Sixteen months ago, the future of the Dallas Stars appeared bright.
After emerging on top of an extremely tough Central Division, the Stars won their first playoff series since the 2007-08 season. Dallas would lose in the second round, but there was plenty to build upon. The Stars didn’t just win- they won with one of the most exciting teams in the league. They had the offensive firepower to match anyone, with three 30-goal scorers to go with John Klingberg, who was looking like Erik Karlsson West.
There was some upheaval in the summer of 2016, with the Stars losing defensemen Alex Goligoski to Arizona and Jason Demers to Florida.