defense and it worked. They had the sixth best record in the NHL in the second half of the season and finished sixth overall in goals against, with Giguere posting eight shutouts, second-most in the league.
The offense, meanwhile, ranked only 22nd overall. That's why the Mighty Ducks signed free agents Sergei Fedorov and Vinny Prospal, right? Well, kind of. More to the point, both Fedorov and Prospal are versatile forwards who are offensive players who are responsible defensively as well. In other words, their offense won't come at the expense of the team system. Both will help further define what Babcock wants -- a team that can skate to shut down the opposition and then respond with equal speed in transition on the attack. Ticketmaster
It all makes sense. The team's personnel fit the on-ice strategy very nicely. Still, they will have to incorporate a few more youngsters into the roster than most teams that go the distance in the playoffs. With a major change to the corps of key players coupled with some younger players getting acclimated to the NHL, bringing the roster all together while handling the increased expectations based on the trip to the Stanley Cup finals may make for the trickiest ride at Disneyland this year.
What do the Kings really have: a good mix of veterans and youth, a collection of damaged goods vets and non-descript journeymen, or hodgepodge representation of all three groups?
With all the injuries (both current and past) still with lingering effects, it is hard to say how L.A. will do. Certainly, the Kings have to reverse the three-year trend of declining goal scoring. Second, the Kings have to play better at home. Last year they were only a breakeven proposition at Staples Center, which isn't nearly good enough to make the playoffs. Finally, the team has historically been a .500 first-half team under head coach Andy Murray and then surged in the second half. Last year there was no upturn due to the injuries. That's why the Kings need a fast start this season. Given their recent spate of frailty, banking on better play down the way to carry the day is a risky proposition.
That's where those past injuries still impact this Kings' team. Jason Allison and Adam Deadmarsh both missed most of last season due to concussions. Getting them back in the lineup is one thing and having them perform as two-thirds of the Kings' top offensive unit is quite another. How long will it take for the Kings to hit their stride, assuming health isn't an ongoing issue again this season?
That's a lot of questions entering a season. How Murray and his team reconciles the need for a good start with the need to get the big guys back in the lineup and back on form will define their season.
The Coyotes have a handful of 20-year-olds with bright NHL futures. That is excellent news for the organization ... just not much help this season. They do have some solid attributes as a team, with better than average goaltending, decent experiences and mobility on the blueline and underrated depth at center.
Those are the positives. Realistically, though, the Coyotes lack in too many areas to compete consistently in the Western Conference. The have far too little finish on either wing and their top line doesn't feature a pure goal scorer. And if your No. 1 line is without a bona fide threat, you quickly see plight of the Coyotes.
Not that the makeup of this team has changed much over the last couple of seasons. When playoff hockey returned to the desert two years ago, goaltender Sean Burke was the lone reason. Last year, with Burke battling injuries, the Coyotes faltered when he wasn't in goal. In his 22 games, the Coyotes went 14-6-2 -- a far cry from their final overall mark of 31-35-11-5.
Can one player make such a dramatic difference? When the player is the goaltender on a team of undistinguished offensive talent, the answer is yes. And that describes the Coyotes' situation just to vie for middle of the pack status.
The Sharks cite many valid reasons why last season fell apart the way it did. The net result was a pass on the playoffs and a change in ownership, management and direction.
You can analyze, summarize and rationalize what happened a year ago to the Sharks all you want. That they endured daily double of doom -- the simultaneous slide of scoring fewer goals while giving up more than the previous campaign -- is all you need to understand. Your view of this edition of the Sharks and their chances in the west depends on the degree to which you believe they can improve upon one or both of those critical statistical elements.
On both sides of the puck, questions abound -- not surprising with the shift away from a veteran laden lineup to one of relative inexperience. The blueline in particular is rather green. Goaltender Evegeni Nabokov might wish that this were the year of his holdout instead of last season.
Up front, the well-worn names and scoring exploits of Teemu Selanne and Owen Nolan are gone, with the likes of Jonathan Cheechoo, and Alex Korolyuk in their place. Don't view these guys as replacements, but rather as a clear indication of the change in the organization's philosophy.
So, will the Sharks be better or worse off? Probably worse in the near term, better over the long haul' and simply different overall when compared to their last six seasons.