NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the Dallas Stars.
1. What's next for Mavrik Bourque?
When the Stars traded Mason Marchment to the Seattle Kraken on June 19, it left an opening on the second line with Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin. They will evaluate who will fill that spot. One possibility could be Bourque.
The Stars have taken their time developing their prospects and Bourque, a first-round pick (No. 30) in the 2020 NHL Draft, is the latest to come through the ranks. He's coming off a solid rookie season when he had 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) and averaged 12:41 of ice time in 73 games. Now it's time for the 23-year-old to make a bigger impact with the Stars and it could be as part of their second line.
2. How different will Glen Gulutzan's second coaching stint in Dallas be?
It should be a world of difference for Gulutzan, who coached the Stars from 2011-13. Since then, he's worked with some of the NHL's best coaches including Mike Sullivan, Dave Tippett, John Tortorella, Ken Hitchcock and Kris Knoblauch.
Gulutzan also comes into a different situation compared to 2011, when the Stars were in the midst of a rebuild. There were some changes after Dallas struggled to score in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but Gulutzan inherits a team with a lot of good pieces in place. He should have a great impact.
