For the last 23 years (13 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 24th annual review will appear here on Dobber Hockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what we take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Gone – Mavrik Bourque, Michael Bunting , Ilya Lyubushkin

Incoming – Joel Kiviranta

Impact of changes

The Dallas Stars took a very different approach over many of the teams around them. Rather than making major changes to a roster that finished second in the Central Division, GM Jim Nill largely stayed the course. The Stars did lose a couple of important depth pieces, most notably Mavrik Bourque and Ilya Lyubushkin, while Michael Bunting and Alexander Petrovic also moved on. Bourque finally broke through last season, scoring 20 goals and 41 points in 82 games while averaging just over 14 minutes of even-strength ice time per game. He was then traded to Nashville along with Ilya Lyubushkin and the Predators didn't waste any time and subsequently signed Bourque to a six-year, $33 million contract.

The only notable NHL addition was a familiar face in Joel Kiviranta, who returned to Dallas on a one-year contract after spending the previous three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. The biggest offseason storyline was actually keeping the team’s existing stars together. Jason Robertson re-signed on a one-year contract after a 45-goal, 96-point season, while Jamie Benn also returned on a one-year deal. For a team that was already one of the better regular-season teams in the NHL, this was less about rebuilding the roster and more about giving the existing core another opportunity.

Ready for Full Time

With Justin Hryckowian already appearing in 81 games with the Dallas Stars, he is officialy off the list of a player ready for full time. Although, Arttu Hyry is another player who has a legitimate opportunity to earn a full-time spot with the Stars after recording five points in 20 games last season and appearing in four playoff games and will compete for a full-time roster spot this coming season. The problem from a fantasy perspective is that there doesn’t appear to be an obvious path for him into a top-six role, which limits his upside unless injuries open up an opportunity higher in the lineup.

Fantasy Take

The Stars didn’t make their roster significantly better during the offseason, but they didn’t really need to. They already have one of the deepest offensive groups in the NHL, led by several players with legitimate 90-point upside. Dallas led the league with 157 high-danger goals last season, with Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson both finishing inside the top 10 in that category.

Johnston is probably the biggest fantasy breakout candidate on the roster after exploding for 45 goals and 86 points last season while leading the NHL with 27 power-play goals. He has now scored 78 goals over the past two seasons and he is only 23 years old. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him push toward 90 points this season. His power-play role is a big part of his fantasy appeal, as he has already established himself as one of the league’s most dangerous players with the man advantage.

Players like Roope Hintz missed significant time with a hamstring injury last season, but before that he had recorded at least 28 goals and 65 points in four straight seasons. If he stays healthy, he has a legitimate chance to get back into that range. Matt Duchene also remains a useful depth option after finishing the post-season strong with nine points in six playoff games. On defense, Miro Heiskanen is still the obvious target, while Thomas Harley is another player worth monitoring especially if Heiskanen struggles out of the gate or suffers an injury. Not to mention, Jake Oettinger is still considered a top fantasy goalie. That said, I don’t think the Stars’ fantasy outlook has fallen very far from last year’s A grade. The core remains intact, Robertson is back, Johnston continues to develop, Rantanen continues to do what he does and there is plenty of bounce-back potential with Hintz and even Tyler Seguin. Dallas didn’t need to make a major splash this offseason. They essentially decided that a 50-win team with a relatively healthy core was good enough to run it back.

Fantasy Grade: A (Last year: A)

Check out the rest of the Dobber team previews here.