About last year

Video: NSH@DAL, Gm3: Seguin buries feed from Benn

Had 80 points (33 goals, 47 assists) in 82 games. Despite a slow start and some bad luck with his shooting percentage, he finished with one of his better statistical seasons. In addition to leading the Stars in goals, assists and points, Seguin also was second in plus-minus (plus-17) and won more faceoffs than any other player on the team.

Season overview

Video: DAL@WPG: Seguin nets PPG for 30th of the season

Seguin got off to a slow start last season and received some criticism because of it, but he finished strong and kept up his career pace of being near a point a game. The problem for the 27-year-old center is that the league as a whole is surging ahead of the point-a-game pace.

Since joining the Stars in 2013, Seguin ranks fifth in NHL scoring with 464 points in 469 games. However, his 80 points last season ranked 28th in the league, so there are some who believe he needs to up his totals. That said, he was the team's best skater and he continues to be one of the Stars' most consistent players. Seguin had 334 shot on goal last season, fourth in the league, but saw his shooting percentage dip to 9.9 percent. His shooting percentage since joining the Stars in 2013 is 11.3 percent, so a simple return to average will result in an increase in scoring.

Also important is the fact he played in 13 playoff games and tallied 11 points (four goals, seven assists), helping the Stars to Game 7 in the second round against St. Louis. Before that, Seguin had just seven playoff games with the Stars, including just one since 2014, so getting to be a big factor in some huge games was big for Seguin.

Going forward

Video: Stars' Stanley Cup expectations starting next season

Seguin currently ranks 13th in the NHL in salary-cap hit at $9.85 million, so he is going to face some pressure. He seems to thrive on that.

Seguin is 27 and he's one of the reasons the Stars believe the time to win is now. He has become a strong two-way player with the guidance of Ken Hitchcock and Jim Montgomery, and he still is a goal-scoring center, which makes him high value in the NHL.

He seems to be hitting the peak of his career, combining his talent with his experience, so it's not unreasonable to think he might post his best numbers ever this season.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.

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