"There were definitely some boxes that we wanted checked off," he said. "We wanted to feel that the team was close to winning. And playing against the Stars, playing against some of their players, and the season they had, they were a team that checked … a lot of the boxes."
Perry, who had the final two seasons of his eight-year contract bought out June 19 after 14 seasons with the Ducks, viewed the Stars in a similar way.
"I'm looking to win another Stanley Cup, that's my biggest goal and that's why I chose Dallas," the 34-year-old said. "They have everything that I want in a hockey team. They're on the verge of putting something really great together and I want to be a part of that."
Perry (372 NHL goals) and Pavelski (355) will add depth behind one of the most dynamic top lines in the NHL, with Seguin at center between Benn and Alexander Radulov. Seguin (80 points; 33 goals, 47 assists), Radulov (72 points; 29 goals, 43 assists) and Benn (53 points; 27 goals, 26 assists) were the top three among Stars forwards in points last season. The next highest-scoring forward was Radek Faksa, who had 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists).
"When you can add major scorers, that's a big addition," Nill said. "It's no secret that you're always trying to add scoring."
The Stars are positive they've done enough to build on last season, when they were eliminated by the St. Louis Blues in the second overtime of Game 7 in the second round.
"Our team is trending up, and that's a good sign," Nill said.
Here is what the Stars look like today:
