Turning The Page

Howdy-ho Puck Heads! The preseason is drawing to an end, so let’s recap what’s happened since the last post.

Last time we chatted, the big three of Modano-Turco-Lehtinen were still on ice. So what’s the status now?

Mike Modano is now a Red Wing. Give that a moment to sink in. I think I'm at peace with this...simply because this wasn't him turning his back on the Stars. Dallas didn't want him anymore, and he wasn't ready to retire. I wish him the best, except when playing our team.

Marty Turco? He signed with the Blackhawks. I can see him fitting in here easily, but don't get the impression he's moving from a low level to a high level team...sure, Chicago will be good again this season but don't expect the same magic they bottled last season. Due to salary cap restrictions they've had to move a ton of players (hence how the Stars acquired Adam Burish).

And what's Jere Lehtinen up to? Well...I'm not really sure. I kept waiting to hear if he was retiring, signing elsewhere, or coming back...but I just haven't heard anything. I checked out his Wikipedia page and it says he's a free agent, so I guess he chose to just not do anything. NHL.com doesn't have anything listed by his name either, so for all intensive purposes, we'll just say he's in limbo.

Jonathan Cheechoo was invited to camp on a tryout basis, but didn't make the team. When I first heard about this I was stoked; I hated him as a Shark since he was so talented, but the past few years he's tapered off. I'm sure he's a great guy, but even I could look decent on a line with Morrow and Ribeiro or Richards and Neal.

The team is still owned by Tom Hicks, meaning we're constrained not only by the salary cap but also this ownership dilemma. The Texas Rangers were finally able to escape the Hicks effect, which fans saw an immediate change, such as cheaper food and beverage items and also more promotions. I miss the days of dollar bobble heads and two dollar t-shirt nights at the AAC. Guess we just have to be patient.

Enough of the off-ice issues...lets zero in on the team we have at hand.

I'm not a big fan of pre-season anything...however I did cave and go to an Avalanche-Stars game. I wont fully recap the game, so to summarize it: Sluggish play on both sides of the puck, way too many penalties taken, solid goal tending from Kari Lehtonen, and a nice comeback late sparked by an assist and goal from the captain Brenden Morrow. I feel this game can and will be a slight preview of things to come from this season. Gone are the days of solid defensive play that Dave Tippett instilled in the team and in comes the second year under Mark Crawfords offense first scheme. Despite the Stars giving up plenty of scoring chances, Kari Lehtonen has looked solid. Andrew Raycroft won the backup position, so the fate of the team will reside on their pads. My two players to watch this season are Brenden Morrow and Loui Eriksson. Morrow has had a solid preseason, picking up three goals and an assist. My case for Eriksson is based on something I noticed during pregame skate at the game I attended. He skated by himself with a puck, shooting it off seemingly every board in the zone to see how it bounced. I have a feeling he's going to have a monster year if he puts in that type of effort to something as minor as that.

Another interesting tidbit...the other day I saw ESPN had awarded their annual "Mr. Underrated" for the year. I clicked to see if I knew who he was...and sure enough I did. Stephane Robidas! Good to see some of our hard working guys are getting national notice. That being said, just about every analyst I've heard doesn't think the Stars will do much contending this season. I'm fine with that analysis...because this team will benefit from going under the radar. There won't be much pressure on them, and in some aspects they're better this season than last, even with losing a starting goaltender and two veteran forwards. Crawford's system will improve now that it's been used for over a full season, and this team in general has a new work ethic instilled. I'll admit they lack much of an identity, but I feel like this core of players should be able to figure it out sooner than later. It will be interesting to see how Ribeiro plays this season. His off season was plagued rumors of being traded prior to the draft, but the team is committed to him, made evident when he was captain in a preseason game that Morrow missed. Don't forget we still have Brad Richards.

All in all this should be a season to watch, and wouldn't you know, you don't have to wait too long to do so. Game one is this Friday against the New Jersey Devils.