Andrew's Dallas Stars Blog

That’s a wrap on the preseason

Well, that's a wrap on the preseason. I'm not going to fret too much about the 1-5-1 record. It doesn't mean much. I will fret a little bit why they put up that record, which was a lack of scoring punch. Last season they had a lot of things go right in that department because a lot of individuals had things go right. Several players put up career numbers. That just doesn't happen every year, regardless of whether players are in their most productive years or not. I am not overly concerned about it, but it's something to watch moving forward. This team needs everybody on the committee chipping in and if a few guys slip or a few guys they were counting on don't produce what they were expecting, it could get a little rough now and then.

They had some stretches Sunday and in other games where they really dictated play, and that's encouraging. It's nice to see them dictating play. It's not nice to see them outshooting someone 41-14 and losing 3-2. At the same time all teams go through offensive dry spells. Maybe the preseason here was just a dry spell. Time will tell.

Anyway, the next big thing is for the roster to take shape. We'll know by midweek, maybe sooner, what it's going to look like to start the season. I don't see the opening night roster as the be all and end all of things because the roster can be pretty fluid over the course of the season and the roster that will eventually count is the one they are using down the stretch and into the playoffs. Toby Petersen wasn't on the radar at this time last year and look where he ended up at the end of last season. Ditto with B.J. Crombeen. There were some decent expectations for Brad Winchester at this time last year and he ended up doing little. Things can change a lot, especially if you make a move at the deadline.

That said, how you start the season is important so that makes your opening roster important. The big question is what they do about the forwards. I think James Neal has played well enough to earn himself a roster spot. I thought that last week and nothing's changed now that the preseason is over. Will he? Still don't know. I think B.J. Crombeen is a lock. Fabian Brunnstrom's been considered a lock, and I think he's been fine and shows a lot of promise, but we'll see how things shake out. There are some cap issues at play here and we'll have to see how the Stars deal with that.

So, the countdown is on to the regular season. We'll get a better idea of where everything stands in a couple days and then it is time to bring on Hitch and the Blue Jackets.

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