Shawn Horcoff
Lifelong Oiler veteran Horcoff joined the Stars in a trade that sent Philip Larsen (recently placed on waivers by Edmonton) to Canada. In an offseason in which Dallas completely reworked their center depth, Horcoff was the final piece added.
Horcoff, who was Edmonton’s captain, had a tough time in oil country living up to a ridiculous six-year, $33 million contract that he received after the 2009-2010 season.
He was used all over the place in Edmonton but was mostly kept in a defensive role. He’ll find himself locked into that defensive role once again in Dallas centering the third and fourth lines depending on the health of the other centers on the team. Expect Horcoff to see a lot of PK time and action on the defensive side of the ice. With Rich Peverley currently struggling with some health issues, Horcoff should see some extended playing time in the first couple of weeks or so.
2013-2014 Prediction: 73 GP, 8 G, 13 A, 21 Points, -4 rating, 38 PIM
Vernon Fiddler
Fiddler is entering a contract year this season and is coming off of what is one of his more productive seasons in his career. His 17 points in 46 games last season would have been on pace for a career year for him if it had been a full season.
Fiddler will find himself out of the center spot this season with the additions of Horcoff and Peverley and will be exclusively a winger barring injuries. Position aside, his role will be the exact same working on the PK, taking defensive zone starts and crashing bodies in the offensive zone.
We know what to expect out of Fiddler now, so expect more of that this season.
2013-2014 Prediction: 79 GP, 7 G, 16 A, 23 Points, -2 rating, 46 PIM
Antoine Roussel
Everyone’s favorite Frenchman returns this year with a brand new number (Loui’s old No. 21) but the same in-your-face attitude. Roussel emerged as a fan favorite last year with his on-ice passion and all-out effort on the ice as well as his willingness to fight anyone who challenged him.
Roussel has been doing some solid work in the preseason and will have the exact same role again this season working the (mostly) third and fourth lines. The Steve Ott starter kit will once again be on his most aggravating behavior toward the opponents.
He showed a little bit of pop and scoring skill in his time last season, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can improve on that side of the ice. Regardless of his offensive contributions, Roussel should easily lead this team in PIM and fights.
2013-2014 Prediction: 82 GP, 11 G, 8 A, 19 Points, +2 rating, 188 PIM
Ryan Garbutt
It didn’t look like Garbutt would have much of role this season with all of the trades and the young kids starting to come through the organization, but he’s held on for a role right now as a depth forward. He shouldn’t see much more than 10 minutes per game, if that, and will be mostly used for energy off the bench, something he’s quite well suited for. He’s perfectly fine as a depth player on this team but just don’t expect a whole lot from him now that Dallas has a deeper roster.
2013-2014 Prediction: 49 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 Points, -3 rating, 42 PIM
Lane MacDermid
I really wasn’t expecting MacDermid to re-sign with Dallas once the season ended but he’s back on a one-year deal. He had an abbreviated time with the team last season and scored a couple of goals in six games with Dallas before sitting out most of the year with a chest injury.
I really don’t know what to expect out of him this year. He’ll be one of those guys on the edge of getting scratched each night and should only see limited time on the ice. He could also be sent back to the AHL.
2013-2014 Prediction: 27 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 Points, 0 rating, 33 PIM
Chris Mueller
Mueller has spent three mostly AHL bound seasons with the Nashville Predators the last few years and signed a one-year deal with the Stars this offseason. He’s a bit of a surprise to make the opening roster, and I expect very little from him this year. Once everyone gets healthy again, he could be back in the AHL with the Texas Stars.
2013-2014 Prediction: 22 GP, 3 G, 2 A, 5 Points, -2 rating, 16 PIM
