![]() ![]() What did they lose this offseason that is noteworthy?Ĭhicago traded F Teuvo Teravainen and F Bryan Bickell to the Carolina Hurricanes for picks. Tootoo is known more for his ability to get scrappy with opponents and rack up the penalty minutes. The right winger barely has 150 points in 673 NHL games, and posted a career high 30 points back in 2011-12. ![]() When looking at the Blackhawks offense, it is a mystery why they would sign Tootoo. They also signed 33-year-old F Jordin Tootoo. He’s provided a declining veteran presence on the Hawks blue line over the past four seasons. The Blackhawks also re-signed D Michal Rozsival to a one-year extension worth $600,000 AAV. He is an older defenseman, but is showing no intentions of slowing down. He can also help out on both special teams units. He’s an offensive force also, tallying 95 points in his past three seasons. He’s a veteran presence on the blue line that rarely gets hurt and can efficiently move the puck. The 37-year-old defenseman signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with Chicago on July 1st.Ĭampbell was a target for many teams going into the offseason, including the Stars. One of the Blackhawks’ biggest acquisitions this offseason was signing D Brian Campbell in free agency. What did they gain this offseason that’s noteworthy? The Stars were lucky enough to grab two of those players (Sharp through trade and Oduya through free agency), which ultimately helped bolster their lineup.īottom line: the Hawks fell well short of where they had once been this past season. It was finally time to pay the piper, and Chicago had to cough up some valuable players to balance out.Īmong those lost were Brandon Saad, Brad Richards, Patrick Sharp, and Johnny Oduya. Now, it’s obviously difficult to not take a step back after winning the Stanley Cup in the season prior, so it was somewhat expected.Īfter defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals, the Hawks were met head on by their salary cap troubles. The 2015-16 Chicago Blackhawks took a step back from their 14-15 selves. Postseason: eliminated in first round by the St. Record: 47-26-9 (103 points), finished third overall in division So Blackout Dallas is going to do a series recapping the offseason moves of each of the other six Central Division teams and how those moves could affect the team’s success not only against Dallas, but in the division overall.įirst up, we will start off with one of the Stars’ newest rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks. However, that does not mean that the Stars will be able to breeze through the division again this coming season. Only this past year, they seemed to be the teacher instead of the student. The Central Division is highly regarded as the toughest division in the NHL, and the Dallas Stars have had a front row seat while learning this lesson for the past three years. The defense has a bigger, stronger look to it with the addition of Dan Hamhuis, and the goaltenders Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi should be more prepared to run the two-goalie system this season than they were last year.Īll in all, the Stars look ready to string together an impressive year in 2016-17.īut, as mentioned in the first sentence, there are 29 other teams who could have improved just as much, if not more. Led by an all-star offensive cast of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, and Patrick Sharp, Dallas looks poised to lead the league in scoring once again (3.23 goals for average last year). Now the Dallas Stars are returning for another round, and hopefully have more fuel in the tank than the last time around. Still, the season was a delightful success. They slid into the Western Conference semifinals, where they lost in a seven-game bout with the St. Last season, they ran the table in the Central Division and escaped the regular season with a record of 50-23-9 (109 points) and the first overall seed in the Western Conference going into the playoffs. With all of these moves, the Stars are in good position to make a run. They traded for Tyler Seguin in 2013, traded for Jason Spezza and signed Ales Hemsky in 2014, traded for Patrick Sharp in 2015, and extended captain Jamie Benn for eight years last month. The Dallas Stars know the offseason well, and they have proven to make the most out of each of the past four. But which teams improve and which decline? That depends on a variety of factors spanning from management decisions, to contact disputes, and even the availability and status of certain players. How will they fare against the Chicago Blackhawks this year?Įvery NHL offseason presents an opportunity for every team to get better or worse. By Josh Clark 6 years ago The Dallas Stars are aiming to go far this coming season, but let’s not forget that they are still in the rough and tough Central Division. ![]()
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