It has become commonplace in the NHL. Between the trades made at the end of last season and the off-season movement, every NHL team changes a large portion of their roster. So where does that leave the Dallas Stars, are we better than last year? Last year the Stars played in the Western Conference finals. Can we take the next step this year?
The 08-09 NHL season officially got underway Saturday in Europe. Before the Stars get started lets take a look at the off-season changes for our Dallas Stars.
Departures
Stu Barnes- Stu retired due to the affects of the concussions he accumelated over his career, the last of which was against the Sharks during the 08 playoffs. Fortunately Stu has joined the coaching staff of the Stars as an assistant coach.
Mattias Norstrom - Mattias retired at the end of the 08 season after 14 years in the NHL.
Niklas Hagman- Niklas signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent.
Antti Miettinen- Antti signed with the Minnesota Wild as a free agent.
Brad Winchester - Brad signed with the St. Louis Blues as a free agent.
New Faces
Sean Avery- Arguably the most significant off-season pickup by the Stars. Sean came to the Stars as a free agent after playing with the New York Rangers. One of those players you love to hate, unless of course he is on your team.
Fabian Brunnstrom - The hockey press was abuzz with news regarding the status of Fabian at the end of last season. Fabian came over from the Swedish Elite League. After being recruited by numerous NHL teams including the Detroit Red Wings, Fabian ultimately signed with the Stars.
Alexander Naurov - Alexander was a draft pick of the Stars in 2003. He has spent the last couple of years playing in the East Coast Hockey League.
Doug Janik- Doug was claimed off of waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks on October 2nd. A 6-2 209lb defenseman, Doug spent the 2006-2008 seasons as an every night player with the Tampa Bay Lightening.
Ivan Vishnevskiy - The 27th overall pick in 2006, Ivan has played in Russia since 2003.
Predictions
After pushing the eventual Cup champions to six games in the Western Conference Finals the Dallas Stars seem poised to take the next step and press for the Cup this year. Although we lost several role players, the core of the team is intact. Our young forwards and defenseman all made huge strides last year. In the net Marty has erased any doubt about his ability to perform in the playoffs. Brad Richards has had a full off-season to acclimate to the team. Sean Avery adds yet another skilled forward who everyone hates to play against.
With less than a week to go, I for one am counting the days until the puck drops on the 08-09 season for our Dallas Stars. When the spring roles around I expect to see the Stars making a serious run for the Cup.
