Offseason Review and Season and Roster preview for Arizona, Chicago, Colorado and Dallas.
Arizona
Last years record: 25-50-7 57
Significant UFA losses: Phil Kessel, Alex Galchenyuk, Antoine Roussel, Loui Eriksson, Anton Stralman, Kyle Capobianco
Significant UFA additions: Nick Bjugstad, Laurent Dauphin, Joshua Brown, Troy Stecher, Jon Gillies
Significant trades:
To ARI: Zack Kassian, 2022 1RD (EDM), 2024 3RD (EDM), 2025 2RD (EDM)
To EDM: 2022 1RD (COL)
To ARI: Patrik Nemeth, 2024 3RD (NYR), 2025 2RD (NYR)
To NYR: Ty Emberson
Arizona’s 2022 Draft results:
1RD #3 C Logan Cooley
1RD #11 C Morgan Geekie
1RD #29 RD Maveric Lamoureux
2RD #36 LD Artem Duda
2RD #43 LW Julian Lutz
3RD #67 RW Miko Matikka
3RD #94 LD Jeremy Langlois
5RD #131 LD Matthew Morden
6RD #163 LD Maksymilian Szuber
7RD #204 RW Adam Zlnka
Season and Roster Preview: the Arizona Coyotes have continued with their rebuild by doing what worked last offseason which is use their cap space to their advantage by taking on bad contracts and acquiring good assets with them and I think that they did a perfect job again with their plan as they continue to load up on picks but while they are going through their rebuild quite well and are really becoming a young team I also think that this will be another bad year for them and they probably won’t get anywhere close to the playoffs.
In Net they ended up keeping their starter who did a pretty good job in his first year last season and have brought in a few guys who should battle for the backup role this year. Now the starter is a given and it will definitely be Karel Vejmelka who played some really great hockey in his 1st NHL season for Arizona and should be able to improve off of last years record when he had a .898 SV% in 52 games with Arizona last year and with the absence of a true backup and a year under his belt I think that Vejmelka will get the majority of the starts for Arizona this year and help them be stable in Net, as for their backup position they have two guys who will probably compete for the backup role this year and that if newly signed Jon Gillies who had a decent year last season with the Devils and Blues playing some games with their goalies injured but he didn’t really do to well and should be more of a 3rd string goalie for Arizona and Jonas Johansson who was recently claimed off of Waivers and while Johansson isn’t that much better off then Gillies and didn’t have to many good games for either Colorado or Florida last year I do think that he could be a decent enough backup playing 10-20 games and Arizona isn’t too keen on winning this year so if he is able to get some game action I think he could maybe show he still has some level of potential as a NHL backup but definitely the Coyotes goaltending situation didn’t get much better in the offseason and I think that the Goaltending could be bad at some points this year but I still think Vejmelka should keep Arizona in a few games this year.
On the D-Corp the Coyotes still have Chychrun on their team and I expect that situation to be resolved before the season starts but this starting lineup doesn’t look to good for Arizona. Now on the top line at least for the time being I would have Chychrun who will probably be traded before the start of the season but if by some chance he does wind up starting he will play on the top pair to increase his value while a guy like Moser or Brown would enter the roster if Chychrun finds himself out and Gostisbehere would probably play top pair minutes but on the right side I would have Connor Timmins who should be healthy after having his career disrupted a lot by injuries I think this is a big year for him to show he can be a legit top 4 defensemen and I think he can really show this year he belongs, on the second pair I would have Gostisbehere play on one side as he will probably be a trade deadline piece later in the year but after revamping his career last year I think he still gets a top 4 role and I think that Victor Soderstrom should play with him as Soderstrom was a very good player in the AHL over the past few years and I think that he is ready to make the jump to the NHL and play some consistent minutes and having a partner like Gostisbehere will be good, and on the third line I would have Nemeth who the Rangers traded due to the cap problems but was really good in a 3rd pair role with New York last year and I think will serve the Coyotes well while I think that his partner would probably be Troy Stecher as he had to battle injuries last year but when he got to the playoffs with LA he shown bright and I think having him on the 3rd pair would be a smart moved by Arizona and I would probably have Josh Brown who they signed as their 7th defensemen as I don’t think he will start on the roster but I do think that if there is injuries or a player isn’t playing too well then he can jump into a 3rd pair spot and be a pretty good player and I think that while it isn’t much that this Coyotes defence is in fact better then last year and while it is only slightly they still have a few young players who they could call up as well so I am really pleased with the improvements that they made to this blueline and it should help them this year.
