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Forwards – Lots of shakeup here. Out are fan favorites Ott and Ribiero, in are Eakin, Roy, Jagr, and
Whitney. Jagr and Whitney are acknowledged as bridges to the young guns down in Austin. They will
provide needed mentorship plus they both still have some offensive punch left.
Eakin and Roy are the bigger question marks among the new faces. How long will Roy be out and how
much will he provide when he returns? What did the Stars get in Eakin given that he's still unproven?
There's also going to be some interesting competition when camp starts as there are some young guys
that will push for time. Tomas Vincour is already up in Big D, and guys like Reilly Smith and Alex Chiasson
will get their chance to stick out of camp.
(F) Fantasy – Brenden Morrow is coming off a disappointing injury plagued
season which saw him put up a mere 26 points. As a result he likely will drop
well down on people lists this season making him a great value on draft day,
especially if your league counts hits. He still has plenty left in the tank and
will push for a top six spot again. Now that's not to say he's without risk as
he's had injury shortened seasons before, he turns 34 this season, and will
have competition for top six minutes.
Still don't sell the Stars captain short as he looks to rebound. Add in the fact
that he was rumored to be on block last season, and in spite of Joe
Nieuwendyk's statements that he doesn't intend to move Morrow, he may
find himself showcased for the benefit of potential trading partners. If he
falls on draft day you may well land a steal if you roll the dice on Morrow.
A couple more things to watch this year will be the Stars power play unit, which ranked dead last in the
league in the 2011/2012 season. The addition of Jagr, Whitney, and Roy should help add at least some
pop to the power play. Throw in a healthy Morrow and things should improve on the man advantage.
Another area to watch is how they handle back-to-back games this year. In particular the second games
of back-to-backs. They were absolutely abysmal posting a 1-13 record in those games. After missing the
eighth and final playoff spot by six points, it really points out how much that killed their playoff hopes. It
wasn't the sole reason for their playoff drought reaching four seasons, but you can also see that by just
improving to .500 would have gained them twelve points, double their deficit to the eventual Stanley
Cup Champion Kings.
Well that's my take on the Stars. Hopefully come April we'll be celebrating their return to the Stanley
Cup playoffs where they belong.
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