Cautiously Optimistic about the Dallas Stars

By Olivia Lawrence
RP Show Intern 

After losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, and then not even making the playoffs in the shortened season last year, the Dallas Stars are looking to prove themselves this season.  With their season opener in the ‘Big Apple’ on Thursday (Oct.14) against the New York Rangers, Dallas fans are unsure how excited they should be for this NHL season.  

“I think down here [in Dallas] we feel cautiously optimistic about where this team could go,” said Brien Rea, Dallas Stars TV Broadcaster for Bally Sports Southwest. “When you look at them missing the playoffs a year ago, they were hammered by injuries, COVID, plus the weather situation down here with the once in a generation storm.” 

Dallas’ winter storm in February affected the hockey team’s schedule to the point where they played four games in seven nights for 13 consecutive weeks, which gave them maybe two practice days over the final three months of the season. Combine an affected schedule with an injury filled roster, those are some variables that are hard for any team to overcome. 

Fast forward to this season however, the Stars are ready to go with a healthy roster filled with talented veterans. Right wing Alexander Radulov, centre Tyler Seguin, and forward Roope Hintz, were three key players who all missed ice-time last season due to injury. It is predicted if these players can stay healthy, they will be the dominating trio and starting line for the Stars. Hintz is a particular favourite, he battled a bad groin injury all last season, but still managed to finish the season with 43 points in 41 games. All three players had to undergo surgery for their injuries, but are back to full health coming into this season.

“It’s the second oldest roster in the league,” said Rea. “You have a lot of players in their 30s and a significant chunk of the core is over 35. It’s hard to keep a roster like that healthy over 82 games, but if they’re going into the playoffs, and they are healthy, on paper, they’re a really dangerous team for anybody to deal with in a seven game series.”

The Stars first four games are away from home, which means Dallas won’t play their home opener until Oct. 22. The team will travel to New York, Boston, Ottawa and then Pittsburgh before returning home to play the Los Angeles Kings. 

“I do like the fact that they’re getting a lot of road games out of the way early,” said Rea.  I think it’s a good thing because you can gauge right off the bat where you are with some teams that are viewed to be highly competitive in the league. And then you find out, do you have to raise your level early, or are you in a pretty good spot and you started off with a pretty good chunk of points early on, on the road.”

The 2021-22 season will be an important one for the Stars. If the team can stay healthy and use their experience to handle setbacks, they could make a comeback this year.