Fansided

Projecting every NHL team’s chances of hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2019

By Griffin Youngs

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 03: Jamie Benn #14 of the Dallas Stars looks on during the game against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on April 3, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jamie Benn
SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 03: Jamie Benn #14 of the Dallas Stars looks on during the game against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on April 3, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jamie Benn /

13. Dallas Stars

After falling apart and missing the playoffs late in the season for the second straight year, the Dallas Stars are hoping that a coaching change and additions of youth can turn the tide and get them back into the postseason.

Last season, the Dallas Stars finished 18th in the league with 92 points after a massive losing streak in March knocked them out of the playoffs. There were serious issues last year that caused the collapse down the stretch, and not many steps were taken to fix them.

Why they could win

Dallas’s top tier players are nothing short of terrific, with a top line to be feared with Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov. Benn and Seguin are both in the primes of their career, and Radulov just had a career year with 72 points. There’s not any reason to believe those numbers are going to drop anytime soon, and that line alone makes Dallas a threat.

Dallas’s defense gets a lot of criticism, some of it deserved, but there’s a lot of high end pieces there. John Klingberg turned into stud last year with 67 points, and his pairing with Esa Lindell is very underrated. This season will likely see third overall pick in 2017, 19 year old Miro Heiskanen, getting his shot at making the team. If he’s everything he’s projected to be, that defense is good shape. Oh and there’s rumors that they could get Erik Karlsson, which would be pretty helpful.

The real key for Dallas is having a healthy Ben Bishop in net. Bishop was their answer last season to their years of goaltender woes and it seemed to be going well up until he got injured in March and missed the homestretch of the season. Dallas then missed the playoffs by just three points. If Bishop stays healthy, Dallas almost certainly gets those three points and gets into the playoffs. Even if he doesn’t stay healthy, Dallas signed Anton Khudobin to backup Bishop after his career year as a backup in Boston.

Why they won’t win

The Dallas Stars are the prime example of a top heavy team. Their top players are phenomenal and can carry the team, but there is little to no depth to support them. There is a serious lack of true skill outside of the top line, and the only move made to fix it was getting Valeri Nichushkin back from the KHL.

Dallas needs to make some more moves to round out this team, because it’s not enough. If they’re getting Karlsson, then go ahead; that’ll easily render defensive depth irrelevant. If they’re not, use the nine million in cap space and trade for some talent. This is not a team that can afford to stay put and waste what could be the last year of Tyler Seguin’s contract, along with wasting Benn’s best years.

The Central is a brutal division and Dallas will have a lot of competition to get into postseason with the improvements of the teams around them. They finished sixth in the division last year for a reason, and they didn’t solve those problems.

Conclusion

Dallas is a tough team to look ahead for. The core is worthy of a deep playoff run, but the rest of the team is not at that point yet. When you look at the Central Division as a whole, Dallas is maybe the fourth or fifth best team, and not by a lot. There’s no room for error here, and getting into the playoffs is the real concern. If they do get in then they will be a problem for every other team with their star power, and if Ben Bishop returns to form, he can take them deep. There is some value here to place reasonable bet on a Cup run, but if anybody goes down with an injury, it’s all over.

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