Last season the Stars were one game away from winning the Stanley Cup. That’s the way the team sees it anyway as Dallas took the eventual champions to overtime in Game 7 in the second round. This team expects to be playing June hockey in 2020.



I’m hesitant to go that far. While there’s clear separation between the remaining teams and the rest of the league, Dallas comes in at the bottom of that list. Dark horse? Definitely. Legitimate contender? Not right now.



After adding the second best forward on the market in the offseason, it’s hard not to be optimistic about a deep playoff run in Texas. The Central is a gauntlet, though. The Stars are in a good spot, but they have a lot to prove before they can unseat the defending Stanley Cup champions and a team that has won the division two years running.



A 100-point season isn’t out of the question, with the team finishing above that cutoff in 33 percent of simulations, but the most...