It was a most unfortunate turn of events that transpired on Sunday night. I could smell a Game 7 with the Stars up by two goals with under three minutes to play, but Anaheim had other ideas. It doesn't matter if you're the 8-seed playing with nothing to lose. It doesn't matter that you're a franchise that is still very much in the process of rebuilding. It hurts to go home early.
Thus, I won't deny that this was a very painful moment for the Stars faithful, but I think that this fan base handled it pretty well. The people understand where this franchise is headed, and they will remain optimistic that 2014-15 will be another step toward hockey's promised land for the Dallas Stars. But before we move forward into full offseason mode, we must look back upon what was the 2013-14 campaign and analyze what it is the Stars must do to continue building both their team on the ice and their image in the community. To do this, I will first make a series of posts in which I will assign a grade to each man on the roster, including players, coaches, and management. After that I will debate what the Stars most pressing needs are for next season and analyze the means for addressing them: trades, free agency, and prospect development. Finally, I will look ahead to the 2014 NHL Draft in Philadelphia on June 27-28.
Here's a list of important dates for the 2014 Offseason:
-May 25-31: Scouting Combine
-June 27-28: NHL Draft in Philadelphia
-July 1: Free Agent Signing Period Begins
-July 16: 2014-15 Schedule Released
-Early Sept: Traverse City Prospects Tournament
-Mid Sept: Training Camp Begins
NOTE: In April alone, the Stars added over 1,000 new full season ticket holders (myself included as I upgraded to a partial-season plan with full-season benefits). The crowds next year are due to be substantially larger given the energy that the playoff appearance brought to the fan base, so I highly recommend you look into purchasing some sort of ticket package to guarantee your seat to the best games. If you're interested, give my personal ticket representative, Travis Gafford, a call at (214)- 387-5569. He made the process extremely easy for me and he'd be more than happy to do the same for you.
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