NHL Western Conference Offseason Evaluation: Dallas Stars
While remaining low key, the Dallas Stars managed to make an impact during the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) free agency out of the blue and are ready to take their franchise next season for sure.
With the announcement by general manager for the club, Joe Nieuwendyk, making an announcement that captain Brenden Morrow returning on the line-up next season, things are finally looking up for the struggling Texas club.
Playing it smart, the Dallas Stars targeted their problems first during the regular season and knew that making the playoffs was something they had to take out of their minds for the year being. Stars had a strong start to the 2011-2012 NHL regular season but ended with 89 points at number 10 in the West.
What they had to do after another playoff related disappointment was to bring in some real veteran leadership that would be able to lead the team forward. For one, bringing on board long term Phoenix Coyotes’ left winger, Ray Whitney. It definitely did not look like a player such as Ray Whitney would decide to leave the team that he accomplished so much with.
In the past two seasons, Whitney, along with players like Shane Doan and such had worked hard in taking the team to the position where they are today. Coyotes topped the Pacific Division for the first time in franchise history along with nearly entering the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals but lost to Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Finals.
Whitney had one of his best seasons at the age of 40 with 77 points (24 goals, 53 assists) and bringing him on with a two-year, $9 million contract was definitely a smart move.
The next best thing that Dallas Stars did was bring Jaromir Jagr alongside Ray Whitney to create an impeccable veteran duo with immense experience and the ability to tackle any situation through wisdom and capability.
In a total of 1,229 games played by Ray Whitney throughout his extensive career, he has 1,003 points (365 goals, 638 assists).
Jaromir Jagr made a comeback into the NHL last season with Philadelphia Flyers but after seeing that his 54 points (19 goals, 35 assists) did not make much of a difference for the team, the 40-year-old right winger decided to go to a team which was in need of his services.
Jagr is without a doubt the best to have ever graced this sport with his point total being a rare, more than games played with 1,653 (665 goals, 988 assists).
They let go of Mike Ribeiro to Washington Capitals and then acquired a top-level center player to complete the line of forwards, Buffalo Sabres’ Derek Roy. The 29-year-old forward is definitely a future leader in the league and after eight seasons with Buffalo, it was surprising to see the transition to Dallas.
What worked really well in favour of the Stars was that there is still one-year remaining on Roy’s contract, giving Dallas more than enough time to assess his abilities with the team on ice before making a decision to lock him on for longer.
After a minor slump in 2010-2011, Derek Roy made a comeback last season with 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in 80 games and while the forward is expected to have another breakthrough, making him an asset for the future.
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