Preface: This will be the last preview until Monday...or at least Sunday night.
Before I move on with the Anaheim Ducks, I want to know what's going on with Mathieu Schnieder, and I still have to write the San Jose preview. So in that light, I'm taking the weekend (er....Saturday) off.
Have a good weekend folks, and if you get bored...why not try my rankings of the fifty top NHL players on for size?
The Dallas Stars went on an inspired playoff run last season that no one thought they could accomplish.
If it wasn't for the Detroit Red Wings, it almost looked to be the Stars' year.
But the Stars aren't letting their opportunity pass them by. Without getting overly frivolous in the offseason, the Stars added some exciting pieces that could really make this season a special one.
Roster Additions: Sean Avery-F (F.A), Toby Petersen-F (F.A.), Fabian Brunnstrom-F (F.A.)
Roster Subtractions: Johan Holmqvist-G (Europe), Niklas Hagman-F (F.A.), Mattias Norstrom (Retired), Stu Barnes-F (Retired), Anti Miettinen-F (Free Agent)
How did 2007/08 go? 45-30-7, 97 points, fifth in conference, third in Pacific, lost in Western Conference Finals (Western).
2008/09 Goal: First in division, appear in Stanley Cup Finals
Let's break'er down...
Now, I've got to do two things here: I've got to give an inspirational little speech about the Dallas Stars (Like I did for the Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes) and I have to introduce Ken Armer for the Community Leader's View from the Pressbox.
That's right. I have connections. The NHL Community is writing stuff in my article.
Anyhow, motivating thing to say about the Stars....
It could be worse; They could be the New York Islanders.
I'm betting I hear about that one soon enough.
Let's go to the Zubov to see the Giraffes...
The Dallas Stars have a very familiar and comfortable defense.
The first name that you're going to recognize for the Stars is Sergei Zubov. He's been with the Stars since 1996, and he's always brought the same tangibles: A strong offensive presence from the back end, a good level-headed leader, and a sharp hockey mind.
Although Zubov is older now (38) and he missed almost half of last season due to injury, I wouldn't expect his performance to fall off too much—he's almost like a poor-man's Nick Lidstrom. Almost.
Philippe Boucher is another one of those veteran guys that you just know what he brings to the table. At 35, Boucher is done surprising people with his big slap shot, but if he can play a full season (He also missed over half the season due to injury), he'll be able to score more than two goals, and lay the body into his opponents a little more often.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Dallas Stars articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
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