**Regular Season Finish: 12th **
| Dallas Stars | Dallas had an uncharacteristically poor showing in the 2008-09 season, and unfortunately has not done much to correct the situation that left them well out of playoff contention, despite a roster that boasted such premier talent as Marty Turco, Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow. The Stars proved to be almost inept at keeping the puck out of their own net, finishing the season tied with the last place Colorado Avalanche at 257 goals allowed on the season. With Turco, a former NHL Allstar between the pipes, a natural first response should have been to bolster the defense.  > |
The majority of the Stars’ 2009 offseason, however, was not spent worrying about how their defense would be improved for next year. Instead, the first month of free agency was spent wondering whether or not longtime veteran Sergei Zubov would return for his 12th season in a Dallas uniform. In the end, Zubov opted not to re-sign with the Stars and decided to play what will likely be his last season or two in the Russian KHL. Zubov played only ten games for Dallas last season, but has been the leader of the Stars’ defensive corps for over a decade.
Dallas did make a few minor free agent signings to help fill the void left by Zubov. Veteran defenseman Karlis Skrastins was signed after a season in which he recorded a career high 18 points with the Florida Panthers. The Stars also added young defenseman Jeff Woywitka, who had just completed his first full season with the St. Louis Blues, playing 65 games with the resurgent young club. Neither of these players is the long-term fix for a defensive club that gave up the most goals in the NHL last season.
The Stars also managed to re-sign veteran winger Jere Lehtinen, keeping most of their forward lines intact, as well as adding young center Warren Peters from Calgary. In the crowded Pacific Division, the Stars could be in for a very long and disappointing season.