And with the forward group it seems like they will make some strides as there are some extremely talented young players on their way to Arizona who could make the team as early as this year. So on the top line I would have Keller who went out last year and before his season ending injury late last year he showed that he can be a top line forward who can put up the points as he was almost a point per game player this past year and was two points back of a career high so if he doesn’t get injured he has a career high in points so I think Keller will build off of last year and he should play with Nick Schmaltz who I think the Coyotes are hoping has another fantastic year like last season when he hit a career high 59 points last year and I think playing with Keller he could histoire 60 points this year and I would have rookie Dylan Gunther play with the two as Guenther is coming off a amazing junior season and I think putting him with Keller is setting him up for success as Keller is a good playmaker and Guenther has a lethal shot and I could see him hit 40 points if he can stay on the top line, on line two I would have Lawson Crouse play on one wing as h had a monster year last year and prove he can be a highly effective power forward on this team and produce when needed and I think surprise player from last Travis Boyd who had bounced around as a bottom six forward before going to Arizona and having a career year last season and I think he should remain a top 6 forward for next year and I would have Jack McBain center them as McBain had a good year in College last season and I think he played really well in his late season stint and I think would have a tremendous season centering the 2nd line so I would slot him on that 2nd line, on line 3 I would have Maccelli as he played extremely well in the AHL and showed in his NHL stint that he could be a lethal top 9 forward and I would like to see how he would play on that 3rd line and I would have Christian Fischer on the other wing as he is a pretty good middle six forward but I think to maximize their scoring putting him on the 3rd line would be smart and I would have Center Barrett Hayton be the middle man of the 3rd line and I do think that he and McBain could flip flop if he plays well enough this year but I think starting him on the 3rd line is the smart bet, and on the 4th line I would have 3 veterans who can all play a mean 4th line as I would put Nick Ritchie who is a decent bottom six forward and should be able to help produce offensively play with newly acquired Nick Bjugstad who has been a 4th line forward these past few years and should center that line well this year with Zack Kassian making up the final piece of the 4th line as he is that hard hitting guy you would want on your 4th line and I think those three would make a deadly bottom line and if they run into injury troubles then they have spares like O’Brien or Kirk who could play bottom six roles well and they also have young players like Smith and Jenik who could also come in but I am definitely excited about this offense as it doesn’t look like a playoff offence yet but it should in a few seasons and I think this team will score a lot more goals then last year and I would be surprised if they clawed their way out of the basement of goal scoring.
Rating B-: I really like what the Coyotes have done but it is similar to what the Sabres have done which is get some veteran stopgaps in their lineup for this year as the Coyotes have done with adding vets like Kassian, Bjugstad, Stecher, Nemeth and Brown and allow their young players to have spots on this team in a few years but also allow this team to have some young talent like McBain, Guenther, Maccelli and Soderstrom make the team this year and I still do believe that Arizona is a few years away from making the playoffs but I expect some big improvement this year and I wouldn’t be surprised if they wing up moving up the standings this year.
Arizona
Projected lineup
C.Keller-N.Schmaltz-D.Guenther
L.Crouse-J.McBain-T.Boyd
M.Maccelli-B.Hayton-C.Fischer
N.Ritchie-N.Bjugstad-Z.Kassian
J.Chychrun-C.Timmins
S.Gostisbehere-V.Soderstrom
P.Nemeth-T.Stecher
K.Vejmelka
J.Johansson
L.Kirk-L.O’Brien-T.Stecher
(IR B.Little)
My Projected point total and record for the Coyotes
32-37-13 for 77 points
Chicago
Last years record: 28-42-12 68
Significant UFA losses: Dominik Kubalik, Dylan Strome, Erik Gustafsson, Wyatt Kalynuk, Calvin De Haan, Kevin Lankinen
Significant UFA additions: Andreas Athanasiou, Max Domi, Colin Blackwell, Jack Johnson, Alex Stalock
Significant trades:
To CHI: 2022 1RD (NYI), 2022 3RD (MON)
To MON: Kirby Dach
To CHI: Petr Mrazek, 2022 1RD (TOR)
To TOR: 2022 2RD (CHI)
To CHI: 2022 1RD (OTT), 2022 2RD (OTT), 2024 3RD (OTT)
To OTT: Alex DeBrincat
Chicago’s 2022 Draft results:
1RD #7 LD Kevin Korchinski
1RD #13 RW,C Frank Nazar
1RD #25 RD Sam Rinzel
2RD #39 C Paul Ludwinski
2RD #57 C Ryan Greene
3RD #66 LW Gavin Hayes
3RD #81 LW Samuel Savoie
3RD #90 C Aidan Thompson
6RD #173 LW,C Dominic James
6RD #188 LW Nils Juntorp
7RD #199 C Riku Tohila
Season and Roster preview: the Blackhawks have started to follow in the footsteps of their Central rivals in Arizona as after a bad start and bad season last year where they finished in one of the last spots in the NHL and I think that there is a very good chance that this year the Blackhawks are set up to be the lowest team in the NHL this year and I could see them be in prime position to have the best odds to get Connor Bedard this year and after moving on from so much talent I think that will continue in season with Kane and Toews.
