Dallas Stars Daily Links: Home Improvement
If the Stars truly want to be contenders, then there’s plenty of room for improvement. Plus, the legacy of Mike Modano, top regression candidates for 2019-20, and more.
Heading into the 2019-20 season, the Dallas Stars are in fairly good shape. They were one OT goal away from knocking out the eventual Stanley Cup champs, they added one of the top Free Agents in Joe Pavelski, and they have several young players coming up the pipeline.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement, of course. For instance, the Stars could use a boost from captain Jamie Benn:
...getting back into the neighborhood of 65-75 points will be important to the team’s success. Benn does not mind deferring to others, and Tyler Seguin and Radulov, his likely linemates, want the puck. His production might be aided by playing on a line with Pavelski, but regardless of where he lines up, Benn and the team need better offensive output from the captain.
Strong play from your best players is always necessary, but Dallas also needs some depth players to step up. Due to the uncertainty of some players’ health, the defense especially could use solid play from someone like Jamie Oleksiak:
Oleksiak struggled with consistency last season, but like Hintz, he played well in the playoffs... However, Oleksiak was also the recipient of many healthy scratches from Montgomery during the regular season. So which player is he? If Oleksiak can replicate his postseason play over a full campaign, he’s a valuable piece of the puzzle.
You can read more from Saad Yousuf here.
Stars Stories
Many fans aren’t happy with Mike Modano these days, but that shouldn’t tarnish his legacy:
Mike Modano *is* the Dallas Stars. He built the franchise's foundation and is more closely associated with it than anyone else. Not everyone loves how Modano left Dallas, but in today's #19in19, @seanshapiro says it doesn't change what he did here. https://t.co/JmzffmlZYy
— The Athletic (@TheAthleticDFW) July 24, 2019
This needs to happen:
We caught up with Anderson during today’s @DallasStars summer camp.
— Children's Health StarCenter (@StarCenters) July 25, 2019
“I’ve been practicing my moves so I’m ready for round 2, @johnklingberg” 👀 https://t.co/PVfmc90EmB pic.twitter.com/Cpv6CHAc4B
League Links
Ex-Star Patrick Eaves has won his fifth straight Smashfest!
FIVE. STRAIGHT. WINS. #SmashfestVIII
— Smashfest (@_Smashfest) July 26, 2019
Congratulations, @Patrick_Eaves! pic.twitter.com/GSZJd6PCz8
Jason Dickinson was representing the Stars at the tournament, but maybe he could have used more help:
I LOST AGAIN BUT IT TOOK LONGER SORRY JASON DICKINSON AND ALSO @DallasStars
— Steve Dangle Glynn (@Steve_Dangle) July 26, 2019
Stories about Ron Francis and Seattle sound like a broken record at this point, but hey — offseason:
"Those kinds of people, those kinds of leaders... that’s what you want to build your culture around. And that’s what [Seattle] got in Ron.”
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 26, 2019
GM Ron Francis' Hall of Fame pedigree will set the tone for the rest of Seattle's NHL story, says Tim Leiweke.https://t.co/uzRwEUfiDw
Each season, some players will inevitably regress. Here’s a list of some potential candidates:
Be it a new home, the loss of a linemate or a simple statistical regression, there are several skaters who are likely to see their point totals decline next season. @THNJaredClinton looks at five notable names:https://t.co/M5PcZLxOwC
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) July 26, 2019
...and here’s another:
Which NHL players are most likely to take a step back in production next season?
— Ian Tulloch📊 (@IanGraph) July 25, 2019
Here are my Top 10 Regression Candidates for 2019-20, from Leon Draisaitl to Morgan Rielly.https://t.co/RWxtv17TZJ
I don’t... I mean... how?
Hockey players are a different breed.https://t.co/vZuNJ0q0t4
— Yahoo Sports Canada (@YahooCASports) July 26, 2019
