1 - Dallas Stars

During a 20-year, Hall of Fame career, Joe Nieuwendyk missed the playoffs just four times. He's missed the playoffs each of his first three seasons as general manager of the Dallas Stars, but Nieuwendyk has spent the offseason reshaping the team's roster to prevent him from matching his years of disappointment in two decades as a player. In a flurry of moves that started at the 2012 NHL Draft and carried through the first week of free agency, the Stars subtracted forwards Mike Ribeiro, Steve Ott and Jake Dowell, and defensemen Sheldon Souray and Adam Pardy, while adding forwards Derek Roy, Jaromir Jagr and Ray Whitney, and defenseman Aaron Rome.

Additions: C Derek Roy, LW Ray Whitney, RW Jaromir Jagr, D Aaron Rome, C Cody Eakin

Subtractions: C Mike Ribeiro, C Steve Ott, D Sheldon Souray, D Adam Pardy, RW Adam Burish, C Jake Dowell

UFAs: G Andrew Raycroft, RW Radek Dvorak

Promotion candidates: RW Scott Glennie, RW Reilly Smith, C Cody Eakin

"We've been able to remake our team a bit and we like it," Stars owner Tom Gagliardi said. "It fits very well with our long-term direction. We had to give up a couple of assets to get there, but we like who we've brought in and the deals we made. We feel fortunate we got done what we wanted to get done in pretty short order. We're a better hockey team today." The addition of a pair of 40-year-old forwards is the most striking change, as Whitney and Jagr will be expected to play major roles at advanced ages. Last season was Jagr's first back in the NHL after three years in Russia, and he responded with 54 points in 73 games for the Philadelphia Flyers, helping linemates Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell have career-best seasons. In addition, Jagr's leadership and work ethic was pointed to as a major reason the Flyers got so much out of their young players. The Stars signed Jagr to a one-year, $4.55 million contract with the hope he can do for Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson this season what he did for Giroux and Hartnell last season. "You look at Jagr and the kind of success he has had working with younger players, which is what we are," Gagliardi said. "You look at the season that Claude Giroux had and I think Jagr deserves some credit for Giroux's year and the way he improved as a player. I am excited about the kind of effect Jagr can have on our young players, the Jamie Benns, the Loui Erikssons, the Matt Frasers and all the way down the line. He's a lead-by-example guy, extremely hard-working. What he can do on the ice and in the locker room is something we'll be able to measure for a number of years." Nieuwendyk said he's already laid out line combinations. "I play with the names on my board all the time, but I am staring right now at Jamie Benn at center with Jaromir on right and Loui Eriksson on left," Nieuwendyk said. "It looks pretty good to me in July here." With a top line of Benn between Eriksson and Jagr, the second line likely will feature Roy centering Whitney and Michael Ryder. Whitney, who led the Phoenix Coyotes with 77 points last season, chose Dallas because the Stars offered a two-year deal. "He's still one of the premier offensive players even at that age," Nieuwendyk said. "I think with Ribeiro going out we were in need of replacing some of that production, some of that skill. I think he is the type of player that makes players around him better." Ribeiro was dealt to the Washington Capitals at the draft for prospect forward Cody Eakin and a 2012 second-round pick. To replace him on the second line, the Stars traded Ott and Pardy to the Buffalo Sabres for Roy, who had 17 goals and 44 points last season. "Having the opportunity to acquire a player like Derek Roy, who is only 29 years old and is a proven point producer in this League at a position that is very rare to find, it seemed like it was a really good fit for us," Nieuwendyk said. The hope is the new additions not only improve the Stars at even strength, but lift a power play that was 30th in the League at 13.5 percent last season. The additions up front allow team captain Brenden Morrow to slide to the third line; coming off an injury plagued 2011-12 season, less ice time could make Morrow more effective. The big question mark lies on defense, where Souray signed with the Anaheim Ducks and Pardy left in the Roy trade. The top pairing of Stephane Robidas and Alex Goligoski will return intact, with Trevor Daley, Mark Fistric, Rome and prospects Jamie Oleksiak, Brenden Dillon and Patrik Nemeth challenging for spots. With goalie Kari Lehtonen coming off the best season of his career, the Stars are set if there are any mistakes by whoever fills out the defense corps. The Stars led the Pacific Division on March 30, but a five-game losing streak dropped them to ninth in the Western Conference. The feeling in Dallas now is the new pieces will blend with the holdover parts to create a playoff team. "We said we need to get better, we've gotten better and we haven't hurt the longer term plan," Gagliardi said. "I think it has come together quite nicely for us. I feel good about that. You look at our roster now and it's a legitimate playoff roster."

