Go your own way: Stars continue searching for best version of themselves

It’s an intriguing time in the hockey world.

30 teams are assessing what went wrong this year and pondering how to get better while two organizations are battling for the Cup and seemingly showing exactly how it’s done. In a “Copy Cat League,” that can be pretty powerful.

But as much as fans and media like to say there is a “right way” to build a team and pursue a title, my guess is that most GMs have their own ideas.

And that’s a good thing.

Just looking at this year’s two finalists tells you that you really need to go your own way. Carolina is the model of consistency, building on the ideas and style of coach Rod Brind’Amour, who has been a driving force for the Hurricanes on and off the ice since 1999. Vegas, meanwhile, is as mercurial as any organization in the league, as witnessed by their coaching change with eight games remaining in the regular season.

Kinda hard to “copy cat” that.

But it does help underscore that you have to have a plan, an identity, and you have to work hard to stay true to it. You can obviously tweak that identity, as Glen Gulutzan and company have tried to do this past year, and that’s where the shades of gray pop up in this debate.

GM Jim Nill liked what Gulutzan learned in Edmonton and obviously wanted to bring some of that to Dallas, but it’s clear the Stars don’t have the same pieces to do what the Oilers do. That said, they also do some other things much better…so how do you find the right mix?

Gulutzan did a great job of implementing the “one degree more” philosophy during the regular season, and bringing in players like Justin Hryckowian helped a great deal in that transition. Hryckowian is a fine example of how you can’t always plan these changes. The free agent was a long shot to even make the team, but then impressed in camp and earned the respect of the coaching staff. His ability to put his own stamp on what the team needed is exactly why it’s so hard to map out exactly how the roster will be built and how the holes will be filled.

Arttu Hyry is another player who came in and made an impact, and that kind of shows a little of the Stars’ personality.

Both Hryckowian and Hyry are 25. Both are undrafted free agents. Both are significantly important on a team that could be battling the salary cap all next season. Both are also indicative of what the Stars’ identity is as an organization. Assistant GMs Scott White and Rich Peverley have done a wonderful job of finding players like this. Along with the amateur and pro scouting staffs, White and Peverley discover and develop a large group of prospects who could be considered long shots, and then the parent organization opens the door and allows said players the chance to prove themselves.

To be sure, injuries and cap considerations aid that process a great deal, but experience shows that management does a good job of anticipating those needs

And that might be more important than ever this upcoming season.

If Jason Robertson signs an eight-year extension in the range of $12 million or more, and Mavrik Bourque gets a raise himself, the Stars will be pushed incredibly hard against the cap. They would likely have to move the contracts of some veteran players, and that would open the door for more players like Hryckowian and Hyry.

The hope is the Stars have more of those players in stock, and the opportunity to advance will only make them hungrier.

That is a significant part of Dallas Stars hockey.

I know this is a “homer” opinion and nobody really has sympathy for anyone in their positions, but it is hard to be an NHL GM or head coach. You look at what Colorado did this year and wonder how it could have been swept by Vegas. You look at Minnesota and wonder if the Wild will be able to take a step toward long-term consistency. You look at the Rangers, Maple Leafs and Red Wings and wonder how organizations with that kind of backing can’t get over the hump.

You look at the Stars and say that 1999 was a really long time ago.

On the good side, Jim Nill has assembled a solid base. To have the core of Mikko Rantanen, 29 ($12.0 million cap hit), Thomas Harley, 24 ($10.587 million), Miro Heiskanen, 26 ($8.45 million), Roope Hintz, 29 ($8.45 million), Wyatt Johnston, 23 ($8.4 million), Jake Oettinger, 27 ($8.25 million) and Esa Lindell, 32 ($5.25 million) is pretty solid. It could be even bigger when the salary cap goes up and the Stars are able to create a little more flexibility in the coming years.

Of course, the coming years could be even tougher as the likes of Anaheim, San Jose and Utah continue to improve, and teams like the Avalanche and the Wild feel they too are in the window to win right now.

But that’s why you have to follow your own path.

Sure, you can look at head-to-head matchups and say you need to be tougher or you need to be faster, but the bottom line is you need to find a way to be the best version of yourself.

For the “Men in Victory Green” who run this organization, that seems to be the goal for next season and beyond. Yes, you can learn from other teams, but you have to live in your own house. That’s something both Carolina and Vegas have worked hard to do.

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.