Star Power - Dallas Stars, and other hockey teams in the Pacific Division

With some fresh faces bolstering the old guard, Dallas and Mike Modano should once again reign supreme

THE DALLAS STARS HAVE owned the Pacific Division for so long that they were getting antsy about their ability to stay on top. After all, the San Jose Sharks took a big bite out of Dallas' supremacy in the division last year, scaring the Stars before Dallas pulled away in the standings. And then the Los Angeles Kings looked stronger in the playoffs than the Stars.

So Dallas made some aggressive moves to stay ahead of the pack. While the Stars are beginning to age a bit in key positions, they also have bolstered themselves with their offseason moves.

Adding Pierre Turgeon as a free agent not only hurt the team that eliminated Dallas from the playoffs (the St. Louis Blues), but it made the Stars as good as anyone down the middle. Another new arrival, Donald Audette, is a quality sniper who, when in the right situation, can be a 35-goal man. He'll replace Brett Hull's production and cost a lot less.

Veteran Jyrki Lumme provides some steadiness on the blue line and helps an area that isn't as deep as it used to be, partly because of injuries to key defensemen.

"Obviously, when you look at the Stars, you have the potential to go far and win another Stanley Cup," Turgeon says. "That's something I want to achieve personally. That's the big thing. The Stars come out, make trades, make moves. They want to get better and they want to win."

Not that San Jose sat by idly and watched Dallas do all the improving. The Sharks already have a nice young payroll, and their major move late last season to pick up Teemu Selanne should pay off in spades (not to mention goals) this season.

And while Adam Graves no longer is an offensive force, his leadership and diligence will rub off on the younger Sharks.

Plus, San Jose might have the best blue-line prospect in the NHL in University of Michigan standout Jeff Jillson. Remember the name.

The most important name to remember in Phoenix is Wayne Gretzky. Unfortunately for the Coyotes, he will be in the owners' box, not out on the ice.

The most important name to remember in Anaheim is Paul Kariya. Unfortunately for the Ducks, his might be the only name worth remembering.

1. Dallas Stars

2000-2001 Record:   W     L     T     OTL    GF     GA     Pts.
                    48    24    8      2     241    187    106

LAST SEASON WAS A BUST FOR THE Stars because they didn't win the Cup, as they did in 1999, or make the Finals, as they did in 2000. With owner Tom Hicks opening the vaults again, GM Bob Gainey aggressively upgraded his team for another push or two toward the top. "You can never stand still in professional sports," Gainey says. "We felt there were moves we could make to improve the roster, and we've done that." The one disappointment not being able to pull off a deal for Jaromir Jagr.

On the attack: Although the Stars are known as a defense-oriented club, they can score. They aren't as potent as New Jersey or Colorado, but they can find the net. At center, the Stars can throw three first-liners at opponents: Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, and Pierre Turgeon. Few teams can match up against two of those guys, let alone all of them. But all three tend to be injury-prone and coach Ken Hitchcock can't overwork them. Brenden Morrow is ready to burst into prominence on the wing, where Jamie Langenbrunner, Donald Audette, and Jere Lehtinen are fine supporting players. Brett Hull will be missed most on the power play.

Under fire: Gainey looked to move Sergei Zubov, but wound up with the same core on defense. Zubov will help boost the attack from the point, but is more of a liability than the rugged captain, Derian Hatcher, or Richard Matvichuk and Darryl Sudor. Lumme is a plus, and Brad Lukowich showed he can play.

Between the pipes: Eddie "the Eagle" Belfour sometimes acts more like a condor--or a loon. When the Stars flourished, Belfour calmed down his act No more. But that is not necessarily a negative. As long as he channels his anger and disdain for opponents and referees into being stingier in front of the net, Belfour is one of the NHL's five best goaltenders. Backup Marty Turco, who should play 25 or so games, is a good insurance policy.

Behind the bench: Hitchcock isn't exactly beloved by his troops. Neither is Detroit's Scotty Bowman. Both are winners, though Hitchcock isn't nearly the in-game master Bowman is. But Hitchcock gets every player to work hard at both ends.

Bottom line: Gainers aggressiveness in the offseason will pay off with another division title and make the Stars more formidable in the playoffs. Another Cup run is in the offing.

