Familiar territory? How lessons from Cup run could shape Stars' season

The 2020-21 NHL season will be unprecedented, but the Stars are hoping they might have an ace up their sleeve:
Familiarity.
As much as a campaign that starts in January and plays 56 division-only games is new to everyone, Dallas is hoping its run through the Edmonton bubble to the Stanley Cup Final last season provided some experience that can be useful. In fact, when you consider the Stars are bringing back the same coaching staff, a lineup that is only slightly changed, and actually saw several key players step up in the extended playoff run, well, this group might be as well prepared for this season as anyone.

"We like where we're at right now," said Stars general manager Jim Nill. "I like the mix of leadership and older veterans with another tier of younger players who have just gone through some major experiences in the last two playoffs, and then the even younger group who are just now knocking on the door and what they can add to the group by challenging the older players. I really do like how we're positioned."
Dallas has a solid group of veteran leaders paced by Jamie Benn, Joe Pavelski, Alexander Radulov, Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano. It also has a level of 20-somethings who have gained significant playoff experience in the past two seasons -- including John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Miro Heiskanen, Jason Dickinson, Radek Faksa and Denis Gurianov. And it has several prospects who seem ready to take the next step in Ty Dellandrea, Jason Robertson, Nick Caamano, Joel Kiviranta, Thomas Harley and Jake Oettinger.

It's an intriguing roster that could take advantage of the NHL's need to use a taxi squad and cram games into a tight schedule. Because each division will only play within itself, games will be in groups of two, in the same building, against the same opponent, sometimes on back-to-back nights.
And that is a new challenge.
"I think a big key is staying healthy," Nill said. "We're going to play a lot of games in a short period of time, and we'll need some luck in staying healthy and then we'll need our depth to step up."
That will be evident from the start, as goalie Ben Bishop (knee) and center Tyler Seguin (hip) each had offseason surgery and likely won't be available until March. Bishop was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2019 and has been a regular among the leaders in goals against average and save percentage. Since joining the Stars in 2013, Seguin leads the team in points (514) and goals (223). His 2,067 shots on goal are almost 500 more than his closest teammate.
"That's a major challenge, these are significant injuries to elite players," Nill said. "Ben Bishop is one of the top five-to-10 goalies in the NHL; he has been for quite some time, so missing him is a big deal. Tyler Seguin is our leading scorer, and he has been for a while, so you have to deal with that. But it's an opportunity for other guys, and it's time for them to grab more."

Pavelski will likely take over as the first line center and could see his time on ice increase from 16:56, but the player likely to see a huge boost is 24-year-old Roope Hintz, who averaged 14:45 last season. In net, the 22-year-old Oettinger should get a chance to make his regular-season NHL debut after making two appearances in the playoffs last season.
Players will begin training camp on Jan. 4 and will play their first game on Jan. 14 at Florida. There is no exhibition season, so everyone will have to be ready to go. The Stars ran their training camp in Frisco before return to play, so they are used to making the practice facility a modified "bubble."
This season, they will have to find a way to negotiate safety protocols at Comerica Center in Frisco, at American Airlines Center, and in traveling to play their Central Division rivals.
Assistant GM Mark Janko served as the team's compliance officer in Edmonton. The new format will have executive vice president of business operations Alana Matthews as the Club Contact Tracing Officer and team services director Jason Rademan as the Club Compliance Officer. There will be a significant team effort from the organization that was not available because of the limited amount of personnel in Edmonton, and that should help spread the responsibility.
Janko said the team learned a great deal through last season's training camp and in the Edmonton bubble and hopes that experience will be a benefit this season.
READ MORE: [Stars to open 2020-21 season on Jan. 14 at Florida]
"I do think we have a little bit of a leg up on knowing what to expect, because we have been through it," he said. "The players are comfortable with us and with the protocols, and I do think that makes it a little easier this time."
One of the reasons the Stars were able to be successful on the ice was due to the fact they bought in as a team to the bubble life. While this format is different, it will still require a team effort.
"We have had a major commitment from the players and that's huge," Nill said. "To do what we did in the bubble and training camp, that took commitment and everyone bought in. It worked and worked very well, so that is a positive sign for us. Of course, I'm like the dad of the group, so I have to make sure we don't relax, and that we do everything we can to make this work in a different situation.
"We know what we have to do, we did it before and now we have to be even more diligent than we were last time."
Nill said that same attitude will be important on the ice. By pushing themselves to the Stanley Cup Final, the team and the individual players grew from the experience. Benn and Klingberg had limited playoff time before the past two seasons. Players like Heiskanen, Lindell, Faksa, Gurianov and Hintz each took a big step forward.

"You look back and all of the challenges because of the pandemic and because of the bubble and injuries and just fighting through some really tough series, that helps you grow," Nill said.
"I look back at the last two playoffs, and I think our players have grown a great deal. They have pushed themselves, and now they know they can do it. Until you've gone through it, you don't know. Now, they know. They proved it to themselves, and they proved it to everybody else. That's part of the process of winning. It takes time and it takes experience. I've seen that in Detroit. You have to go through the steps."
They also carry with them the pain of losing in Game 6 and getting so close to their dream. That's something that could be a big help this season.
"It's a big motivator," Nill said. "First of all, it hurts. It's like the year before where we lost in double overtime of Game 7 to St. Louis, who eventually wins the Cup … you carry that with you. You think back and ask yourself, 'What if we had won that game?' It's something that pushes you."
The Stars are a different team than they were at the beginning of last season. Rick Bowness has stepped back into the role of head coach for the first time in two decades and has found a good deal of success. Players like Kiviranta, Gurianov, Heiskanen and Anton Khudobin did things they have never done before.

Yes, this is going to be a crazy season with new rivals and a strange schedule and some different challenges, but the Stars have learned to adapt -- and that's a significant advantage.
"You're always excited about the good things in your organization and I think you hope you have put yourself in a good place, but then you have to go out and do it," Nill said. "You can learn from the past, but you can't live in it. What we did in Edmonton is over with, and we have to go out and face the next challenge. We didn't win the Cup, we were two games short, so there's still room for improvement.
"That's where we are as an organization. We need to take the next step."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.