NHL Power Rankings Week One: Capitals, Lightning, Predators, And Ducks Are Favorites

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Power Rankings: #13 – Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars narrowly missed the playoffs thanks to subpar goaltending and defense. They made some improvements in the offseason to fix those problems.

STRENGTHS: The Stars going to be fun to watch. Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Patrick Sharp form a scoring line that opposing goalies will see in their nightmares. Benn and Seguin are both threats to win the Art Ross. Sharp should rejuvenate his career playing alongside the dynamic duo.

John Klingberg and free agent signing Johnny Oduya should ensure that the Stars defense this year is better than it was last year. Jason Demers is a very solid defenseman as well. The Stars helped fix their goaltending by signing Antti Niemi. Kari Lehtonen and Niemi should be a very competent goaltending tandem.

WEAKNESSES: The defense still has some holes in it. Their bottom pairing is likely going to be terrible. I think their top two pairings will cancel it out. However, injuries could cause the same problems that happened last year. Their goaltending tandem is a tad bit expensive for my liking. Jason Spezza is starting to show his age. He needs a bounce back year.

OUTLOOK: The Stars will make a return to the playoffs. If they manage to fix their defense along the way, they could contend for a Stanley Cup.

Next: #12