Best Draft Class in Franchise History: Stars

[LastWordArmy]

Dallas Stars Best Draft Class: 2017


Overview


We’ve tried to avoid classes from the last few years so we wouldn’t be accused of recency bias. However, the 2017 draft class is already looking like a winner. The Stars had missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs one season after winning the Central Division. They’d miss the postseason again in 2017-18, but Dallas got three players that may figure prominently into their plans. Two are already key parts of the team and a third is ready to be the likely goalie of the future.

Previous drafts for the Minnesota North Stars will also be counted in this article. This is in line with the Quebec Nordiques counting for the Colorado Avalanche and the old Winnipeg Jets being part of the Arizona Coyotes.

The Best Draft Class in Dallas Stars History - Last Word On Hockey

Click to read more...

 

[Magic Mittens]

Pretty sure Jason is the older brother

but yeah that’s one of Nills best drafts so far

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

Not sure which thread to put this, but Stars dropped to 15th in this annual ranking of front offices. One note said it was hard to separate results from process, thinking of how much COVID, injuries, etc. derailed last season. Still, I doubt this board would dispute a mid level ranking for the front office, and the truth is probably somewhere in between last year's 5th place showing and this year's 15th, at least IMHO.

2021 NHL front office rankings: Fans weigh in on every team – The Athletic

 

[Captain Awesome]

I think it's interesting because I think the aggregate rating is pretty accurate. This is your bubble team's favorite bubble team, so being ranked right around the middle of the league is slightly higher than how we finished (17th pre Kraken) last year. I think something is getting lost in the nuance, since I don't think we are average at every aspect, but then again it's a bit of a chaotic system they're using for ranking. Technically, Stars are ranked 13th overall in both, but the weighted ranking has us in 15th.

Still, there are a lot of really bizarre ratings in the top 15. Detroit top 3? Really? I hold Yzerman in high regard, but what was so great about the Lightning is that everything worked in the front office. I'm not sure Yzerman has the same pipeline for success in Detroit as he did in Tampa, and I think some of the ratings are built more on hopes and dreams than tangible results. The Kings are also kind of in the same vein. Toronto, Pittsburgh, Vegas also seem way too low to me as well, probably under the weight of expectations as compared to some of the more optimistically rated teams coupled with some pretty mediocre offseasons.