The Dallas Stars entered last season with high expectations, but didn’t deliver.
They failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing 11th in the Western Conference, forcing general manager Jim Nill to make several significant changes to not only the roster but the coaching staff.
The Stars fired coach Lindy Ruff and wasted little time hiring his replacement behind the bench -- Ken Hitchcock. Dallas boasts a talented core with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin up front and John Klingberg on defense. Now, the question is how will the structure Hitchcock introduces impact this Stars team as it looks to get back into contention in the Western Conference, at a time when the franchise is in go-for-it mode?
Another priority was goaltending. Nill acquired the rights to Ben Bishop from L.A., and then signed him to a six-year contract extension worth $29.5 million in total, while buying out Antti Niemi.
The Stars also added Marc Methot, making a deal with Vegas to acquire the defensive minded blue liner.
After two years in Dallas, Patrick Sharp went to the open market and signed with his old team in Chicago. The Stars went out and signed center Martin Hanzal and landed prized free agent Alexander Radulov, who leveraged an impressive season with the Habs in his return from the KHL into a five-year, $31.25 million contract.
Today at PHT, we’ll discuss the key storylines surrounding the Stars heading into training camp.