We need to acknowledge that on paper Stars have the most lethal forwards

[Kuhta]

Pittsburgh is obviously up there, but as a whole Stars take it.

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[thesaadfather]

Nah, I think Pittsburgh and Toronto are both better off the top of my head.

 

[Evergreen]

Acknowledged. Okay that's done. Let's move on.

 

[ybnvs]

DreamTeamâ„¢

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Nah I'm pretty sure the Pens still take it.

But the Stars are right up there.

 

[Empoleon8771]

The Stars are #2, but there's no way they're ahead of the Penguins in either top end talent or depth.

 

[ColdSteel2]

Out of the non-playoff teams? Yeah, got no issue with that, chief.

 

[TitansVolsPreds615]

They should light up the scoreboard, that's for sure.

 

[Battle Lin]

a lot of teams have heavy tops, but 4 lines play in a game, whats so good about stars depth

 

[Ajacied]

As a Stars fan I'd say they are still behind the Pens. But there's a strong case to be made for them to be second. Jets are up there as well.

The Stars are coming off a huge down year, going from first in the West to drafting third overall. Just a bad season, filled with injuries, career-low seasons of a few core pieces, horrible netminding and a coach who run out his stay. The Stars were first in goals scored in the previous two seasons combined, so with some new additions and another fresh start, expecting the Stars to have a top 3 offense isn't far stretched. Hitchock's ways will likely reduce some point totals here and there, but as a whole the forward pack should definitely be improved.

Aside from the big names, there are some unsung heroes, mostly youngsters, who provide a lot of extra's for the Stars up front. Janmark is coming off a serious injury, but if he rebounds well, he's a speedy, smart, two way winger capable of a 50 point season on Hanzal or Spezza's wing. Faksa is perfect in his role as a #3 center. Wouldn't surprise me if he scores near 40 points while racking up some Selke votes along the way. Devin Shore (33 points as a rookie, while mostly on the checking lines), Ritchie (16 goals in his rookie season) and Lance Pitlick (produced plenty in spare minutes on the Oilers last season. If he manages to stay somewhat healthy, the Stars have a gem) are a few others.

I especially like the diversity up front. Lots of different skill sets and intangibles. Power forwards (Benn, maybe Ritchie a little bit, too), two way forwards and face-off/PK specialists (Faksa, Hanzal, Janmark), pests (Roussel), playmakers (Spezza), danglers and creators (Seguin, Radulov).

It will be a fun season. Definitely looking forward to it..

 

[Morgs]

Benn Seguin Radulov Spezza Hanzel .... cliff. I mean, Faksa and Janmark are good, and Ritchie still has some potential..? But woof.

As if that's better than Pittsburgh.

I'd definitely take Toronto/Winnipeg before them as well for both high-end and depth.

Maybe even Washington or Tampa if you want to consider depth + top-end.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Pittsburgh is obviously up there, but as a whole Stars take it.

hockey aint played on paper

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

I just wanna see a Roussel - Hanzal - Faksa line.

Potential for one of the more annoying lines to play against.

And then you have Benn/Seguin/Radulov/Spezza in front of them to put up the points.

Janmark and Ritchie need to have good years to push it over the edge though. Perhaps even Pitlick can surprise, liked what i saw from him last season.

Anyway i'd still try Janmark - Spezza - Radulov line, instead of putting all eggs in one basket. Spezza is better as the center, Janmark plays a 2-way energy game on the wing (and has had chemistry with Spezza before) and we've seen how Radulov can make things happen on his own. If Spezza bounces back to 60 pts form, that line could be just as good as the Pacioretty - Danault - Radulov line and you still have Benn and Seguin in front of them.

I think Spezza gets forgotten a bit around here. Last time he produced less than 0.75 PPG was in his first 2 years in the league, and he's not super old at 34. 50 in 68 this season on a team where almost everyone underachieved ain't bad either. Feels like a good year coming for him too.

And if we're talking about depth, a lot of their bottom 6 guys quietly had good years. Shore 33 pts, McKenzie 16 in 53, Cracknell 16 in 69.. they will have a good 4th line that can score the occasional goal.

I like what i see. Interesting question is how do they all mesh together, and what does Hitchcock have in mind.

Oh and i'll be shocked if the PP does not operate at 20% efficiency.

