What Do the Dallas Stars Do Well? What is Their Identity?

They really are/were just middle of the pack in most areas. I would have said the strength was offense (I do think we have a good set of forwards, though if we lose Richards, that will hurt), but looking at how the goals for has dropped over the years, that doesn’t necessarily hold true. Though injuries may have had an impact on that. It needs to get better though. Or the goals against needs to drop.

Hey, at least our PK improved this season.

Sorry, couldn’t help myself.

Unless things change quickly in terms of ownership and thus Brad Richards I think we are stuck with gritty and hard to play against. We did show some improvement in that. Our fore check can drive other teams nuts. Unfortunately, whenever we get a lead we drop down to minimal pressure from one fore checker and let teams set up too easily to attack our weakest area … defense. Was watching the Canucks try and close out last nights game against the Hawks and was struck by how much they continued their normal fore checking pressure and spent a lot of time in their offensive end in the final minutes.

Unfortunately, when the other team throws pucks deep and feeds us the same medicine we often look like deer in headlights against the opposing fore check.

I have been mulling the decline in goals scored with what many hail as one of the best top six units in the league. They get paid at a top six level. So why do we only produce in the bottom half of the league in goals scored? Crawford sucked? Maybe. But I guess I will go with the forwards back checking and paying more attention to defense. After all there was a substantial improvement in goals against where the lowest paid blue line in the nhl squeaks into the top half in GAA. That increased defensive focus by the forwards could also explain the lower scoring levels.

If Richards goes and our budget remains pretty static we don’t have much choice but to continue that trend. Spend some of his money on a gritty stay at home D man. Improve our breakout (Goligoski) and then push a hard fore check for the whole game. A small increase in special teams would then push us into a positive goal differential which should get us in the playoffs. Baby Steps is all we can hope for with a continuing set of budget handcuffs … especially as that probably means life without Brad Richards.

I think the Stars’ identity right now is inconsistency. That is definitely NOT the identity anyone would want to have.

This is a team that, when all the parts are working in sync, is very gritty, offensively talented, defensively solid, and all around tough to play against. But how often do all the parts work in sync?

Over this last year, the answer would be not very often. Usually, about one period a game. That’s not good enough.

I guess you could say they’re consistently inconsistent, though.

That was the legacy they had in the first place! Also, the great skating, deep good quality goal tending, timely offense and PP, and get back to being one of the top PK teams.

Most likely to allow a goal when the opposing team has an empty net. Nah just kidding just kidding. I think our identity is the ability to adapt. We always come out stronger after the first period. Plus the lines were altered a lot and stronger chemistry would come about.

I know it might be hard to see with some of the bad defensive zone play this year when we would always get pinned in our zone and the phrase “_______ clears it but not out, now _ reloads and puts it deep in the Stars zone” would be ringing in our ears constantly for 60-65 minutes a night. However, the Stars’ forward unit is good (maybe even very good) and on it’s way to becoming great at playing both ends of the ice: Eriksson – mark my words he’ll win a selke trophy or 5 by the end of his career, Benn (he might get one), Wandell, Morrow, Ott are all very good two way forwards. Yes Wandell’s scoring has to(and will) improve and Ott could be a bit more offensively consistent, but all those guys are very defensively responsible and even dangerous on defense while also having the ability to bury pucks (especially Loui and Jamie). Langenbrunner (if he comes back) is also part of that list although his offensive skills are seriously dwindling. Even Ribeiro has become much more committed to defense and can make some great plays, and we all know about his offensive wizardry. And while he may leave in the summer, Richards’ defense has become a lot better in his 3 years here. Yes at times he’s still a bit lazy in the d-zone and can get caught out of position, but overall he’s solid. On top of that the guys coming down the system (aside from Glennie) are all pretty defensive minded. Vincour is solid from what I saw from his call up, Gagnon will be a decent-good 3rd line scorer and he’s good at D, Sceviour is a good two way guy, and Tousignat may develop into one.
One the defensive side while we may lack Star power, Robidas is good on defense and can provide a decent amount of offense, Daley greatly improved both sides of his game this year (i don’t wet my pants every time he touches the puck in the d-zone anymore), Grossman is a great defensive D and while it would be nice if he could put up a few more points i’m fine with him as he is, Fistric needs to work on his speed but otherwise he’s another good defensive defensmen, Goligoski is dynamite in the offensive zone and showed a lot of improvement in his defensive game even just from his first game as a Star to the last game (ok maybe not the last game itself but overall), and Larsen is going to be a stud.

I think the Stars should build on this and not try to become a Coyotes esque team that shuts down defensively and relies on 1-2 goals (3 if their lucky) to win games, or an overpowering scoring juggernaut a-la 09-10 Caps or this year’s Lightning. In the end their two way game will win games and hopefully eventually playoff series. They won’t overpower other teams with lights out scoring, so 3ish goals a game and defense by committee should become the hallmark of this team.

Remember “Each day for each other”? That should continue to be that mantra of the Dallas Stars and needs to become their identity. They aren’t and in the near future won’t be a dominant defensive or offensive team and while he’ll continue to put up good numbers and play very well for this team, Kari probably won’t win the Vezina any time soon. And while Jamie Benn is becoming the face of this team, in the next couple years I want the scouting report on the Stars to be “this hockey TEAM plays a TEAM game with everyone doing their share and without leaning too heavily on a few star players. Everyone on this TEAM can get it done and this TEAM succeeds by playing together as a family and a unit”
For this team it has to be 100% about the crest on the front of the sweater and not the plate on the back. It’ll take a lot of work, a couple moves and probably some time, but I think the Stars will be successful by playing for each other and becoming a “family” in hockey terms. It’s cheesy and when millions of dollars are being thrown around and factored into the equation it’s hard to imagine but that’s how it’s gotta be. Every player brought in has to want to play his best for the guy next to him before himself and every player sent away should be sent away because he cares too much about personal stats. Think of all the dynasties, think of the Red Wings. Those teams grow together, they win and lose together. The important part is together. How do you think Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Rafalski, Lidstrom, Franzen, Holmstrom feel about each other? They’re probably unbelievably close and probably think of each other as family. Why do you think Chris Osgood has lasted so long? How did he ( a mediocre tender at best) win a cup two years ago? They all play for each other and they all played for Osgood and he did his best for them. Again it’s cheesy but in the end it’s about wanting to do it for the guys in your locker room. That’s one of the reasons I’ve gained a ton of respect for Joe Thornton. As much as he’s one of my most hated rivals as a shark and as much as i love to beat on him for disappearing in the playoffs, he took a generous salary cut so he could stay with his team. He obviously cares more about his teammates and that god awful disgusting crest on the front of his jersey than the amount of dollars he has in his wallet. That’s what makes winning teams. Everyone from the top center to the 6-7 d-men have to believe in that.

They must have quite the calluses…