When I first unveiled my bold prediction in October that the Stars would bring the Stanley Cup back to Dallas for the first time since 1999, I was met with a lot of doubters, and after they started their 2019-20 campaign in mediocre fashion with a 3-6-1 record in their first ten games, I don’t think a lot of people were behind me on my prediction.
Now, the Dallas Stars currently sit 3rd in the Western conference, just six points behind the defending champion St. Louis Blues, and I am still standing by my prediction that the Dallas Stars will lift Lord Stanley’s fabled chalice above their heads come June.
The main reason I believe the Stars are serious cup contenders is because their team is built like a serious cup contender. They are one of the stingiest defensive teams in the league, having allowed just 151 goals in 59 games so far, and their goaltending tandem of veteran netminders Anton Khudobin and Ben Bishop have been arguably the best tandem in the league this year with both goaltenders ranking in the top ten for save percentage (SV%) and goals against average (GAA) among goaltenders who have played at least 20 games this season.
They also have a great deal of size, with big defencemen Jamie Oleksiak (6’7”, 255lbs) and Stephen Johns (6’4”, 225lbs) manning the blue line as well as veteran presences Martin Hanzal (6’6”, 230lbs), Corey Perry (6’3”, 205lbs) and Radek Faksa (6’3”, 220lbs) at forward, which is crucial for a team in the playoffs.
They have nice depth at all positions, and as such are prepared to withstand injuries to key players, which is crucial for a playoff contender.
The only weakness I see with this squad is scoring. They’ve only scored 167 goals so far, ranking 24th in the league, but I really don’t think this is a cause for concern. They are being coached to play defensive hockey, but they have some big guns up front that can score in clutch situations such as Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski just to name a few.
So, for these reasons, I’m standing by my pre-season pick of the Dallas Stars for the cup
What do I know, though. I’m just an 11 year old aspiring GM. Leave a comment on your thoughts about the blog and don’t forget to follow @puckinaroundwithjohnny on Instagram and to subscribe to the mailing list.
Until next time,
Johnny