Stars season preview: Montgomery leading way

The 2018-19 NHL season begins Oct. 3. With training camps open, NHL.com is taking a look at the five keys, the inside scoop on roster questions, and the projected lines for all 31 teams. Today, the Dallas Stars.

Coach:Jim Montgomery (first season)
Last season:42-32-8; sixth place Central Division
RELATED: [Complete Season Preview coverage]

5 KEYS

1. Montgomery's influence

Hired as Stars coach May 4, Montgomery, who went 125-57-26 in five seasons at the University of Denver and won the national championship in 2017, will be tasked with developing their young players, including defensemen Miro Heiskanen, 19, and Julius Honka, 22, and forwards Roope Hintz, 21, Denis Gurianov, 21, and Radek Faksa, 24.

2. Play of Spezza

Jason Spezza had 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) in 78 games last season, his lowest total since he had 21 points as a rookie in 2002-03. Although the 35-year-old forward scored 33 goals and had 63 points with the Stars in 2015-16, his totals in each category decreased in each of the past two seasons.
Spezza has also seen his average ice time decrease in each of the past eight seasons, down to 13:00 per game last season, his lowest since he was a rookie (12:40). Although he could start out as the second-line center, he could be bumped down or even out of the lineup as a healthy scratch if he's unable to produce.

3. Heiskanen's debut

Selected by Dallas with the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Heiskanen is expected to make the roster out of training camp and play a big role this season. An excellent skater and two-way player, he had 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 30 games last season with HIFK in Liiga, Finland's top league, and won the Pekka Rautakallio Award as the league's best defenseman.
"I've had a great summer of training and I've practiced so hard," Heiskanen told NHL.com at the NHL Players' Association Rookie Showcase in August. "I had a really good last season in Finland, so I think I'm ready to make that jump and play in the NHL."

4. Bishop's workload

The Stars signed goalie Anton Khudobin to a two-year contract July 1, and he could be counted on to give Ben Bishop more rest. Bishop was 26-17-5 with a 2.49 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and five shutouts in 53 games last season, but he missed the final nine games with a knee injury. Khudobin was 16-6-7 with a 2.56 GAA, a .913 save percentage and one shutout as backup for Tuukka Rask with the Boston Bruins in 2017-18.
"Everyone was always saying, 'Backup, backup, backup,'" Khudobin said after he was signed. "But if you look at my stats, if you look at my career, I could always play at the No. 1. The team looks at me as a backup, OK, that's my job. I will do that. I wanted to go to a great team that's going to the playoffs and has a chance to win the Stanley Cup."

5. Secondary scoring

Forwards Tyler Seguin (40 goals), Jamie Benn (36) and Alexander Radulov (27) accounted for 45 percent of Stars goals last season (103 of 231) and 64 percent of their power-play goals (30 of 47). Forwards Blake Comeau (13 goals with Colorado Avalanche) and Valeri Nichushkin (16 goals for CSKA in the Kontinental Hockey League) were added this offseason to bring more balanced scoring to the roster.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut

The additions of Comeau and Nichushkin solidified the top 12 forward group for the Stars, but Hintz and/or Gurianov could push for a spot in training camp. Hintz had 35 points (20 goals, 15 assists) in 70 games with Texas of the American Hockey League and 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 22 Calder Cup playoff games as a rookie last season. Gurianov had 34 points (19 goals, 15 assists) in his second season with Texas in 2017-18.
It will likely come down to Roman Polak and Stephen Johns for the final spot on the third defense pair. Polak, 32, who signed a one-year contract July 1, had 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 54 games and was third on the Toronto Maple Leafs with 131 hits last season. Johns, 26, had NHL career highs in goals (eight), assists (seven) and points (15) in 75 games with Dallas last season and signed a three-year contract June 22.

Most intriguing addition

How will Nichushkin transition back to the NHL? The 23-year-old forward, who signed a two-year contract with Dallas on July 1, spent the past two seasons with CSKA in the KHL, where he had 51 points (27 goals, 24 assists) in 86 games. Prior to that, he played three seasons with the Stars, who selected him with the No. 10 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. In 2015-16, he had 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 79 games.

Biggest potential surprise

There are plenty of expectations on Heiskanen, and it will be interesting to see how he handles his first season in North America. Although he may be overlooked as a candidate entering the season, it wouldn't be surprising if Heiskanen is in the running for the Calder Trophy.

Ready to break through

Known as a shutdown center, Faksa could break through offensively after scoring an NHL career-high 17 goals last season. If he's able to produce, it would help alleviate some pressure off of the top line of Benn, Seguin and Radulov.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Jamie Benn -- Tyler Seguin -- Alexander Radulov
Mattias Janmark -- Jason Spezza -- Valeri Nichushkin
Blake Comeau -- Radek Faksa -- Brett Ritchie
Devin Shore -- Martin Hanzal -- Tyler Pitlick
Esa Lindell -- John Klingberg
Miro Heiskanen -- Julius Honka
Marc Methot -- Stephen Johns
Ben Bishop
Anton Khudobin