Hockey is a fickle game.
One year, you’re riding high, racking up 105+ points. Then, 6 months later, you find yourself getting a key injury. Then another one. And then they snowball. And suddenly, what looked like a Stanley Cup contender turns out to be a shell of their former selves.
That’s what happened to the Dallas Stars last year. In 2015-16, they had a perfect season en route to capturing a Central Division title. Then they lost key pieces in the offseason. And then the injuries started hitting.
First it was Cody Eakin, Dallas’ 3rd-line center who scored 35 points in the 2015-16 season.