Inside look at Dallas Stars

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1.-Sept. 1. Today, the Dallas Stars.

The Dallas Stars believe adding Matt Duchene to an already talented group of forwards can get them to their ultimate goal.

They feel their hopes of winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in Dallas/Minnesota North Stars history (1999) have improved after reaching the Western Conference Final last season with a team that averaged 3.43 goals per game (7th in the NHL).

"We've added a lot of speed and I think we've added some scoring," Stars general manager Jim Nill said July 1.

Duchene signed a one-year, $3 million contract July 1, one day after Nashville Predators bought out the final three seasons of the seven-year contract he signed July 1, 2019. He had 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) in 71 games last season and should be comfortable with Stars coach Peter DeBoer's up-tempo, productive system.

"I think playing offense is fun and it's an offensive league now," Duchene said July 6. "At the start of my career, guys didn't get 80 points. Now there are guys getting 120. It's changed a lot.

"Teams are scoring more. They could win the 2-1 game for a long time. Now they can win the 6-5 game and that makes them dangerous. I've always been more of a fan of the 6-5 game than the 2-1 game, I love playing offense and hopefully I'll come in and fit into that."

Duchene should complement the Stars' core, which includes forwards Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz, and defenseman Miro Heiskanen.

"You start talking about Roope Hintz coming out and all of a sudden next shift, out comes Matt Duchene," Nill said. "That really changes the look of our team a little bit and we still keep our heaviness with the bottom line, with the (Radek) Faksas and Jamie Benns and guys. We brought (forward Evgenii) Dadonov back, that was another move we made. We solidified that top nine and I think we've improved our bottom at the same time."

The Stars have had one of the best top lines in the NHL the past two seasons with Hintz in between Robertson and Pavelski, and they're expected to be together again to start this season. Robertson is coming off the best season of his NHL career, leading the Stars with 109 points (46 goals, 63 assists). Pavelski (77 points) was third and Hintz (75) fourth.

Benn had 78 points (33 goals, 45 assists) in 82 games, the most since getting 79 points (36 goals, 43 assists) in 2017-18.

Dallas leaned on Heiskanen last season and with no big changes to the defense, other than trading Colin Miller to the New Jersey Devils, that's likely to continue. Heiskanen averaged 25:29 of ice time per game, sixth in the NHL, and 27:48 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (second to Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty at 28:14). There is also an opportunity for younger defensemen like Thomas Harley, 21, and Nils Lundkvist, 23.

The Stars also added forwards Craig Smith and Sam Steel, unrestricted free agents who each signed one-year contracts July 1. The two were brought in to help bolster depth on the bottom six.

Steel had 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 65 regular-season games and two points (one goal, one assist) in five playoff games for the Minnesota Wild, who the Stars defeated in six games in the Western Conference First Round.

"It just seemed like a good fit and obviously winning is huge and this team has a great chance," Steel said. "They made a good run this year and have a lot of strong pieces and it's just an exciting group to potentially be a part of."

The Stars went far last season. They're hoping to go further.

"No secret these guys we've brought in have all scored," Nill said, "so we think we've improved our team now."