When Jaromir Jagr returned to the NHL after playing three seasons in Russia, he had a lot to learn about how the game currently is played in North America. He certainly showed he was a quick learner, with 19 goals and 35 assists in 73 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season, plus another eight points in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Now he'll take that education to Dallas, where he'll try to do for burgeoning star forwards Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson what he did for Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell in their season as Jagr's linemates. Can Jagr, now 40, still be productive? "I don't think there's any question he has gas in the tank. He had a terrific season with Philadelphia," Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk said shortly after signing Jagr to a one-year, $4.55 million contract in July. "He's still a world-class player. … Even at 40, he's still a difficult guy to contain. He's still as good as anyone in the League at using that big body down low. He keeps himself in tremendous shape. "I think he's going to be a really good fit with our group." One of the items Jagr learned last season is how important it was to keep his weight up. He said slipping from 240 pounds at the start of the season to 228 by the time it ended in hope of getting quicker only sapped his strength and was a reason he had just three goals and nine assists in his last 20 regular-season games. "I started the season at 240 and I felt pretty good," he said. "Then I dropped to 228 and I didn't feel that good. I thought my shot wasn't the same way. … That's the experience I learned last year, if I lost the weight I would be quicker. But I wasn't necessarily quicker and I didn't feel that comfortable with my shot in the second half of the season because I lost some pounds." As important as Jagr was on the ice, for the Flyers, his off-ice presence was just as big a factor in Philadelphia's success. Jagr's work ethic turned him into a role model for the team's young players. Dallas hopes he can do the same for Benn and Eriksson, among others. Both already have played in an All-Star Game, but getting them near the same level as Giroux and Hartnell would go a long way toward getting the Stars back to the postseason for the first time in four years. "The most important thing for the young guys is to learn to listen," Jagr said. "There's no secret to success. It's hard work. Talent is good, but without the work, you don't have a chance. You have to work harder than the other guys. You have to be willing to give up a lot. If it were easy, everybody would do it. It's not easy; only one guy can be the best. That's why you have to work the most." Jagr can point to his resume for proof of hard work equaling success. He doesn't have to be the dominant force he was in the 1990s now, but the hope is he can help the next generation of Dallas players the way he helped the next generation in Philadelphia. "Ten or 12 years ago, I felt I was the best player in the world," he said. "I knew how to get there. I just don't have the tools right now to do it. That way I can help the young guys."

The Dallas Stars led the Pacific Division on March 30, but they ended the season with five straight losses to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year. General manager Joe Nieuwendyk was active in the offseason, bringing in front-line forwards Derek Roy, Ray Whitney and Jaromir Jagr. Will the moves pay off with a return to the postseason?

In his first NHL season, Glen Gulutzan experienced the ups and downs that come with coaching in the NHL. After eight seasons in the minor leagues, including the last two in the AHL, Gulutzan said the biggest thing for him was adjusting to the NHL schedule. "The schedule was the biggest thing," he told NHL.com. "It's every second night and the travel is really grueling. Managing that schedule is something we can do a better job of. The other thing is simplicity. There's so many good coaches. No one is reinventing the wheel. It's the teams that do the little things the best every night that win. That's something we'll focus on more of, doing the little things well and having those as points of emphasis throughout the year." Adding an experienced assistant coach in Curt Fraser could help, as could the addition of veterans Jagr and Whitney. Like any other rookie, having a season of experience under his belt only can help Gulutzan moving into this season.

Injuries always have been an issue with goaltender, Kari Lehtonen, notably a pesky back issue. Last season, though, he played 59 games and set personal-bests with a 2.33 goals-against average and .922 save percentage, each of which ranked in the top 10 in the League. He missed a month with a groin injury and the Stars went 7-5-0 in his absence. Rookie backup Richard Bachman played well, but the Stars need Lehtonen to be healthy if they have any hope of returning to the postseason.

Steve Ott isn't the biggest forward in the League, but he has no problem jumping into the fray to stick up for a teammate. Same for Adam Burish and Sheldon Souray, who along with Ott had three of the top four penalty-minute totals on the Stars last season, and all of whom will be playing with other teams in 2012-13. So who supplies the muscle for Dallas this season? Captain Brenden Morrow can play nasty, as can defensemen Mark Fistric and Aaron Rome. But will they be enough to keep teams from getting overly physical with the Stars' more skilled players?