In the Net the Blackhawks have downgraded the goaltending a lot from last year and for a team who is looking to lose a lot over the next year I think this goaltending duo will help them with that. So last year they had a duo of Marc Andre Fleury and Kevin Lankinen and even though they didn’t so the best they were able to play well but now both are gone and they have a new duo in Net. So as the Starter I would expect Petr Mrazek to be there as he was acquired as a cap dump from the Maple Leafs this offseason and is coming off one of his worst season last year as he wasn’t very good and also dealt with a ton of injuries but I think he could be a decent goalie for Chicago if he can stay healthy and find the form he had with the Hurricanes, while as the backup I am expecting Alex Stalock to be the backup as Stalock signed a new deal with Chicago in free agency but had only played a handful of NHL and AHL games since being medically cleared to play again so I think he will only get into somewhere between 20-30 games this year and will try to prove that he is healthy and can be a okay backup in the NHL but this duo is a whole bunch worse then last season and unless these two filip their careers around in 1 year I think goaltending will definitely hand Chicago a few losses this year.
As for the D-Corp not much has changed from last year and apart from a few injuries to start the season I think this team could still find their way defensively and start to grow their young defence to be better this year. On the top pair I would have young defensemen Alex Vlasic who came in from college last year and in a short stint showed that he could be top 4 material for the Blackhawks and I think it won’t take him long to prove that but to put him on the path to success I would start him with Seth Jones on the top pair as Jones has a okay first season in Chicago but I expect him to have a better year then last season and I think that pairing Vlasic with him would be a smart idea so he can learn what it takes to be a top defensemen, on pair 2 I would have Connor Murphy who had to deal with some injuries last year and didn’t have the best of seasons but with a extension kicking in I think he should prove that he is still a capable top 4 defensemen who can put up offense and I would have Caleb Jones with him as I think he is the best option to play top 4 minutes with McCabe injured and he is coming off a career year and only player 51 games so I think he should build off of that, on pair 3 I would have Riley Stillman who the Blackhawks really like and has played very well since coming over from Florida and I think having him on the 3rd pair would be the best move for this defence while I would pair him with Alec Regula who had some NHL action last year and was able to have a good showing last year in 15 games but with the injuries I think that he is the best option to have on the right side of the third pair and as the spare on the D-Corp I would have Jack Johnson who goes from being a Stanley Cup winner with Colorado to maybe the worst NHL team in Chicago but I think he can still be a good 6-7 Defensemen and I wouldn’t be surprised if he got into some games on the 3rd pair but I definitely like the Blackhawks defence and I think it will be the best of the 3 positions but with a pretty young blueline I still think there will be growing pains and that this defence still has a ways to go.
