2 sneaky veteran stars who could change the game in 2024-25
The Dallas Stars looked like a team destined to face the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. They led the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in the Western Conference Final and took an early lead in Game 4. The early deficit sparked something in the Oilers and gave them a three-game winning streak that stunned the Stars and sent them home early. The Stars now have to rely on new veterans to change the rules of the game in 2024-25 and stay at the top of the West.
The Stars knew that the 2023-24 season was their best chance to win the Stanley Cup. They had signed Matt Duchene at a bargain price, giving them the best team in the league. They were also towards the end of Joe Pavelski and Ryan Suter, which proved true when both players left the team in the offseason.
The Stars now have a lot of young players looking to fill those gaps. They have some capable players, including last year’s American Hockey League MVP Mavrik BourqueHowever, we will look at some experienced newcomers who could also be game-changing this season.
Mathew Dumba wants to start over with the Stars
Mathew Dumba was one of the best young defensemen in the game when he started his career with the Minnesota Wild. He had a couple of good seasons in the hockey state before a bad stretch made his contract look like an overpayment. Dumba’s career in Minnesota ended in ignominy, and he tried to have a year to prove himself with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24. He made such a good impression in Arizona that the Tampa Bay Lightning signed him as a rental at the trade deadline.
Dumba’s run with the Lightning was not one to remember. He had just two assists in 18 games and was a negative player in the plus/minus record. He was one of the Lightning’s scapegoats in a five-game first-round loss to their rival Florida Panthers, which left people wondering how Dumba’s career would continue.
The Stars needed to find a right-handed defensive tackle after buying out Ryan Suter’s contract and failing to extend Chris Tanev’s contract. There weren’t many options to add depth, so Dumba was one of their only options to fix the problem. With a salary cap hit of $3.75 million, it may not be an ideal signing, but he has the potential to pay off big time.
The Stars believe they can make the best of a bad situation for Dumba. They’ve done that before, as Tanev had one of his worst seasons from an advanced analytics perspective in Calgary last year. Tanev came to Dallas and had a 60% Corsi for the rest of the season. Dumba doesn’t have the same defensive skills as Tanev, but he could bring some of Tanev’s production at a lower price.
Fans of the Stars shouldn’t get their hopes up too much about Dumba, but he could be a surprise.
Casey DeSmith has to fill the gap
The Stars had a world-class backup goalie in Scott Wedgewood for the 2023-24 season. He played well above his $1 million salary cap, winning 16 of 23 starts. The Stars have an elite goalie in Jake Oettinger, but even the best goalies need a backup they can rely on. Wedgewood was always there when Oettinger needed a break.
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Wedgewood left the Stars to sign a $1.5 million annual contract with the Nashville Predators as a replacement for Juuse Saros. His role will be even more important now that it has been announced that he Yaroslav Askarov calls for a dealThe Stars couldn’t afford the $500,000 raise, so they signed Casey DeSmith to offset Wedgewood’s $1 million salary cap hit.
DeSmith was a valuable support to Thatcher Demko last season with the Vancouver Canucks. However, he won only 12 of 21 games. That’s a significant drop in win percentage from Wedgewood, but his numbers are relatively the same. DeSmith’s goals-against average was a little higher, but the added defensive presence in front of him in Dallas could make the difference.
The 2024-25 season could be different for the Stars if DeSmith can’t build on Wedgewood’s success. The Stars finished first in the Western Conference last season, but it was a close race in the standings. Had the Stars won three fewer games, they would have been third in the Central Division and fifth in the West, which would have made a difference in seeding and playoff matchups.
People often underestimate the value of a backup goalkeeper, viewing him as a play that can only be used to rest the starting goalkeeper, but these statistics show that the backup goalkeeper could be one of the most important players on the squad.
Dallas Stars