The Dallas Stars looked like a team destined for a date with the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. They held a 2-1 lead on the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final and took an early lead in Game 4. The early deficit triggered something in the Oilers and sent them on a three-game winning streak which stunned the Stars and sent them home early. The Stars must now rely on incoming veterans to be game-changers in 2024-25 to stay at the top of the West.
The Stars knew the 2023-24 season was their best chance to win a Stanley Cup. They had Matt Duchene on a value deal, giving them the most deep team in the league. They were also nearing the end of the Joe Pavelski and Ryan Suter tenures, which came true with both players leaving the team this offseason.
The Stars now have plenty of young players looking to fill those voids. They have some capable players, including last year's American Hockey League MVP, Mavrik Bourque. However, we'll look at some veteran pickups who could also be game-changers this season.
Mathew Dumba looking for a fresh start with Stars
Mathew Dumba was one of the best young defensemen in the game early in his Minnesota Wild career. He had a good couple of seasons in the state of hockey before a poor stretch made his contract look like an overpayment. Dumba's Minnesota career ended in shame, and he tried to have a prove-it year with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24. He looked good enough in Arizona for the Tampa Bay Lightning to acquire him as a rental at the trade deadline.
Dumba's run with the Lightning wasn't memorable. He had just two assists in 18 games and was a negative player in plus/minus. He was one of the Lightning's scapegoats in a five-game first-round loss to their rival Florida Panthers, which made people wonder where Dumba's career would go.
The Stars needed to find some right-handed depth on defense after buying out Ryan Suter's contract and failing to re-sign Chris Tanev. There weren't many options to add depth, so Dumba became one of their only opportunities to fix the issue. It may not be an ideal signing with his $3.75 million cap hit, but he has the potential to pay off.
The Stars are choosing to believe they can make the most out of a bad situation for Dumba. They've been able to do it before, as Tanev had one of his worst seasons last year in Calgary from an advanced analytics standpoint. Tanev came to Dallas and had a 60% Corsi for the remainder of the season. Dumba doesn't have the same defensive skills as Tanev, but he could bring some of his production at a lesser price.
Stars fans shouldn't get their hopes up about Dumba too much, but he could be a surprising piece.
Casey DeSmith needs to fill the void
The Stars had an all-world backup goaltender in 2023-24 with Scott Wedgewood. He played well over his $1 million cap hit, winning 16 of 23 starts. The Stars have an elite goaltender in Jake Oettinger, but even the best goalies need a backup they can trust. Wedgewood was always there to answer the call when Oettinger needed a rest.
Wedgewood left the Stars to sign a $1.5 million annual deal with the Nashville Predators to back up Juuse Saros. His role will be even more prominent now with the news of Yaroslav Askarov demanding a trade. The Stars couldn't afford the $500,000 raise, so they signed Casey DeSmith to replace Wedgewood's $1 million cap hit.
DeSmith was a valuable backup to Thatcher Demko last season with the Vancouver Canucks. However, he won just 12 of 21 games. It's a significant decline in winning percentage from Wedgewood, but his numbers are relatively the same. DeSmith's goals-against average was a bit higher, but the added defensive presence in front of him in Dallas could be the difference.
The 2024-25 season could be a different story for the Stars if DeSmith can't replicate Wedgewood's success. The Stars finished first in the Western Conference last season, but it was a tight race in the standings. If the Stars had won three fewer games, they'd have been third in the Central Division and fifth in the West, which would've made a difference in playoff seeding and matchups.
People often discredit the value of a backup goaltender and see them as a throwaway game to give the starter some rest. However, these stats show that the backup could be one of the most important players on the roster.
Follow Us
Subscribe