Prospects Win; Zubie & Bouch ... again??

Allow me to start off with the best greeting possible: Happy Last Day of Summer before Hockey Begins!

Stars prospects squad just won the Prospects Tourney in Traverse City, Mi - major props to them.  James Neal came away with most points in the tourney (expect to see him a lot in Dallas) with 9 and Brunnstrom, although he started slow, really showed that he has potential to shine.

But what really made me post today was this bit of news posted by both Heika and Keeli over at the Star Telegram:

Sergei Zubov underwent an arthroscopic hip procedure on Thursday. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Also, Philippe Boucher is day-to-day with a sore foot.

-- Keeli Garza, Five For Fighting

I'm sorry, what?  Heika reports Zubbie could be out 6-8 weeks on the procedure.  Can anyone tell me exactly what is going on here?  I know, they're both old; I know, this is bound to happen; I know, we'll be fine.  This is not me paniking; this is me being pissed off they waited so long to get on the ice that they both just realized they have issues.

2007 & 2008 at a glance

Before I actually get to the schedule, allow me to reflect a bit, in no great detail, about this years Dallas Stars:

• Marty Turco continued to prove that he is a clutch goalie and that he has it in the playoffs. While he had a rough bout against the Wings, he not only pulled the team 3 rounds deep, he finally got his first win at the Joe ... ever ... in the playoffs.
• The freshmen are AMAZING. Who would have expected a group SO chock full of rookies to make it as far as they did. Barch, Erikson, Grossman, Fistric, Niskanen, Peterson, Stephan ... I know we saw more guys, but these guys really impressed me this season. I can't wait to see what happens with our backup goalie situation next year - and how about Grossman with his first career NHL goal being in the Playoffs ... no ... in the Western Conference Finals??? Nuts I tell ya, nuts!
• Oh captain, my Captain. When the "C" was abruptly and rudely taken from Mike Modano many people questioned the move, and also the choice of Brendan Morrow as the replacement. If there are ANY doubters left, allow us to reflect, without me digging up the stats, how well Morrow did this series. First and foremost, if we had made the finals, he would have, in this bloggers opinion, won the Conn Smyth this year. Second, was there a player with more heart, more drive, and better to model the rest of your team after this series? How about his injuries? (yeah, we'll get to that in a moment). I admit, when I first saw Morrow I questioned him as Captain. I knew there had to be a reason, but I wasn't sold. I will never question him again after this year.
• Shoulder surgery, sports hernia, torn shoulder, bum leg, concussion. And this is just the list of players who PLAYED WITH THESE INJURIES this playoffs; for the Stars. We knew about Boucher, Zubov, Barnes & Fistric, but how about Morrow & Norstrom? That's right, for the entire Playoffs Norstrom did everything he could to ignore a sports hernia; and it was, in my opinion, the most alive he has been as a Dallas Star. As for our Captain, he was "basically laying on one leg" since the final game against the Sharks, not forget the partial tare in his shoulder.
• Mike Smith was an amazing backup goalie; Jussie Jokinen a clutch on the breakaway/Shootout; Jeff Halpern a quiet leader; and we saw all of them leave this year. It was a sad day for everyone, not a single fan I know was happy to see all 3 of these players leave, and I'm certain the team had a rough time of it too. However, Brad Richards and 3 years of contract came to Dallas. This will be HUGE in the coming years as we see some of our vets retire. It was huge in the playoffs as he was tied for second in points and led the lines of not only Mike Modano but also the rookies at different times. B-Rich will be a major player next year, the year after, and going forward.
• Brett Hull and Les Jackson were placed into the first ever co-GM experiment in the history of the NHL. They relieved an unspoken pressure between the players and their concern for job security; they relieved a similar unspoken pressure of Dave Tippet and his team of coaches, who just hadn't proven themselves in the playoffs (don't believe me? Look at San Jose's head coach; oh that's right, they don't have one anymore). They placed a few minor pickups in Iowa; and they tailored the deal that got us Brad Richards without giving up our entire future (can anyone say Marion Hossa to Pittsburgh?). Rumor has it that Tom Hicks is actually trying to convince the two to stick around together another year; wow.
• Fabian Brunnstrom; this years hottest free agent; a supposed #5 overall draft pick, without the draft pick and without the ramp up time in Iowa. Need I say more about next year?

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boy and Girls, it's time to look at 2008/2009. Hold your heads up high because the Dallas Stars were a team to be proud of in 2007/2008 and will be a team to reckon with next year.

GO STARS!
--j

Stars get #5 Overall Draft Pick - without the draft?

It looks like the Stars have signed Fabian Brunnstrom to start with us next year. Speculated at a $2mil entry-level contract Fabian comes with plenty of press, as many as 15 NHL teams were making offer sheets, and only a month ago he was rumored to have signed with Vancouver, a deal that fell apart because of the firing of management.

Fabian, another Swede (the balance has shifted, yes?), is a forward, a winger, and a play-maker. Last year in the Swedish Elite leagues Fabian had 39 points in 57 games. His speed has been compared to Daniel Alfredson, his play-making abilities to what was expected of Louis Erikson, and his grit to that of Brendan Morrow. He has also been said, had he gone through the NHL Entry Draft, to be a #5 overall pick. To a team with who's #1 pick is non-existent, and who wouldn't be better than 26 in this year draft, that's a damn good pick up.

The question is how will he fit in? With contracts for Hagman and Norstrom coming to a close, and the hefty pickup of Brad Richards this year, it looks like it's time to start thinking about that salary cap, which is expected to go up $4mil+ this next season. Will the two headed Jack-Hull beast bring back Hagman, a depth player who had a breakout year? Is Norstrom going to play in the NHL next year? Will Mittens & Daley become part of a trade package next year to further clean up what inconstancies still lie in the Dallas lineup? All questions that our interim GM's have to answer in the coming months - heck, will the 2-headed interim GM experiment continue into next year ... and lets not forget the small matter of the Western Conference Championship & Stanley Cup Finals (we can only hope)!

What do you think? Assuming it's a 3 year US$2mil/yr contract, was Fabian a good pickup? Should we keep Hagman? Norstrom? Holmqvist (the rental goalie backup that was packaged with Richards)?