And on the forward group they have made a lot of subtractions to their forward group as key guys like Kubalik, DeBrincat, Dach and Strome are all gone and with Kane and Toews likely to follow suite before the deadline I think this Hawks forward group will look absolutely devastated after the deadline. Now on line one I would keep Kane as he is going to be a trade target at the deadline and the Blackhawks are going to want him to continue to produce to drive up the asking price and after another fantastic year I think he can do that and I would have free agent additions Athanasiou and Domi play with him on the top line as I think playing with Kane should be able to up both of their values as well as both were overpriced middle six forwards last year who both went through injury troubles but with 1 year not to expensive deals and both playing a fast paced game I think it would be better for everyone to have those three as their top line, on line two I would have Jonathan Toews who will also be a likely trade candidate this year but will need to show he can still be a very productive second line Center after his production has dipped the past few years, and on his wings I would have young forwards Lukas Reichel and Taylor Raddysh as Raddysh played quite well after coming over in a trade from Tampa Bay last year and I think that 2nd line minutes should help him reach his potential while Reichel is probably the future number 2 Center for the Blackhawks and I think playing a significant role with the current number 2 Center would help Reichel in the long run, on line three I would have overpaid forward Tyler Johnson who should be a good middle six forward for the Blackhawks and mentor the young players while I have Blackwell who was a offseason addition Center that line as he has been a very productive bottom line forward the past few years and I think he can do even better on the 3rd line and Kurashev would play on the other wing as he is coming off a career 21 point season and I think consistent 3rd line minutes should help him while I would have Sam Lafferty who was acquired from Pittsburgh during last year and fit in nicely with Chicago and I think could be a useful bottom six forward with the team and I would also have 4th line forward Khaira who is a really good depth forward and can kill penalty’s so I think he would be good on the 4th line and I would also have Reese Johnson as he played well when he got into the lineup last year but with a weaker group I think he could get consistent 4th line minutes and while I see Hardman and Entwistle starting as spares for the Blackhawks I could also see them get time on the bottom six but this forward group looks pretty bare and outside of the top line maybe two this team will find scoring to be pretty hard this year and with a few good players being possible deadline deals this lineup could have a very small amount of top 9 forwards post deadline and I think this is the price they have to pay to be better in the future.
Rating C+: now the Blackhawks haven’t done a great job making their team better this offseason but the reason why I am giving them a okay rating is because they had a goal and stuck to it as they were able to move on from players that they could get value for and could bring them draft capital and got some veterans who they could move for more draft capital over the next year and while they won’t be good this year they should be bad which would be a win if it got them Bedard so I think that Chicago had a okay offseason because they were able to set themselves up to get Bedard.
Chicago
Projected lineup
A.Athanasiou-M.Domi-P.Kane
L.Reichel-J.Toews-T.Raddysh
P.Kurashev-C.Blackwell-T.Johnson
S.Lafferty-J.Khaira-R.Johnson
A.Vlasic-S.Jones
C.Jones-C.Murphy
R.Stillman-A.Regula
P.Mrazek
A.Stalock
M.Entwistle-M.Hardman-J.Johnson
(IR B.Katchouk, I.Mitchell, J.McCabe)
My Projected point total and record for the Blackhawks
26-47-9 for 61 points
Colorado
Last years record: 56-19-7 119
Significant UFA losses: Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Nico Sturm, Nicolas Aube Kubel, Jack Johnson, Ryan Murray, Darcy Kuemper
Significant UFA additions: Evan Rodrigues, Anton Blidh, Brad Hunt, Jonas Johansson
Significant trades:
To COL: Alex Georgiev
To NYR: 2022 3RD (COL), 2022 5RD (COL), 2023 3RD (COL)
Colorado’s 2022 Draft results:
6RD #193 RD Chris Romaine
7RD #225 G Ivan Zhigalov
Season and Roster preview: the Avalanche are coming off a Stanley Cup win and are looking to defend the Stanley Cup this year and they did have some change this year as they tried to navigate the cap but they were able to keep most of the players who helped them get to the Cup Final and I think they may be a tad weaker then they were last year with all of the moves they have made this offseason but I also think that this team would have to fall off a cliff to miss the playoffs and I find a hard time seeing them not win this division again.
In Net the Avalanche were not able to retain the starter of last year in Kuemper and seem like they will be going forward with a tandem after acquiring a pretty good goalie but can they still do well in Net without starter Kuemper this year. So after the team let go Kuemper to free agency this year they were able to bring in Alex Georgiev as he has been a pretty good backup in New York but wanted some more playing time so he was moved to Colorado and I don’t think that at this point Georgiev can be a good starter in the NHL but I don’t see why he can’t be a 1A in a tandem as I think he is perfect for that role with the Avalanche this year and after having a up and down season last year I think he should be a stable piece for Colorado and I would have Pavel Francouz be 1B as I think that he has been quite fantastic over the past few years mostly as backup and he isn’t on to much of a expensive contract but I do think that he could play about half of the games for the Avs next year and if Georgiev falters at all I think he could also jump into the 1A slot if necessary so I do like the Avalanche tandem and I think having these two really helps as they can both be 1A goalies and while I do think it is a bit worse then last year when they had Kuemper, I really don’t think it is all that much different and they should get stops when they need it.
