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Maybe it's the "C" on his sweater, but Stars center and new captain Mike Modano called it the way he saw it Thursday.
"I think the [Rangers'] situation had a big trickle-down effect on us,"
Modano said. "I think that has had a big impact on how we spend money.
It's tough. It's tough to separate the two when you are owning both of them.
I think we were OK for a while, but now things are getting restructured in trying
to prepare the franchise for what is going to happen after this year."
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Stars management insists, however, that the two budgets of the Tom Hicks pro sports empire are completely unrelated. Ticketmaster
But with a potential lockout after this NHL season and sweeping economic changes
expected in the league, much of the Stars' movement this summer was in preparation
for a new collective bargaining agreement. That included not re-signing free
agent defenseman Derian Hatcher, who signed a five-year contract with the rival
Red Wings.
"Yeah, I was surprised. He was one of those guys who was a pivotal part
of our team and the success we had in the last eight years," Modano said.
"It is a little discouraging because it's going against the trend we had
the last couple of years. I think we were a team that could afford to go out
there and be aggressive and get good players and keep the players that we had.
"But things have changed."
Hicks has said both franchises -- Stars and Rangers -- lost money last season.
And with the Rangers claiming losses of more than $40 million, many people feel
that the Stars have to be affected by the other organization.
But Hicks maintains that because the Stars did not re-sign Hatcher, it is a
not a white flag for the coming season. Ticketmaster
"There is a misconception that our payroll has been cut. It's going to
be higher," Hicks said. "Derian was a very popular player and our
fans were disappointed that he left. It happens; players' salaries go up and
you have to make choices. And people for a brief period of time said, 'There
goes the Stars' chances.' That's not the case.
"Our fans are learning how the game works. New Jersey has let certain star
players leave for financial reasons, and they have won three Stanley Cups in
the last seven years. If you look at it, we are much better off than Colorado
or Detroit."
Unlike the summers of 2001 and 2002 when the Stars spent nearly $100 million
on free-agent contracts, in the summer of 2003, they did their best not to inflate
their payroll. It was around $65 million at the end of last season and should
increase to approximately $67 million for this season.