 

[cobra427]

hockey aint played on paper

This. There D and goal tending was a major problem last year that might not be fixed yet. All the forwards sound good, but you still have to prevent goals. The Stars caught lightning in a bottle 2 years ago and came back to earth last year. I wouldn't be surprised if they missed the playoffs. It's not a switch you can turn on and all of a sudden you are way better.

 

[Lebowski]

I'd have them 2nd. Crosby-Malkin-Kessel is better than Benn-Seguin-Radulov.

I think the depth is interchangeable, but the big upside for the Pens is the chemistry that seems to have developed between Crosby and Guentzel/Sheary. That could turn either one of them (probably Guentzel) into a 60+ points player as soon as next season.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Pittsburgh has two all-time great centerman that have led them to three cups, they're not just "up there".

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Top 5 for sure. Pens had the #1 offense pretty comfortably despite having a slew of injuries. Objectively I don't think any team has a claim to be ranked higher in offense than Pittsburgh heading into the season, but you never know. Dallas had the #1 offense two years ago.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Pens.

Crosby>Benn
Malkin>Seguin
Kessel>Radulov
Guentzel>Spezza
Sheary>Hanzal

 

[surixon]

Meh Radulov is getting overrated on here. Good player but he would have finished 5th in scoring among Jets forwards and paced 6th in ppg.

Winnipeg has a much more potent top 6 than the stars.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

I guess we didn't need to after all.

 

[LarKing]

It's Pittsburgh and I'm a huge Radulov/Dallas fan. They're an exciting team and I'm beyond excited to watch Radulov light it up with them but it's still Pittsburgh. They've had the best player in the world and another top 5 player for so long that I think people forget just how lethal that is for other teams to match up against. Kessel is also ridiculously good. Would be at least the second best forward on most teams, but he's the third best on the team that already has a beyond stacked top two. Those three really give them a great base to just obliterate matchups however they see fit. Then throw in Guentzel, Hornqvist, Letang, Sheary, etc. etc. and it's just unfair. Player for player, that Pittsburgh offense just obliterates everyone.

 

[AvroArrow]

No they dont. Give me Pittsburgh, Washington, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Winnipeg, Chicago over them any day of the week.

 

[Ajacied]

This. There D and goal tending was a major problem last year that might not be fixed yet. All the forwards sound good, but you still have to prevent goals. The Stars caught lightning in a bottle 2 years ago and came back to earth last year. I wouldn't be surprised if they missed the playoffs. It's not a switch you can turn on and all of a sudden you are way better.

This thread is about the Stars offense, on paper no less. As for the switch on/off. If the Stars can go from first overall to picking third in the entry draft, with nearly identical rosters, I'd say making the playoffs again when they've adressed all their weaknessss (LHD, quality starter, new coach) isn't outrageous. They've added one of the better defensive centers, one of the better defensive defensemen, one of the better defensive minded coaches and a quality top 10/15 goalie in the league. I'd say that switch will be turned on and they will improve drastically in terms of team defense.

I'd have them 2nd. Crosby-Malkin-Kessel is better than Benn-Seguin-Radulov.

I think the depth is interchangeable, but the big upside for the Pens is the chemistry that seems to have developed between Crosby and Guentzel/Sheary. That could turn either one of them (probably Guentzel) into a 60+ points player as soon as next season.

Agreed!

Pens.

Crosby>Benn
Malkin>Seguin
Kessel>Radulov
Guentzel>Spezza
Sheary>Hanzal

There's talk Spezza is often being forgotten, even in this thread a few posts above, and this is excellent proof of that. Hanzal and Faksa also might not produce more than 40 points, they play excellent defense and are amongst the best at their positions. Prefer either over Sheary. That said, I take the Pens forward pack above anyone else, including Dallas or Winnipeg.

 

[Rebels57]

Pens.

Crosby>Benn
Malkin>Seguin
Kessel>Radulov
Guentzel>Spezza
Sheary>Hanzal

How would Radulov look with the Centers Kessel has gotten to play with?

Too soon to call Guentzel better than Spezza. Ville Leino once looked like a world-beater in a playoff run as well.

Sheary over Hanzal is not an appropriate comparison because they play different roles. Hanzal going head to head against another teams top 6 center is arguably as important as the secondary scoring Sheary provides Pittsburgh.

 

[Brock Radunske]

I take Pittsburgh, Toronto and Winnipeg before I picked Dallas.