With the defence the team didn’t go through too much change as they were able to keep most of their D-Corp together and only lost some depth pieces so I think this backend should still be a powerhouse. Now on the top pair I would have probably the best defender in the NHL right now and that is Cale Makar who is coming off a season where he almost hit 30 goals and got 86 points and then went on to have one of the most productive playoffs by a defensemen in NHL history and he is only going to get better and I would keep him with his partner from last year in Devon Toews who also had a amazing season and on the top pair with Makar it is quite possible that those two make up the best D-Pair in the NHL right now and I see no reason to break them up so I would keep them together for right now, on pair 2 I would have Josh Manson who winded up extending with Colorado after he was acquired at the deadline and played quite well in Colorado putting up 7 points in 22 games and I think he could be in for a big season playing too 4 minutes with Colorado and have him paired with Girard who is another offensive wiz on this blueline but has dealt with injuries this past year both in the regular season and the playoffs so if he can stay healthy he should be another weapon on this team, and on line three I would have young defender Byram who had a rough year last season due to injuries but was able to be a lethal force in the playoffs and the other games he got into so I think he could be another big part of this defence and I would have him with Erik Johnson who is now a 3rd pair defensemen at this point in his career and should be a good pair for Byram to allow him to be offensive but I also think that Johnson should still be a valuable member on the blueline and have MacDermid be the 7th defensemen as he can play a 3rd pair role well and I think that if injuries happen he should be the first in but definitely this defence is still lethal as not only can they defend but they are deadly with the puck and are probably the best scoring defence in the NHL so I think this unit will help on both sides of the puck and help the team push forward.
And with the forward group the Avalanche do look a little bit weaker after the departures of Kadri and Burakovsky but I think they still have enough offensive talent plus young up and coming talent to still have a lethal offense that teams will be afraid of. Now to start the year captain Landeskog will miss the first bit of the season so I would keep his usual line mates on the top line as Mackinnon who is coming of another monster year and a equally monster extension and I don’t think that Mackinnon is going to slow down any time soon and should continue to be a top 5 Center on the NHL and Rantanen should continue to play with him as he is coming off of his first 90 point season and with a healthy McKinnon all year o think he could end up hitting 100 and with Landeskog out due to injury I would have Lehkonen be on the other wing as Lehkonen played like a top six forward after being acquired at the deadline and after a outstanding showing in the playoffs I think filling in Landeskog’s spot should fall on him, on line 2 I would give Alex Newhook the 2nd line Center position as I think he is the best candidate to step into the position that Kadri held last year and I think Newhook is ready for a bigger role so I would have him be there and on his wings I would have Nichushkin who is coming off a career year and has played very well every since he went to Colorado and the power forward should remain on the second line as a good contributor, and on the other wing have Evan Rodrigues as he is coming off a career year playing consistent top 9 minutes and I think if he can remain in a middle six role he should be able to keep his production up and prove he can be a reliable top 9 forward, as for the 3rd line I would have J.T Compher as I think that he has played very well these past few years and he has been a very versatile middle six forward for Colorado and I think putting him on line 3 at Center would be able to help Colorado maximize their offense, and on the wings I would have Logan O’Connor who is a decent bottom six forward but really stood out in the playoffs last year and with some line shuffling needed I think he could be a decent 3rd line player for the first few weeks while on the other side I would have Martin Kaut who has a couple NHL games under his belt but the former 1RD pick hasn’t got a consistent chance so putting him on the 3rd line at least gives him a chance to succeed, and on the 44th line I would have 2 vets who played key roles in their Stanley Cup win last season and those two being Helm and Cogliano as both are good 4th line penalty killing players and I think that they should be able to still be big parts of this team and I would have Shane Bowers Center them as the only 2017 1RD pick without NHL experience I think that Bowers may be ready to finally break into the NHL and I could see him get some NHL action early and I think that guys like Sedlak and Maltsev could be decent spares for this team and come in and play on the 4th line if injuries come up but all in all this is still a pretty good offensive unit for Colorado as I do think not having Landeskog to start the year is a disappointment and they will miss Kadri and Burakovsky but they have gotten enough players and have young players who can step in that I think this team will be fine and they will still be a top 10 team this year on the offensive side.
