Enjoy the ride: Stars’ early season bumps a necessary part of the journey

I believe it was Luke Glendening a few years back who made the statement that every team is an entity unto itself.

He was pondering the 2022-23 Stars during their long playoff run and said he didn’t want it to end; because when it did, that group would never be together again in that form. That’s one of the things that we miss as fans or reporters – the human dynamic of the dressing room that goes beyond the performance on the ice.

Yes, a large part of this team is pretty familiar with one another – more than a dozen have been with the organization for three years or more – but there still are pieces that are always changing.

The obvious moose in the room is not just The Moose [Mikko Rantanen], but a new coaching staff as well. With Glen Gulutzan taking over and getting a couple of new assistants in Neil Graham and David Pelletier helping to reshape the message and outlook, there are obviously going to be some growing pains.

But it goes beyond that.

Every one of these players is at a unique place in his career. They have been forged by their experiences and subtly molded by their opportunities. You look at where they are in terms of contracts, and international competitions, and their various roles on the team, and it’s quite a Rubik’s Cube trying to make everything line up in harmony.

Rantanen is in the first year of an eight-year contract in a relatively new city and is dealing with all of the growing pains that come with such a move. So far, he has been spectacular – not only in leading the team in scoring and game impact, but also in helping to establish the culture that Gulutzan is seeking.

His personality will definitely have an impact on his fellow Finns, who all should be playing in the Olympics together in February, and also touches the performance of players like Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley.

Robertson is at the end of his contract and has a chance to get a huge raise in a volatile NHL marketplace, and that has to be having some effect on him. He also would love to play in the Olympics for Team USA after not getting selected for The 4 Nations Face-Off last season. Johnston and Harley are in the mix for Team Canada, and that also is a factor in their respective universes, especially when considering how young both players are.

Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene are veterans, but each is hoping to use that experience to push over the top and get the Stanley Cup that has evaded them in recent seasons.

And Jamie Benn is 36 years old and dealing with his first extended absence from the ice in quite some time. He played in 82 games for three consecutive seasons and was in 80 games last year. That’s a pretty consistent impact for one of the league’s most venerable captains.

After surgery to repair a collapsed lung, his return date is up in the air. Not only does the flesh have to heal, but he then has to get his conditioning up to the pace required in an NHL regular season.

That’s a lot to handle.

But it’s where these Stars are right now. They are trying to fold in Adam Erne, Justin Hryckowian and Nathan Bastian. They are trying to continue the education and growth of Lian Bichsel, Nils Lundkvist and Mavrik Bourque.

And they’re trying to win games, as well.

When you watch a play that goes awry…or a period that is wonky…or even a scary trend that spans four or five games, there can be frustration. But while you – and, truthfully, the players and coaches too – are focused on the day to day, the organization also has to understand the process of getting better.

Not just today, but over the span of a season. Not just in starting well, but in becoming a team that can play “playoff hockey” when it matters most come the late spring and summer.

You look at last season and realize that the team in October didn’t have Cody Ceci or Mikael Granlund or even Rantanen. There’s a chance those kinds of changes could happen to this team as well as we get closer to the trade deadline in March.

And that’s why you want to watch. Each season of your favorite binge-watch has twists and turns – you wouldn’t want it any other way. So remember that at times like this.

The voyage is special in so many different ways for so many different people, so let that energy flow through you. Luke Glendening will be the first to remind you that when it’s over, you can’t go back.

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 X @MikeHeika.