2. San Jose Sharks

2000-2001 Record:   W     L     T     OTL    GF     GA     Pts.
                    40    27    12     3     217    192     95

THE SHARKS FADED LATE IN THE season and fell in the first round of the playoffs to St. Louis in a tight series. Clearly what was missing was experience and a more solid approach at critical junctures. By adding Teemu Selanne and Adam Graves, they should be on track in their pursuit of the Stars. Selanne can provide the big goals and a huge boost on what should a formidable power play. Graves brings guts, discipline, and direction. "It's important to add guys who understand winning and who can be an example to those younger guys," GM Dean Lombardi says.

On the attack: The younger guys no longer dominate up front for San Jose. Selanne is a potential 50-goal man, as is captain Owen Nolan, who has a lot of Graves' spunk in him, too. Vincent Damphousse, if he can stay healthy, is among the better two-way centers in hockey. Mike Ricci can be a pain in the butt, and all contenders need that. The youngsters who must come through include speedy Patrick Marleau, Marco Strum, and untested Matt Bradley. A power play with Selanne, Nolan, and Marleau could dominate.

Under fire: Jeff Jillson, who had 88 points in college, should step right in to join Gary Suter, Brad Stuart, Magnus Ragnarsson, Brian Marchment, and Scott Hannan as a regular. Suter is the ringleader and Stuart keeps improving, but Jillson is the one to watch.

Between the pipes: Rookie of the year Evgeni Nabokov, 26, was a real find. The Sharks also like the looks of his backup, Finland's Miikka Kiprusoff. The spectacular Nabokov took the job away from Steve Shields early last season and performed at an All-Star level the rest of the way. He went 32-21-7, with six shutouts, a 2.19 GA& and a .915 save percentage, by far the best performance by a Russian goalie in league annals.

Behind the bench: This team responds to Darryl Sutter's no-nonsense approach. By adding such strong leadership among the players and providing him with more versatility in the lineup, the Sharks have given Sutter the opportunity to do something special with this team.

Bottom line: The Sharks should be a very solid second and might sneak into the top four in the conference for home-ice in the first round of the playoffs. Much depends on Nabokov being so steady again.

3. Los Angeles Kings

2000-2001 Record:   W     L     T     OTL    GF     GA     Pts.
                    38    28    13     3     252    228     92

THE TWO BIGGEST NAMES AT THE Staples Center (other than Shaq and Kobe) are gone. Rob Blake was traded to Colorado last season and Luc Robitaille left for Detroit Surprisingly, despite those losses, the Kings figure to be in the thick of the playoff chase. They are well-coached, feature some of the better reclamation projects in hockey, and won't be intimidated. "It's created a definite hockey interest in Los Angeles," coach Andy Murray says of the team's playoff success. "I think we have high expectations from our fans. I like that pressure."

On the attack: Replacing Robitaille with Steve Heinze doesn't quite cut it, but the Kings still have Ziggy Palffy, Jozef Stumpel, Adam Deadmarsh, Bryan Smolinski, and Glen Murray. Robitaille will be missed most on power plays and for his experience. Heinze is a serviceable forward who can score some big goals. Palffy must recapture his knack for clutch goals and game-breaking plays. Deadmarsh will provide the blood and guts and is a superb penalty, killer. The gutsy, diligent Kings must upgrade the offense a bit, however.

Under fire: Sure, the Kings gave up more goals than all but two playoff qualifiers. But this can be a quality unit, anchored by Aaron Miller, who played almost as well as Blake when acquired from Colorado. Mathieu Schneider is a force moving the puck, while rookie sensation Lubomir Visnovsky, Mattias Norstrom, and Jere Karalahti offer solid support

Between the pipes: Felix Potvin resurrected his career in L.A. after faltering badly in Vancouver. "The Cat" should have plenty of lives left after his strong showing down the stretch and in the playoffs. He likes to play a lot, and with Jamie Storr and Stephane Fiset behind him, Potvin will get lots of action. "There isn't much more that you can say except Felix was the "Cat" of old," Murray says.

Behind the bench: "Andy and his staff have done a tremendous job the past two seasons and we look forward to continuing our quest for the Stanley Cup," Kings general manager Dave Taylor said after giving Murray a two-year contract extension this summer. Enough said.

Bottom line: A convincing third-place showing is likely, with a n-fiddle seed in the playoffs. Don't think the Kings won't deal to get better for the postseason.

