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It's not often that a coaching change warrants
fantasy discussion. But the last two bench-boss switcheroos have. First
there was Florida now it's Dallas. In Florida the picture was a little
clearer - Mike
Keenan came in a represented a very different direction for the club. In
Dallas the short term may not be that much different than the Ken Hitchcock
days. Assistant coach Rick
Wilson is taking over as interim head coach and will probably employ a
similar defensive style as his predecessor. If the Stars decide to hire a
new coach this season it could mean a drastic shift in the team's playing
style. Let's face it, the Stars couldn't be more defensive. So any change in
style should lead to more offensive production. Players like Mike
Modano, Joe
Nieuwendyk, Pierre
Turgeon, and Martin
Rucinsky can only benefit from a more wide-open gameplan. Watch this
situation closely.
The other thing to take into account is the goaltending situation. Look for
the Stars to shop Ed
Belfour. His play has deteriorated over the past two years and a change
of scenery could be a good thing for the team and the backstop. Teams in a
playoff race that could be interested are St. Louis (although a direct trade
between these two Western Division teams is unlikely), Ottawa (strange as it
may seem Patrick
Lalime just hasn't held up his end of the deal and backup Jani
Hurme is still a year away), or possibly Boston (if there is any
indication that the knee of Byron
Dafoe is a question mark for the playoffs). But none of these teams are
desperate for a goalie. In fact, all three would probably be happy to enter
the playoffs with their goaltending. However, I would guess that all three
would not turn down an opportunity to bid on Belfour's services.
So what of Ken Hitchcock? Where will he go? This is not just idle curiosity
on my part. I need to know so that I can take into account a 10-20% drop in
production thanks to a "trap-style" system. Likely candidates
include New Jersey (the Robinson era is nearly over), Washington (how has Ron
Wilson kept his job so long?) and Carolina (inconsistency is killing
what could have been a great season for Paul Maurice).
Stay Tuned.
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