Most of the NHL is playing a fast game led by young players, and the Stars said this week that they want to play along.
After Ken Hitchcock's announcement Friday that he is retiring from coaching, Stars general manager Jim Nill said one of the significant characteristics of the new coach will be that he embraces a fast game.
"We want to play fast, we want to play hard, we want to play well defensively," Nill said. "I think that's where the game is going. You want to play fast, but you also need that structure."
It's a difficult balance to strike, and Nill said that a lot of what Hitchcock built in the past season defensively will be helpful going forward.