Dallas Stars (0-2-0 0 pts)
OVERRATED! By pure talent alone, the Stars manage the No. 9 spot on the opening Power Rankings, but I see all the makings of another pitiful year in Dallas. Does it get any worse than losing to an expansion team in their first ever game on home ice? How about James Neal, a former Dallas Star and a thorn in the franchise’s side during his time in Nashville, coming up with both the go-ahead goal and the game-winning goal.
The questions start and end with sketchy goaltending and this year the victims are a mixture of Kari Lehtonen and Ben Bishop. No one can deny the scoring talent of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and even aging Jason Spezza, but as past seasons have shown, they alone cannot carry one of the worst blue lines in the NHL anywhere. Dan Hamhuis was brought in to bring some veteran leadership to a struggling defensive unit, but so far no good. John Klingberg can put up numbers, but has never been a shutdown guy.
If things go south this week and the Stars can’t right the ship, this franchise could be big-time sellers at the trade deadline.