Dallas Stars Season Preview

The Stars could have been the biggest disappointment last year as they were expected to compete for the Stanley Cup but the defence was bad and goaltending atrocious. The Stars addressed their needs bringing in Ben Bishop and Marc Methot as well as more forwards including Alexander Radulov and Martin Hanzal. With the goaltending situation solved and more help on defence, the Stars should once again be a playoff team.

Arrivals/Departures

Arrivals: Ben Bishop, Alexander Radulov, Martin Hanzal, Marc Methot, Tyler Pitlick, Brian Flynn, Mike McKenna
Departures: Cody Eakin, Patrick Sharp, Jiri Hudler, Antti Niemi, Ales Hemsky



Forwards:

The Stars forward group is led by two of the best players in the NHL in Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin who are both proven consistent 70-point producers. Benn is the best left wing in the league as two years ago he led the league with 89 points taking the Stars to a first place Central Division finish. Since his trade from Boston, Tyler Seguin has dominated in his four years with Dallas netting at least 72 points in every season. Benn and Seguin may be the best combo of forwards in the entire NHL. Alexander Radulov was brought in from Montreal after four years back in the KHL to finally provide Benn and Seguin with a contributor on the first line. Jason Spezza is not the player he used to be but he still gives you good play as a second-line center. Antoine Roussel has evolved his role from a fourth-line grinder into a good top-nine winger as he will play alongside Spezza. The final top-six winger will probably be Brett Ritchie who is entering a make-or-break-it year. The other big off-season addition at forward was Martin Hanzal who will help contribute to the penalty kill as one of the best third-line centers in the NHL. Mattias Janmark had a good rookie season in 2015-16 but missed all of last year with an injury; he should contribute on the bottom six this season. Devin Shore was OK as a rookie last year as he played with Benn and Seguin for a majority of the season but he will fall into a more comfortable bottom-six role. Radek Faksa will be the fourth-line center again after a good season where he improved on his rookie year turning into one of the best fourth-line centers. Tyler Pitlick, who had his flashes with the Oilers but injuries stopped him from showcasing his talent, got a three-year deal from the Stars to show what he can do. The last forward spot will probably go to either Adam Cracknell, Curtis McKenzie or Brian Flynn.



Defenceman:

The defence needed some improvement after a terrible season in 2016 and GM Jim Nill delivered bringing in defensive defenceman Marc Methot as well as getting defensive-minded head coach Ken Hitchcock. John Klingberg is a flashy offensive defenceman who has turned into one of the best offensive defenceman in the game but needs to work on his play in the Stars' end. Marc Methot should play the same role he played with Erik Karlsson who is similar to Klingberg. Methot will be asked to stay back when Klingberg jumps up into the rush, Methot is one of the best in the league and filling in for other defencemen on the rush. Esa Lindell was good in his first full season last year earning an extension; expect him to have a breakout sophomore campaign. Dan Hamhuis disappointed in his first season with Dallas only scoring one goal but he can still be a good fourth defenceman. Julius Honka got some NHL action last year with 16 games so expect to see him make the roster full time and contribute as one of the best rookie defenceman. The last spot on the defence will be a competition between Stephen Johns, Jamie Oleksiak and Patrik Nemeth who have all been busts for what were expected of them.



Goaltending:

Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi were probably the worst goaltending tandem in the NHL last season as they continually allowed too many goals causing many loses where the Stars scored plenty of goals. Ben Bishop is a great goalie but he struggles to stay healthy which may be a concern; if he plays 60 games the Stars should be good. Lehtonen struggled as a starter last year but he should be a reliable backup with less pressure on him.

Projected Lineup:

Jamie Benn	Tyler Seguin	Alexander Radulov
Antoine Roussel	Jason Spezza	Brett Ritchie
Mattias Janmark	Martin Hanzal	Devin Shore
Adam Cracknell	Radek Faksa	Tyler Pitlick
Curtis McKenize	Justin Dowling	Brian Flynn

Marc Methot	John Klingberg
Esa Lindell	Dan Hamhuis
Julius Honka	Stephen Johns
Jamie Oleksiak	Patrik Nemeth

Ben Bishop

Kari Lehtonen

Mike McKenna

Top 10 Players:

10. Esa Lindell

9. Antoine Roussel

8. Marc Methot

7. Martin Hanzal

6. Jason Spezza

5. Alexander Radulov

4. Ben Bishop

3. John Klingberg

2. Tyler Seguin



1. Jamie Benn

Projected Finish: 99 Points (3rd in Central)
Last Year: 79 Points (6th in Central)

Photo credit for Ben Bishop goes to https://www.usatoday.com/. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin goes to http://www.sportsnet.ca/. John Klingberg goes to https://www.cbssports.com/.