Rating C: I like what the Avalanche have done but I don’t think that they have done enough to say that they are a improved team from last year as they lost guys like Kadri, Burakovsky and Kuemper and replaced them with Rodrigues and Georgiev and also some internal bodies so I think that this team probably could’ve added another forward but they made some nice additions and I do think their goaltending will be on par with last year while the offense and defence should still be some of the best in the league and I have no doubt that the Avalanche will be tops of the Central again and they will continue to be a Stanley Cup favourite in my eyes.
Colorado
Projected lineup
A.Lehkonen-N.Mackinnon-M.Rantanen
V.Nichushkin-A.Newhook-E.Rodrigues
L.O’Connor-J.T Compher-M.Kaut
A.Cogliano-S.Bowers-D.Helm
D.Toews-C.Makar
S.Girard-J.Manson
B.Byram-E.Johnson
A.Georgiev
P.Francouz
L.Sedlak-M.Maltsev-K.MacDermid
(IR G.Landeskog)
My Projected point total and record for the Avalanche
54-21-7 for 115 points
Dallas
Last years record: 46-30-6 98
Significant UFA losses: Michael Raffl, Alex Radulov, Vladislav Namestnikov, John Klingberg, Andrej Sekera, Braden Holtby
Significant UFA additions: Mason Marchment, Colin Miller, William Butcher
Significant trades:
To DAL: Nils Lundkvist
To NYR: 2023 1RD (DAL), 2025 4RD (DAL)
Dallas 2022 Draft results:
1RD #18 LD Lian Bichsel
2RD #50 RD Christian Kyrou
3RD #83 RD George Fegaras
4RD #115 RD Gavin White
5RD #147 G Maxim Mayorov
6RD #179 RW Matthew Seminoff
Season and Roster preview: the Stars were able to become better this year after they made a few sneaky good moves in my opinion and while the Robertson stalemate still looms large as a problem they need to answer I think that when they are able to come to terms this team will be lethal offensively again but maybe more then a one line team and should be the same defensively and I think this Stars team should still be able to fight for a top spot in the Central.
In Net the Stats are rolling with the same duo that they had post trade deadline and they have a 3rd goalie right now as insurance. So they have their starter in Jake Oettinger who started last year in the minors but then came alive after he was called up and really played some outstanding hockey including that he was a brick wall in the postseason stopping a huge amount of shots in the series with Calgary and as the starter right now it looks like in a year or two he could be a top 10 elite level goalie with the way things are trending, and as backup they have Scott Wedgewood who had bounced around the league as a 3rd string goalie for the past few years but put up good numbers and kept on doing so when he was traded to Dallas and was able to get a extension and I think that Wedgewood can give Dallas 20-30 games and he will keep the Stars in it on most nights and they still have Khudobin who is coming off a injury and is right now 3rd on the depth chart right now and might still be moved as a cap dump but if he remains he could be a strong 3rd string goalie if they run into injuries and the Stars net looks pretty good this year and I think that with Oettinger now as the starter they should be better in net then they were last year and the defensive game should once again be a huge part of their team.
With the D-Corp the Stars lost a pretty big piece of their blueline in John Klingberg to free agency but they have made a few additions to improve their team and I think that they could still have a pretty good blueline this year even without Klingberg. On the top pair I would have Esa Lindell who was Klingberg’s pair for the longest time and is still a pretty good offensive player should be paired with Heiskanen who is a exciting young defensemen and one who will be in the Norris conversation for years and is a offensive powerhouse and because Lindell already has experience playing with a highly offensive defensemen I think these two would make a great pair, on the 2nd pair I would have veteran Ryan Suter who had a pretty good first season in Dallas getting 32 points but he is declining but I think he could still put up around 30 points again this year, and after acquiring him late this offseason I would put Lundkvist on Suter’s other side as I think he has done well in the preseason and has tremendous offensive upside and I feel that in the top 4 Lundkvist can replicate some of the offence that was lost by Klingberg leaving and with a veteran like Suter as his pair I think he could excel this year, and on pair 3 I would put young Thomas Harley who got his first taste of NHL action last year when he got 4 points in 34 games and in time I think he can be a really effective top 4 defensemen but for right now I think he is ready for consistent 3rd pair minutes and I would have one of Miller or Hakanpää be his partner and the other be the 7th defensemen and I think Hakanpää should be Harley’s partner as he is a good physical defensemen who could let a guy like Harley improve his offensive game while Miller should start as the 7th D and come in when someone goes down with injuries but I definitely like what the Stars have done this offseason and while I k Lw that Klingberg will be missed I think Dallas as a team should be able to overcome that and they also look deeper with these additions and I think with this group and their goalies they should be a very good defensive team again.
