Around the NHL in 30 Days – Dallas Stars

We take a look at the Dallas Stars today in FanSided’s Around the NHL in 30 Days. The talented writers at the Blackout Dallas blog are well aware that Brad Richards is long gone, but that’s no reason to write the season off. The stars have made some moves this offseason that put them in position to start fresh and start with success in mind during this brand new “Post-Richards” era.

The moves made include promoting AHL bench boss Glen Gulutzan to the NHL ranks. Richards may have packed his bags and left for NYC, but Michael Ryder comes into Big-D fresh off of his Stanley Cup run with the Boston Bruins. He can be a top six guy and will likely make a positive contribution to the Stars’ offense. Here’s a snippet of what Austin Waldron wrote about his Stars on the Blackout Dallas blog:

"The forwards are still going to feature a few all-star veterans in Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro on the top pairing and then rely on continued growth from a great young core. Loui Eriksson looks to lead the way after really coming into his own over the last couple of seasons and finally getting some real attention last season. Fan favorite and budding young talent Jamie Benn will be called upon to take the next step this season and looks to have all the tools to do so."

Let’s see how the Sharks did against the Stars last year:

6 Games: Season series was split, 3 wins a piece

The Stars and Sharks know each other very well, being in the same Pacific Division. That’s why games against divisional opponents are always critical. The Sharks had 2 convincing wins at 6-0 and 6-3, and then a tight overtime 4-3 win. The Stars countered with two wins by a 3-2 score (one was in overtime) and a 5-4 victory in overtime. I’m expecting more close games this year.

It will be interesting to see if Dallas can overcome Richards’ departure and have a successful season. There is too much pride in Big-D to pack it in because one player decided to take the money and run. I expect a hard-working effort this year that will lay the foundation for future success in Dallas.

Next up in FanSided’s Around the NHL in 30 Days we’ll focus on the Detroit Red Wings.

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