NHL Team Preview: Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars followed the trip to the 2020 Stanley Cup finals by missing out on the playoffs entirely in 2021. It was a highly disappointing ending to the season for the 1999 Stanley Cup champions, but perhaps it’s fair to say that the Stars’ fall from grace wasn’t unexpected.

Having missed Tyler Seguin for essentially the whole season, Dallas Stars struggled to deliver in the NHL. However, with the 29-year-old center back in the team in addition to improvements of Dallas Stars in other areas, it’s fair to say that they are back in the mix.

The bookmakers might not be as optimistic about the Dallas Stars’ chances of winning the Stanley Cup in the 2021/22 season, pricing them as high as +2200 on the outright betting markets. However, there’s more to the Stars than that number would suggest.

Team Intro

Dallas Stars’ lack of success last season mostly comes down to missing their star player, but it also had to do with playing in a very tough division. Nashville Predators had an excellent season, while Chicago Blackhawks made sure to make Dallas’ life tougher with their strong head-to-head record.

When we talk about last year’s Central Division, we must also mention Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, and the eventual Stanley Cup champions, Tampa Bay Lightning, who all played a factor in Dallas Stars’ underwhelming final placement.

Outside of challenges Dallas Star had to face on the ice, they were also a victim of unfortunate events in Texas, including the COVID-19 situation, which prevented the Stars from playing. And if that wasn’t enough, Texas also suffered a power outage, which hasn’t helped Stars get back on their feet in time.

On top of that, it’s always tough for a team that loses in the Stanley Cup finals and come back next year and do well. Numerous times before have we seen teams in such a situation struggle the following season – Dallas Stars are just another name on that list.

However, Dallas Stars fans can feel confident about their team heading into the 2021/22 NHL season regardless of everything. And there are plenty of reasons for that.

Big Additions

Dallas Stars’ have made several impactful signings during the offseason, but one that stands out is the addition of Ryan Suter, who has been signed on a four-year contract from Nashville. With the addition of Suter, the Stars bolstered their defense, which was already solid with John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, and Miro Heiskanen.

Joining Suter as Dallas’ new signing is Jani Hakanpaa, who they picked from Carolina. With that, Dallas got their hands on a big right-shot defenseman, who should add plenty of quality to the Stars.

The signing of Hakanpaa makes a lot of sense, as he has the potential to emerge as a crucial piece of the puzzle of a solid defensive group of players. Looking at the other end of the rink, we also have forward Luke Glendening, who is coming off a solid season with Detroit Redwings.

Glendening played 54 games last term and averaged a +/-1 of 15, with a 9% shooting percentage and six goals. While Glendening’s form has fallen off since 2017-2019, he still has a lot in him and should prove to be a great addition to Dallas Stars.

Impactful Subtractions

Dallas Stars parted ways with two defensemen in Jamie Oleksiak and Sami Vatanen, who left for Seattle and Genève-Servette HC in the National League. Although talented players, it’s not like their departure will harm Dallas too much, given how much talent the team has in the back.

Similarly, the departure of Andrew Cogliano and Jason Dickinson likely won’t affect the team too much, thanks to the return of Seguin. The departees have scored five and seven goals for the team last term, which will be felt, but again, with all the talent Dallas Stars have in the attack, missing Cogliano and Dickinson isn’t the end of the world.

Key Players

• Tyler Seguin – a star player of the team, whose return is expected to elevate the Dallas Stars’ level of play 
• Alexander Radulov – an essential piece for Dallas Stars, the energy guy that can make Stars’ offense shine
• Jason Robertson – has had an excellent season in 2020/21 (45 points) and will play a huge role in Dallas Stars’ climb back to the top
• Joe Pavelski – Dallas Stars’ best player of 2020/21 season, having accumulated 51 points, 23rd-most in the league
• Roope Hintz – joins the list of Dallas players whose game took off last season and is expected to keep showing up on a night-to-night basis in 2021/22

2021-2022 Win total, Divisional/Conference Odds, Odds to win Cup 

Dallas Stars ended last season with a disappointing 23/19 record and 60 points; however, with the new signing and Tyler Seguin’s return, the Stars are expected to fare better in 2021/22. The sportsbooks have set Dallas Stars’ total points line at 95.5, suggesting a much better season is highly likely on the cards.

It also shouldn’t come off as a surprise that Dallas Stars are expected to show up in their conference, priced as the second-favorites, besides Minnesota Wild, and behind only the league’s favorites, Colorado Avalanche.

Looking at the NHL betting odds on Dallas Stars to win the conference, they’re far from Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights as the top two favorites. However, the bookmakers still have Dallas Stars priced as the third-most likely team to win the Western Conference, at odds around +1000.

Meanwhile, Dallas Stars are priced as 10th-most likely to win the Stanley Cup, at odds as high as +2200. Not exactly great, but Dallas have the tools to defy the odds and prove the doubters wrong.

Evidently, Dallas Stars are not the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, and they might even struggle to win their division. However, they’re still one of the top-five teams in the league and definitely in a much better position than where they were in 2020/21.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.