DALLAS — The Dallas Stars 2022-23 season starts on Oct. 13 against the Nashville Predators, fresh off a dramatic first-round playoff series against the Calgary Flames that ended with a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 7.
With a new year comes a fresh slate.
Dallas made numerous moves in the offseason to retool and push for more playoff success in 2022-23. Hockey season is here, folks. Let's take a look at this new team.
Meet the Dallas Stars and its new coach
In June, Dallas announced the team had hired former Las Vegas Golden Knights Pete DeBoer. DeBoer, got fired from Vegas after this past season, will replace Rick Bowness, who stepped down following the Stars' first-round playoff exit.
DeBoer led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup in his first year as coach, where they lost to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals, 4-1. The Knights returned to the semifinals in 2021 but lost to the Montreal Canadiens in six games.
There have been a number of offseason arrivals and departures, too. Defenseman John Klingberg left for the Anaheim Ducks, and the Stars traded goaltender Ben Bishop to the Buffalo Sabres, who has been battling a two-and-a-half-year injury saga with his right knee.
Meanwhile, the Stars began to invest in the future of the franchise, re-signing both Jason Robertson to a four-year deal and goaltender Jake Oettinger to a three-year deal.
Dallas also signed Mason Marchment from the Florida Panthers on a four-year deal in free agency and traded for New York Rangers defenseman Nils Lundkvist.
Here is a look at the 2022-23 Dallas Stars roster:
Forwards:
- Jamie Benn (C)
- Ty Dellandrea
- Radek Faksa
- Luke Glendening
- Denis Gurianov
- Roope Hintz
- Wyatt Johnston
- Joel Kiviranta
- Mason Marchment
- Joe Pavelski
- Jacob Peterson
- Jason Robertson
- Tyler Seguin
Defense:
- Jani Hakanpaa
- Joel Hanley
- Miro Heiskanen
- Esa Lindell
- Nils Lundkvist
- Colin Miller
- Ryan Suter
Goaltenders:
- Jake Oettinger
- Scott Wedgewood
Top Dallas Stars storylines to watch
Changing of the guard? Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin may still be on the roster, but they're no longer the "stars"
Dallas seems to be starting a new "post Benn-Seguin" era. Fans will continue to recognize Benn and Seguin, but they're not the key contributors they used to be. Dallas is led offensively by the younger Joe Pavelski (27 goals, 54 assists), Jason Robertson (41 goals, 38 assists) and Roope Kintz (37 goals, 35 assists).
Dallas' offensive production drops off the table after those top three, with Seguin at 24 goals and 25 assists, then Benn with 18 goals and 28 assists.
Pavelski, Robertson and Hintz all had positive "plus-minus" while on the ice (11,16 and 15, respectively), while Seguin and Benn were both negative (-21 and -13).
Re-tooling Dallas' defense
Goaltender Jake Oettinger grabbed all the saves, and headlines, in the first round with his play in the pipes, which led to his three-year deal. Oettinger helped extend the series against Calgary to seven games, posting save totals of 25 (Game 1), 29 (Game 2), 39 (Game 3), 50 (Game 4), 29 (Game 5), 36 (Game 6) and 64 (Game 7). The 64 saves in Game 7 – although Dallas lost 3-2 in overtime – were the second-most stops in a Game 7 in NHL history.
"The Otter," 23, finished the 2021-22 season ranked 12th in the NHL with 30 wins. He ranked 10th in the NHL with a 2.53 goals-against average and was 15th with a .914 save percentage.
Can Pete DeBoer return Dallas to the promised land?
DeBoer has a history of leading his new team to the Stanley Cup Finals in his first year coaching the team, accomplishing the feat twice before. DeBoer led the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011-12 and took the San Jose Sharks in his first season in 2015-16.
He also led the Las Vegas Golden Knights to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to Dallas in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic season.
DeBoer is Dallas fifth coach since 2017, following Lindy Ruff, Ken Hitchcock, Jim Montgomery and Rick Bowness.
2022-23 Dallas Stars schedule
The Stars open their season on the road against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 13, which will be aired on ESPN+ and Hulu at 7:30 p.m. Dallas then hosts the Predators two days later on Oct. 15 in the season's home opener.
The Stars announced its eight nationally-televised games on ABC and ESPN platforms, including that season opener on Oct. 13. Here is a list of those games.
For a look at the entire 2022-23 Dallas Stars schedule, click here.
How to watch Dallas Stars games
For games not nationally-televised, Stars fans will be able to watch on the Bally Sports+ for $19.99 per month or $189.99 annually. The service also airs Dallas Mavericks games. For more information on Bally Sports+, click here.
To watch a Dallas Stars game in-person, you can purchase tickets on the team's website here.
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