Dallas Cowboys Season Preview

The rookie tandem of Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott led the Cowboys to a 13-3 first-place NFC finish before losing to the Packers during the divisional round. If Elliott and Prescott can improve on their rookie seasons this Cowboys team will be more dangerous than ever. The offence looks stacked hosting the best offensive line in the NFL but the defence looks weak and could be the downfall of America's team.

Arrivals/Departures:

Arrivals: Byron Bell, Robert Blanton, Nolan Carroll, Damontre Moore, Stephen Paea
Departures: Brandon Carr, Barry Church, Morris Claiborne, Jack Crawford, Ryan Davis, Lance Dunbar, Gavin Escobar, Doug Free, Ronald Leary, Terrell McClain, Tony Romo, Mark Sanchez, JJ Wilcox



Offence:

Fourth-round pick Dak Prescott tore up the NFL in his rookie year after Tony Romo's season-ending injury, taking the Cowboys to a 13-3 record. Prescott is more likely to step backwards from his rookie campaign rather than forwards because the pressure is on now. Ezekiel Elliott also took the league by storm winning the rushing title by a wide margin over fellow rookie Jordan Howard. If Prescott and Elliott can improve, the offence will be that much more dangerous. Elliott is backed up by two veterans in Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris and both can still play.



Dez Bryant is among the elite receivers in the game and provides a steady consistent target for Prescott. Terrance Williams is a good number two receiver with Cole Beasley manning the slot like the best. Ryan Switzer is like a Beasley clone and will learn from Beasley in his rookie season too. Gritty Jason Witten does not have the same capability he used to have but he still helps to move the chains and leads the Cowboys offence. The offensive line may be the best in the NFL too with freak-of-nature left tackle Tyron Smith leading the line. Smith only trails future hall-of-famer Joe Thomas at his position. Zack Martin and Travis Frederick are the two best run blockers at their respective positions paving the way for Elliott. Rounding out the offensive line will be La'el Collins and Chaz Green.

Defence:

The Cowboys' strength is most definitely not its defence and it could be the reason Dallas fails expectations in the fall. The defence line needs some work as Demarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford start on the edges with first-round pick Taco Charlton serving as the primary backup until he is ready to start. The middle of the line will be occupied by Cedric Thornton and Maliek Collins with Stephen Paea rotating through the unit consistently. Sean Lee leads the linebacker core and is this defence's best player as he punishes running backs so well. Starting alongside him will be Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson if Wilson can play with his current legal issues. Jaylon Smith missed his rookie season last year but if he can play like he did at Notre Dame, this defence looks a lot better. Orlando Scandrick and new addition Nolan Carroll start at cornerback with pleasant rookie surprise Anthony Brown getting lots of time too as Scandrick will mainly be a nickel back. Rookie picks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis will also get a shot at the cornerback position. Byron Jones and Jeff Heath will be the primary safeties but Dallas adds depth at the position with former Viking Robert Blanton.



Special Teams:

Dan Bailey returns as the kicker and he is among the best as he drilled two 50-plus-yard field goals to keep the Cowboys in the divisional playoff game vs Green Bay. Chris Jones returns as their reliable punter with Lucky Whitehead returning kickoffs and punt. Rookie Ryan Switzer will also get a shot in the return game during training camp.

Starters:

Offence	Defence
Dez Bryant	Tyrone Crawford
Terrance Williams	Cedric Thornton
Cole Beasley	Maliek Collins
Tyron Smith	Demarcus Lawrence
Chaz Green	Damien Wilson
Travis Frederick	Anthony Hitchens
Zack Martin	Sean Lee
La'el Collins	Orlando Scandrick
Jason Witten	Byron Jones
Dak Prescott	Jeff Heath
Ezekiel Elliott	Nolan Carroll

2017 Draft:

28. Taco Charlton
60. Chidobe Awuzie
92. Jourdan Lewis
133. Ryan Switzer
191. Xavier Woods
216. Marquez White
228. Joey Ivie
239. Noah Brown
246. Jordan Carrell

Top 10 Players:

10. Orlando Scandrick

9. Terrance Williams

8. Jason Witten

7. Travis Frederick

6. Sean Lee

5. Zack Martin

4. Dez Bryant

3. Dak Prescott



2. Ezekiel Elliott

1. Tyron Smith

Season Prediction: 10-6 (2nd in NFC East)
Last Year: 13-3

Photo credit for Nolan Carroll goes to http://www.sportsnet.ca/. Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott goes to http://www.cbssports.com/. Sean Lee goes to http://profootballfocus.com/.