And on the forward group obviously the big question mark is what happens with Robertson and his contract but until that is done I still think the Stars have a pretty good forward group to start the year even without Robertson. So I have Robertson off the roster right now as I am not sure that he would be signed by the start of the season but if he is ready to go then slot him on the top line and the other lines would have to be shuffled but right now I would keep Hintz and Pavelski together as the never ageing Pavelski seems to get better with age and following his 81 point season last year I think he can put up at least 70 points this year and Hintz is a good number one Center for Dallas and has been for a few years note and I think that with him being in a contract season he will want to prove that he can produce as a number one Center and playing with Pavelski again I am sure he would have a productive season and I would put newly brought in Marchment to fill in Robertson’s spot as I don’t think he’s career year last season was a blip of fluke and I think some will be surprised when he has another productive season this year and I could see him hit 50 points, on line two right now I would have Gurianov who is a up and de own player but when his good he can produce well and I think he just needs a little consistency and I would also have Benn on that line as I think that he needs to be playing like a $9.5 Million dollar player and I think having him with Gurianov might help but I also think having Johnston on that line would help as the former 1RD pick seems to me like he is NHL ready and for a guy who is lethal with the puck I think this Stars team could use someone like that so in my eye putting him on the second line might be able to keep Gurianov consistent and reignite Benn and I think that is what Dallas needs, on line three I would have Seguin who hasn’t lived up to his contract recently and has the highest Salary in the NHL so I definitely think that he needs to play well and maybe on the third line with better matchups he could play better, and I would put Kiviranta who has been a good middle six forward for the Stars since entering the lineup and I think a consistent top 9 role could help him be more offensive and Dellandrea who has had pieces of seasons win the NHL but I feel that he is ready for a full time NHL role and maybe putting him with Seguin could help home regain his offensive touch, and on line 4 I would have Faksa who has played pretty well over the past few years but in my opinion is being boxed out of the top nine due to the Center depth so I have him being a pretty good 4th line Center to start the year and I think having young Jacob Peterson who is coming off his first NHL seasons dans should be able to carve out a consistent 4th line role for himself and help offensively on the other wing and veteran Glendening on the other wing as he is a good 4th line penalty killer and should be able to help the others out should help Faksa show that he can still be a top nine forward and then I would have Tufte and Studenic be the spares as both can play bottom six roles well and have some NHL experience in case there is any injuries and I like the Stars defence and right now it looks like it is losing a element without Robertson but this offense is by far better then last years offense if you put Robertson back in and if young guys like Johnston and Dellandrea can take off and Benn and Seguin start playing like $9.5 Million dollar players and Robertson signs around the start of the year and doesn’t miss too much time I think that this offense will be a whole lot better then what they were last year.
Rating B-: the Stars did a fantastic job in my opinion by keeping their goaltending intact from last year, overcoming the defensive loss of Klingberg by acquiring Lundkvist and signing Miller and adding Marchment to replaced bottom six forwards like Radulov and Raffl were all pretty good moves by the Stars GM and it is now wonder why they signed him to a extension and I think that the Stars will not only make it back to the playoffs but should also have a top 3 spot in the Central and quite frankly it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the Stars were able to be a home team in a playoff series.
Dallas
Projected lineup
M.Marchment-R.Hintz-J.Pavelski
J.Benn-W.Johnston-D.Gurianov
J.Kiviranta-T.Seguin-T.Dellandrea
J.Peterson-R.Faksa-L.Glendening
E.Lindell-M.Heiskanen
R.Suter-N.Lundkvist
T.Harley-J.Hakanpää
J.Oettinger
S.Wedgewood
M.Studenic-R.Tufte-C.Miller
My Projected point total and record for the Stars
48-26-8 for 104 points
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