How Stars’ impressive depth is paying dividends ahead of playoffs

In a lot of ways, the Stars can thank the Vegas Golden Knights for the composition of their roster this season.

After losing to Vegas in six games in the Western Conference Final last season, GM Jim Nill and head coach Pete DeBoer decided that Dallas needed more depth to compete with the eventual Stanley Cup champions. They went about making those changes in the offseason. Now, the Stars have as good or better balance among their forwards.

“Vegas showed they were a deeper team than everybody in the league last year,” DeBoer said. “Everyone they went through, their depth, I thought, decided the series. That’s the reality. And the times I’ve lost in the Final every time it has been to the deeper team. I think we’ve rectified that and we’re on a much more level playing field this year.”

During the summer of 2023, the Stars added Matt Duchene at center on a one-year contract. The 33-year-old not only tallied 65 points (25 goals, 40 assists) in 80 games, but he has helped boost the play of linemates Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment. They added Sam Steel (nine goals) and Craig Smith (11 goals) on the fourth line, and called up rookie Logan Stankoven in February and put him on a line with Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston. Now, Dallas might have the best depth in the league.

“We’re a better team, but it’s because of our depth,” DeBoer said. “Twelve months ago, we were described as a one-line team, and we probably were.”

That one line was fantastic, as Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski were among the league leaders with a combined 111 goals and 259 points. This season, they have dropped down, with 86 goals and 212 points. That said, the team as a whole has moved from seventh in the league with a total of 281 goals to third at 294.

That’s no small trick. The Stars at the beginning of the season each signed a banner that proclaimed, “A little less for a lot more.” The concept was that each individual would sacrifice for the benefit of the team.

“We’ve gotten great buy-in on our depth,” DeBoer said. “When you look at the minutes our forwards play, it’s significantly lower than other top guys in the league, and in a lot of cases, significantly less than guys were playing in other places. We’ve gotten great buy-in there, and I think that’s reflected in our record.”

Dallas had 47 wins and 108 points last season. They had 52 wins and 113 this year. That’s significant in the NHL. They have the best record in the Western Conference, they get to play the second wild card team, and they have given themselves the best path to the Stanley Cup Final . . . if they can take advantage of it.

“You look at all of our numbers and we’re all almost identical, which is pretty cool,” Duchene said. “It’s kind of the next-man-up mentality where you just kind of roll the lines over and one night, one line’s going to have a big night, and the next night someone else - and when we get two going, it’s really scary.”

There has also been an emotional boost. Now, when a player is in a slump, it’s not as big a deal. Several of the big names have had stretches of 10 games or more without a goal, but the pressure is eased because someone else is scoring.

“We’re a deep group and we feel any guy can step up on any given night, and I think that’s what makes us a good team,” Benn said.

Because of that, the team should be more prepared for the playoffs. Not only is the wear and tear reduced, but the Stars have also been one of the healthiest squads in the league. DeBoer said he truly believes the shared load helped in a lot of different ways.

“For sure, fresher, less injuries,” he said. “We’ve got some guys who wouldn’t be considered young players and I think they are a lot more effective with a little bit less.”

That includes Pavelski, 39, Ryan Suter, 39, Benn, 34, and Duchene, 33. Each has played more than 1,000 regular season games, so staying fresh is important at this time of year.

“The nice thing is you’re not physically exhausted at all at this time of year because our minutes are lower than a lot of other teams,” said Duchene, who played 16:48 per game this season after logging 19:19 in Nashville last year. “If you’re able to still produce and contribute offensively as a forward group, that doesn’t really matter how much you’re playing. We’re fresh and ready to go.”

And that’s all part of being a team that can win it all – which is the goal for the Stars.

“Right from day one, our whole group has bought into putting the team first in regards to individual stats or accomplishments, and it’s paid off,” Benn said. “We’ve got a great group in here.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.