Overall Outlook

The Dallas Stars fell short of the Stanley Cup to the eventual Cup Champions from Las Vegas last year. A successful year? Sure. One could argue, though, while they are very much still in this open window of contention, the actual window of opportunity is smaller than we perceive. Every year, there are teams that load up or are on the rise and will make the path back to the playoffs more difficult. Every year that you fall short is taxing both physically and mentally. To The Stars’ credit, they’ve managed the cap fairly well and have developed good players to allow for a more flexible roster construction. That being said, They seem to have difficulty on rounding out their defense. While they do have one of the best young D-men in Miro Heiskanen, but most Cup winner’s have more. This team did not lose a whole lot in the offseason, which is ideal when knowing you need to make some changes.

Offseason Additions

FWs Matt Duchene, Sam Steel, Craig Smith

D Derrick Pouliot

Fantasy Outlook

– In 71 games with Nashville last year, Matt Duchene potted 22 goals and totaling 56 points. Now on a 1-yr deal with Dallas, he’ll most likely fill in for that Max Domi role as the 3rd line RW alongside Tyler Seguin. He’s still such a crafty player even at 32 years old and could be a perfect addition, both for the regular season, where he could easily help the 2nd line and power play if Jamie Benn regresses further or if Evgeni Dadonov is ineffective, and in the playoffs where secondary scoring is paramount. I actually do predict he moves up a line and therefore boosts his projected point total into the 62-65 range. If Duchene gets to play alongside the promising young center, Wyatt Johnston, that 65 point projection might look like a joke come February.