Pete DeBoer has seen this before.
Sure, the Stars are 24-11-6 and rank seventh in points percentage at the midway point in the season.
Heck, it's actually even better than that, as Dallas is fourth in scoring at 3.51 goals per game, fifth in goals against at 2.63, and is second best in the entire league in goal differential at plus-34, a stat many insiders look at for accurate assessment
This team ranks fifth in power play success at 27.6 percent, fourth on the penalty kill at 83.2 percent, and third in faceoffs at 55.1 percent.
The Stars are checking a lot of boxes, and that has to feed just a little bit of confidence to DeBoer in his first season with the organization.
Or maybe not.
There are no guarantees in hockey, nothing is promised
Halfway through the season and Dallas is fourth in scoring and second in goal differential, but there is still work to do
"We've just got to keep building our game," DeBoer said after Game 41 of 82 on Sunday. "There's no magic point in the season where we know we've arrived. We've got to just continue, to keep working on our game."
The veteran coach knows from whence he speaks. He had the Vegas Golden Knights in first place in the Pacific Division at the All-Star break last season and missed the playoffs. Injuries toppled a very good roster, and the negative momentum caught up. It was a harsh lesson.
This season, the Stars have been the least injured team in the NHL, but may have suffered a big one on Sunday when Roope Hintz left the game with an upper body injury. This creates all sorts of challenges for the roster, as Tyler Seguin and Wyatt Johnston are expected to get more minutes, and the rest of the lines will have to adapt to new looks. Denis Gurianov will likely be called into action after missing nine games while tending to a family issue overseas, and the Stars will probably have to dig into the minor league depth that was a chief off-season project of General Manager Jim Nill.
That's how it goes in sports.
But that said, you have to appreciate how we got here.
Dallas was a good team who battled in the playoffs last season and lost in the first round to Calgary in seven games. There was nothing to be ashamed of there. But after a run of three coaches - Ken Hitchcock, Jim Montgomery and Rick Bowness - over a span of six seasons, Nill wanted a little more consistency. So, he hired DeBoer, who was let go by Vegas in the summer, and gave him a four-year contract. The veteran bench boss who has logged 1,066 games as a head coach, has been everything the GM expected.
DeBoer is patient, prepared, and experienced. He instituted a way of playing hockey that is both aggressive and fun, and the players have bought in. Players like Jamie Benn and Miro Heiskanen have taken huge steps forward when it comes to scoring, with Benn going from 0.56 points per game to 0.90, and Heiskanen jumping from 0.51 to 0.82. What's more, the top line has improved its numbers, and the team as a whole is up from 21st in the league at a scoring average of 2.84 to .76 goals better per games.
That's significant, and it's both a thrill for all involved and a bit of a wake-up call. Yes, it's fun, but just think how much better it could be if they do it in the playoffs. DeBoer and assistants Steve Spott and Alain Nasreddine were out of jobs in the summer, and they each landed in a very good place. Several players were in tough spots, and the new coaching staff has helped them optimize their efforts. Newcomers like Mason Marchment, Wyatt Johnston, Nils Lundkvist and Colin Miller have all found a happy home. Players like Benn and Seguin are having more fun playing hockey.
It's a pretty positive dynamic.
DeBoer likes to say his team is both "mature" and "honest." That's important. The maturity has helped them handle tough stretches of the schedule, and the assimilation of a new coaching staff and some young players. And the honesty has allowed them to respond well to adversity and put the skids on any streaks of negativity. Dallas has not lost more than two games in a row at any stretch this season, and it takes a great deal of pride in that.
Is there much work to be done in the second half? For sure. Colorado is the defending Stanley Cup champion and is going to make a big push at some point. Winnipeg is in a similar place to Dallas, and you know former Stars head coach Rick Bowness would love to spoil the party for the Stars. Minnesota is always dangerous, and St. Louis and Nashville still could get on a run at any point.
All of that said, it's better to be in first place than fourth, because the Stars know quite a bit about the pressure of the playoff bubble from years of experience. Dallas is receiving positive experience for players like Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger, and even Jason Robertson. They are learning what it's like to be top players, to carry a team, so to speak, and they should grow from this.
Sure, they don't give out banners for mid-season championships, and DeBoer is quick to point that out.
"It means nothing," he said about being in first place at the New Year. "I was in Vegas last year in the same spot, and we missed the playoffs. It means nothing."
Well, not quite nothing. It means they have done a lot of good things and learned a lot about each other. The Stars are in a good place, and they can build on this and get even better. There are no guarantees, but it's difficult to find this kind of run if you don't start out well. Dallas has done that, and now needs to get even better.
That's a discussion everyone wants to have.
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.