4. Anaheim Mighty Ducks

2000-2001 Record:   W     L     T     OTL    GF     GA     Pts.
                    25    41    11     5     188    245     66

THERE IS NO MORE MIGHTY IN the Ducks, although there rarely has beep much to fear around the Pond anyway. Other than Paul Kariya, this is a team devoid of stars and likely to keep the Coyotes company in the division cellar. The rumbles that Disney is looking to unload the team seem feasible considering recent moves. Anaheim has cleared payroll room and easily could have attracted some of the bigger name free agents, but didn't seem interested. Their biggest offseason moves were hiring new coach Bryan Murray, a retread, and signing defenseman Jason York.

On the attack: Kariya is one of the most exciting and creative players in hockey, with tremendous speed, moves, and a wicked shot. But without playmate Teemu Selanne, he has nobody to share the load. A heavy load it will be, too, and Kariya has been somewhat brittle over the years. Only expansion Minnesota and Nashville scored less than the Ducks in the West last season. Jeff Friesen, Marty McInnis, Steve Rucchin, Matt Cullen, and Mike LeClerc Kariya's main helpers.

Under fire: Things aren't much better on D; only Chicago allowed more goals out west. Oleg Tverdovsky is a nice force from the blue line, but very suspect defensively. York and Keith Carney should help, although neither is a star. Rusan Sulei, Vitaly Vishnevski, and Pavel Trnka figure as regulars.

Between the pipes: The Ducks are suspect here, too, although J.S. Giguere looked fine in his late-season trial as the No. 1 netminder. Giguere will baffle with Steve Shields, acquired from the Sharks in the Selanne deal, now that longtime goalie Guy Hebert is no longer around. Both are young enough to have a nice upside, and Shields did some good things in both Buffalo and San Jose. But he also lost his job in 2000-01 to a Russian rookie.

Behind the bench: Murray had some success in Washington way back, then took over as GM in Florida and was fired in last season's purge. Desperate people do desperate things, which might be why Murray is working the Ducks' bench this season.

Bottom line: They could edge out the Coyotes in what will not be an epic battle at the bottom of the standings. The playoffs are a pipe dream.

5. Phoenix Coyotes

2000-2001 Record:   W     L     T     OTL    GF     GA     Pts.
                    35    27    17     3     214    212     90

WHY WOULD WAYNE GRETZKY put his reputation on the line in the Valley of the Sun? And will he be "the Great One" as a personnel man? Big questions to be answered over the next few years. And when the Coyotes get their own arena, will they have much of a team to represent them in that building? Gretzky and hand-chosen GM Cliff Fletcher already have put their stamp on the roster, saving money and purging marquee players Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick. "We'll be far more aggressive and combative on the ice," Fletcher says, "because that's the type of personnel that we'll have."

On the attack: The Coyotes sputtered and fell right out of the playoffs after Tkachuk was dealt to St Louis. Having scored only 214 goals when they had Roenick and Tkachuk, who will now fill the net? There is no go-to offensive force left. Shane Doan comes off a breakthrough year, but he is no star. Nor is Daymond Langkow. Travis Green, Joe Juneau, Juha Ylonen, and the rights to holdouts Mikael Renberg and Robert Reichel all were dealt. Instead, it will be Tyler Bouck, Trevor Letowski, Mike Johnson; Michael Handzus, Landon Wilson, Mika Alatalo, and Ladislav Nagy.

Under fire: Danny Markov, slowed by a back injury last season, was acquired from Toronto. That hardly covers the loss of Jyrki Lumme and Keith Carney. Teppo Numminen, Paul Mara, Ossi Vaananen, Radoslav Suchy, and Joel Bouchard also will man the blue line. Yikes! Who is the leader here?

Between the pipes: Coming off a personal resurrection, Sean Burke earned a big contract and the plaudits of observers. He was the main reason the Coyotes contended for the playoffs at all and finished 25-22-13 with four shutouts and a .922 save percentage. This from a guy who nearly was out of the league altogether. Backup Robert Esche won't be rushed and could develop into the Coyotes' No. 1 netminder in a few years.

Behind the bench: Bobby Francis returns with a vote of confidence from the new ownership. He'd better work well with youngsters and has-beens, because that's generally what he has on hand.

Bottom line: The bottom line is the bottom line, as the new regime seeks to make money and reshape the roster. This team might remind Gretzky of his early cast in Edmonton--before the Oilers joined the NHL.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Century Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group