Jagr and Whitney have combined for 2,575 regular-season games and 283 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Both players turned 40 last season. Do they have enough left in the tank for one more big run? Nieuwendyk certainly thinks so. He landed Whitney for precisely that reason, the Stars were the only team offering him a two-year contract. And though Jagr appeared tired at times late last season for the Philadelphia Flyers, Nieuwendyk said he believes Jagr has enough "gas in the tank." Their ability to be prime players for 82 games will determine if the Stars will be able to extend their season.

One of the main reasons the Stars reconstructed their top lines was in hope of improving their power play, which finished 30th in the League last season at 13.5 percent. Gulutzan said improvement will come from better and simpler play in the offensive zone. "We didn't shoot the puck enough, we didn't attack the net enough," he said. "We scored of most of our goals off our entries, but in-zone we need to be more of a shooting and retrieving team. If anything, you're going to see us shoot more. We've got Whitney and Jaromir who can control things off the half-wall. We need to shoot more and create chances off the rebounds and tips." Jagr is second among active players with 189 power-play goals, while Whitney was second on the Coyotes last season with 20 power-play points. With a healthy Morrow providing a net-front presence, the Stars should see their numbers improve with the man-advantage.

Alex Goligoski and Stephane Robidas likely will make up the top pairing, but beyond that, nothing is set in stone. Veterans Fistric, Rome and Trevor Daley will compete for spots with youngsters Brenden Dillon, Jamie Oleksiak and Patrik Nemeth. Dillon, an undrafted free agent who had 29 points in 76 American Hockey League games last season, could be a player to keep an eye on. "He had a real good first year last year in Texas," Stars director of player personnel Les Jackson told NHL.com. "I believe he's going to be around the big team this year. He's really taken a huge step forward. He's going to have a real good chance of making the big club this year."

The Dallas Stars faded in the final weeks and again failed to make the playoffs, but there were several positives to take from the 2011-12 season. Jamie Benn solidified his place among the League's elite players and looks like a legit No. 1 center. Goaltender Kari Lehtonen was (mostly) healthy for a second straight season, and posted the best numbers of his NHL career. Philip Larsen became an NHL regular and looks like a bona fide top-four defenseman. Michael Ryder proved a great signing by potting 35 goals. There were still some issues, but the Stars in their first offseason with new owner Tom Gaglardi made a few significant moves. Scoring depth should be a strength with Jaromir Jagr and Ray Whitney in tow, though banking on full seasons from a pair of 40-year-olds and oft-nicked Derek Roy could be an issue. The defense corps looks solid, but might be one more consistent player short. Dallas still has plenty of room below the salary cap ceiling and a stable ownership situation, so that could be remedied at any point between now and the 2013 trade deadline. A lot of teams' fortunes are tied to good health, but the Stars maybe more so than most. There are some intriguing prospects in the system who could help mitigate some of that concern, and the expectation in Dallas is almost certainly a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Loui Eriksson - Jamie Benn - Jaromir Jagr

Ray Whitney - Derek Roy - Michael Ryder

Brenden Morrow - Vernon Fiddler - Cody Eakin

Eric Nystrom - Tom Wandell - Tomas Vincour

Toby Petersen

 

Alex Goligoski - Philip Larsen

Trevor Daley - Stephane Robidas

Aaron Rome - Mark Fistric

Jordie Benn

 

Kari Lehtonen

Richard Bachman

NOTES: The Stars basically have seven top-six forwards, and if everyone is healthy it looks like the captain is the odd guy out. Should Ryder not be able to replicate his success from last season, Morrow would be an easy replacement. Eakin came aboard in a deal for Mike Ribeiro, and could be ready for regular NHL duty, but he'll face some competition for that spot in training camp. Matt Fraser was unheralded before last season, but 37 goals in the American Hockey League will make people take notice. More heralded Radek Faksa and Scott Glennie could be in the mix with a strong camp. That "one player short" idea with the defense corps could be outdated if one of the team's kids wins a spot in the top six. Jamie Oleksiak, Brendan Dillon and Patrik Nemeth could help the Stars at some point in the near future. Lehtonen did miss a bit of time with an injury last year, but Bachman made his case to be a strong backup option and can fill in for short stretches. This could be a big year for Jack Campbell, but it is likely to be spent in the AHL.