Dallas Stars' 2008-09 Training Camp Preview

As the hockey world begins preparatory workouts for training camp, many teams are ready to get back on the ice. Some, like the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, left the race to the Stanley Cup with empty hands and with broken hearts, and the long summer could not end fast enough.

For the Dallas Stars, the summer flew by—because of their immense success in last year's playoffs. To a degree, Dallas was a Cinderella of sorts, with hockey experts including myself anticipating an exit for Dallas at the hands of the Ducks.

Instead, Dallas went Duck hunting and progressed to San Jose, while the Ducks enjoyed California’s beautiful summer weather.

On September 19, the Stars' summer will end, and Dallas will begin training camp at the Frisco Stars Center, in hopes of chasing down another Western Conference Finals berth. For the Stars, this summer has yielded great results in reloading for 2008-09.

Signing Fabian Brunnstrom and Sean Avery add immense talent to already one of the most gifted teams in the conference. Marty Turco looks poised to show again that he is a premier goaltender in the NHL. Mike Modano and Sergei Zubov look set to prove old men really do it better than young studs. Brad Richards looks like the spring is back in his skates, and Brenden Morrow looks ready to captain his team to the Stanley Cup.

Many would sit here at this point and begin explaining teams that could or will stand in Dallas’ way, but the team that destroyed Dallas in the playoffs last year wasn’t Detroit—it was Dallas itself. Not to take anything away from the Red Wings, but the style of game they play forces teams to adapt or die.

The Stars couldn’t adapt, and were left wondering what happened.

Dallas fell to Detroit in much the same fashion the Ducks fell to Dallas—adapt or lose badly is the new face of the NHL. For teams such as Anaheim, who are all defense, the league could get difficult. Balance, more than ever, is the name of the game.

The Stars have one of the best lineups in the Pacific Division. There are so many potential line combinations I won't waste time sitting here guessing the wrong one—instead, I will point out the only team in the Pacific on Dallas’ level is San Jose.

For example, Anaheim is very talented, but scoring is a major problem. Phoenix looks to be a good team, but the youth and defense could be obstacles. Los Angeles again will be the likely whipping boy for the Pacific to beat up on. San Jose returns with a greatly improved team, and will surely meet the Stars again in the playoffs.

For the Stars to reap success like last year, it must all begin in training camp. Below is a list of what Dallas must accomplish in training camp to avoid issues once the season starts:

1. Coach Tippett must find a spot in the lineup for Fabian Brunnstrom, and make him feel comfortable—yet challenged.
2. Find a place for Sean Avery to produce both penalty minutes and points. A spot with Morrow and/or Ribiero would be a good place. I say, give him a spot on a top line until he proves he doesn’t deserve it.
3. The Stars must begin evaluating youth. Sergei Zubov’s likely replacement has been found in Matt Niskanen, but who will replace Mike Modano in the coming years?
4. Establish a depth chart for goalies behind Marty Turco. Who is a suitable number two and three? The Stars have a lot of goaltending prospects, but they must develop them wisely.
5. Make Brad Richards feel at home. He was miserable in Tampa.  The Stars make sure he feels good about Dallas, so his production can continue to improve.
   
6. Work on conditioning and stretching to keep guys healthy for the year. The Stars always experience injury bugs, but this year it could worse, with no AHL affiliate to fall back on. With no clear-cut way for the Stars to call up their youth, it's best to avoid needing call-ups all together.

If these issues are covered, the Stars should have no major problems in the new season. While some teams will wonder if the playoffs are too lofty of a goal, Dallas will likely wonder if winning it all is too much to dream of.

For Dallas, the sky is the limit—and all the hard work begins now, in preseason workouts and training camp.

Image: Courtesy of Google, most likely from the prospect camp.

For more Stars news this offseason, including a motivating look back last season and the 2009 Stars Ice Girls at the lake check out the blog Battle of the Pacific.

Ken Armer is a Senior hockey Writer and a Community Leader for the NHL and Dallas Stars. You can contact him on his profile or via e-mail at [e-mail]