The Dallas Stars were the team that demanded to be noticed last summer. With their fancy new green uniforms, complete front office overall and blockbuster trade to acquire Tyler Seguin, the Stars demanded to be noticed.

A return trip to the playoffs for Dallas validated their efforts in the offseason, and announced that they will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Seguin finally looks like he is becoming the player that Boston wanted him to be and Jamie Benn is turning into one of the better young captains in the league.

The Stars pushed the top-seeded Ducks in a tough first-round series before bowing out in a frisky six game series. The Stars may not have been ready for a significant playoff run this past summer, but with another year of experience and the addition of star center Jason Spezza, Dallas is a team to watch in the super competitive Central Division.

Offense

Coach Lindy Ruff has some talent at his disposal with the top line of Seguin, Benn and Valeri Nichushkin is as explosive as any trio in the NHL. Nichushkin’s rookie season was riddled with inconsistency, but the raw and talented Russian showed some flashes that indicate he can be a superstar in this league.

The addition of Spezza and Ales Hemsky, immediately gives Dallas more depth up front and now two lines that can produce at an elite level. Colton Sceviour will join the former Ottawa Senator linemates on the second line. Up and comers Antoine Roussel, Cody Eakin and Ryan Garbutt make up the third line and the fourth is a group of veterans Shawn Horcoff, Erik Cole and Rich Peverley. We’ll affectionately refer to them as the “Trade Block” line, because of their high-dollar, final contract year status.

Defense

There is a bit of a changing of the guard on the Dallas blue line as Sergei Gonchar’s role heads in the opposite direction of his advanced age. Trevor Daley has emerged as a legitimate top pair defenseman with Alex Goligoski, pushing the 40-year old Gonchar down the depth chart. While Daley is no spring chicken at age 30, he seems to have ripened well. Jordie Benn and Brenden Dillon make up the second pair while Gonchar is relegated to the third pair with youngster Kevin Connauton.

Goaltending

Kari Lehtonen surpassed the 30-win mark for the third time in four years and is one of the most underrated goaltenders in the league. He’ll be spelled by (now) journeyman Anders Lindback who failed to catch on in Nashville and Tampa Bay. The pair of Scandinavian net minders should be a formidable duo if they can stay healthy.

Special Teams

An area of concern for Lindy Ruff headed into the new season will need to be the special teams. Both the power play and penalty kill units finished in the bottom third of the NHL last year. With the surplus of offensive talent the Stars should absolutely be better with the extra skater. The decline of Gonchar as the quarterback of the power play was obvious and either Goligoski, Daley or Spezza will be much better in that role.

On the penalty kill, Spezza will help with defensive zone faceoffs to control the puck. As the defense gets more time together the penalty kill will improve. The Stars could use some depth in the defensive end and a veteran, stay-at-home rear guard could help immeasurably.

Coaching

Lindy Ruff is one of the veteran coaches in the NHL and knows how to motivate teams. He’s in a much more enviable position than he was when he left Buffalo in his previous tenure. He is blessed with a gold mine of young talent and if the Stars can develop some talent on the defensive end they will be a serious force in the Western Conference.

Outlook

The Western Conference is absolutely brutal and if the Stars want to throw their cowboy hats into contention, there will be no room for error. The addition of Spezza will help even if the veteran center is on a statistical decline. He brings veteran leadership, faceoff skill and a chip on his shoulder courtesy of an awkward exit from Ottawa. The Stars snuck into the last spot of the playoffs last year after being hot and cold all year. Ruff’s biggest challenge will be to convince his club that 8th place isn’t good enough. They have the talent to beat any team on any given night, but need to stay hungry to avoid a setback.