Opening night is less than two weeks away, and the Dallas Stars project to be a strong playoff contender this season. They have one of the league’s best top forward lines, arguably three “top pairing” defensemen, and should have a top-tier goaltending duo even after accounting for regression.
But a playoff contender is not the same as a Stanley Cup contender. If the Stars want to make a deep postseason run, they need several “non-elite” players to step up their game and serve as a strong supporting cast. If they don’t, then we’re likely looking at another year of Dallas as a playoff bubble team.