Stars fans got a look into the future of this team as Alex Goligoski got himself a nice payday yesterday, inking a new contract that's going to keep in Dallas for the next four years for $18.4 million. His contract will be staggered, earning a little bit more each season. Year 1 - $4.2 million, Year 2 - $4.4 million, Years 3 and 4 - $4.6 million. The cap hit on the team each season will be $4.6 million.

With the deal, the defense of the future seems to be set. Goligoski will be here a while; Trevor Daley is contracted to be on this team till the 2017-2018 season and Stephane Robidas is still under contract until the 2014-2015 season (though I expect him to be traded by then). The years are fine with me, but the money that was just thrown down at Goose's feet seems a bit much, especially for a guy that hasn't had a breakout season yet.

A breakdown of his stats:

In his time in Pittsburgh, Goligoski benefited a whole lot from the talent that the Penguins had (IE: Crosby, Malkin, Staal). He's a fine player, but I continue to think that his points and assists numbers, especially on the power-play, were inflated a bit as a result of the teammates that he had in Pittsburgh.

He's been the number one power-play quarterback on this team this past season, but hasn't been able to do much. Whether it's the system or the guys around him (though that's tough to fathom with the likes of Benn, Eriksson, Ribeiro, etc...) he's just not getting the same point totals. He's also had some trouble staying healthy, something that is absolutely necessary for the number one offensive defensemen on the team.

He's been a solid player in his short (59 games) Stars career so far, but hasn't really stood out. Hopefully Dallas can get some more guys around him to help so that he can improve his numbers.

Now I really like Goose and think he's the type of player that's really needed on this team, but giving him an average of $4.6 million a year seems a bit much. Then again, this is the team that's giving Adam Pardy $2 million a year so this deal with Goose might be a bargain. If nothing else, this shows that the new ownership is ready and willing to spend big bucks to try and improve this team. There will be a new CBA after this season though, so this might not be as expensive as previously thought (or it might be more, who knows).

The numbers on his contract ($4.6 million cap hit) puts him around the likes of Jack Johnson, Joni Pitkanen, Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieksa. Goligoski's numbers that he put up in Pittsburgh are comparable to what these guys have had since 2008-2009. 

Totals for these guys since that season.

Johnson: 253 games, 27 goals, 83 assists and 110 points.

Pitkanen: 235 games, 21 goals, 105 assists and 126 points.

Hamhuis: 272 games, 17 goals, 78 assists and 95 points.

Bieksa: 241 games, 24 goals, 89 assists and 113 points.

Goligoski: 233 games, 33 goals, 85 assists and 118 points.

Again, being in Pittsburgh helps a lot, but I really hope that Goose can start to put up some numbers again. Until then, I'll approach this contract with some trepidation because he'll need to stay healthy and be around the top 15 in scoring defensemen to make this deal worth it.

Anaheim Ducks (18-22-7, 43 pts) @ Dallas Stars (24-21-2, 50 pts)

8:30 PM CT, January 24, 2012

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

At this point, it comes as a relief that the All-Star break is upon the Stars. Dallas comes into this game having lost five in a row and six of the last seven games. The only win was in a shootout over the LA Kings. Injuries, sloppy play and a little bit of bad luck have all contributed but the bottom line is the same, this team is floundering.

The loss of Mike Ribeiro and Jamie Benn have hit this hard. In the past five games without those two guys, Dallas has failed to score more than two goals in any of those games. That includes scoring only one goal against the worst defensive team in the NHL, Tampa Bay.

The latest loss for Dallas was an embarrassing 5-2 beatdown by the Minnesota Wild, one of the worst offensive teams in the league. The Wild scored three goals in 61 seconds in the second period of the game, basically dooming Dallas after they had taken a 2-1 lead. That game was only the second time in the past month and a half that Minnesota scored more than four goals in regulation.

Dallas gets some reprieve tonight (or at least they should) with the probable return of Mike Ribeiro. A playmaker has been sorely missed recently, especially for Loui Eriksson and Michael Ryder, so his return is a welcome one. Dallas is currently sitting four points out of the last playoff spot going into tonight so getting points tonight is a must.

However, as is customary with this team, as one guy returns another one leaves. This time it's Brenden Morrow that's out with an injury. It's the second time this season that Morrow has been placed on IR; this time it's for a neck injury.  

To make up for Morrow's loss, the team called up Matt Fraser from the Texas Stars to make his NHL debut tonight. Fraser is a scorer, something that Dallas really needs. In 40 games with the AHL affiliate this season, Fraser has 21 goals and 14 assists. His 21 goals is by far the most on the team (10 more than anyone else) and he's second on the team in points and fourth in the AHL in goals. Nine of his goals came on the power-play so who knows, he might get some time with that unit to try to give it a boost. He'll probably be relagated to one the fourth line though, so don't expect too much.

Kari should be in net tonight. Dallas will be without Morrow (neck) and Benn (appendectomy).

more after the jump

Tampa Bay Lightning (18-23-4, 40 pts) @ Dallas Stars (24-19-2, 50 pts)

7:30 PM CT, January 20, 2012

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

Struggle, struggle, struggle. That's the name of the game right now for Dallas. Down their top two centers and at the edge of the playoff picture, Dallas has struggled to get points in the past week. Since Jan. 20, Dallas has managed to get only 3 out of 10 points (1-3-1) and find themselves tied with two other teams for the 10th spot in the Western Conference. These close races are mighty stressful no?

Dallas has been playing solid hockey but just haven't had enough offense (or luck) to win in the last week. They've lost each of the last three games by only one goal (the last one a shootout) so this team is definitely trying, but sometimes effort just isn't enough. In all truth, Dallas probably should have beaten the Wings but Alex Goligoski's series of unfortunate events led to an own goal going off his skate.

At first blush, this game looks like something that the Stars should definitely win, but then again this is a team that's gotten beaten up by the Blue Jackets and Ducks recently and the Lightning are a very potent offensive team. Kari Lehtonen needs to play well again tonight against the likes of Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. I would say that Dallas needs to keep this score low to win this game, but Tampa has a terrible defense so this could be a shootout.

These two teams played once last year in Tampa, a game that the Lightning won 5-4.

Lehtonen should be getting the start tonight, the first game of another back-to-back.

Dallas will be without their offense in Jamie Benn (appendectomy) and Mike Ribeiro (knee). Philip Larsen was just activated off of IR so he might play in this game, but there's not really a spot in the lineup for him right now unless Dallas goes with 7 defensemen.

more after the jump

Detroit Red Wings (29-15-1, 59 pts) @ Dallas Stars (24-19-1, 49 pts)

7:30 PM CT, January 17, 2012

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

Here we go again. Second night of a back-to-back with a tough team coming to town. The Stars' difficulties on these situations is well documented this year. Dallas is 0-6-0 in games like this so far on the year and have been outscored 24-8. Whether it was home or road (though 5 of these were road games), Dallas just didn't seem to have the energy on these second nights and it gets only worse in this game without the services of Benn and Ribeiro.

The Stars have actually played the Red Wings in a back-to-back before this season. It was way back on Nov. 12 in Detroit, a game that Dallas lost 5-2. Alex Goligoski had just gotten injured in the game before and the Stars were starting the human sieve, Andrew Raycroft.

While tonight's starter, Richard Bachman, will inspire a lot more confidence than Raycroft, the lack of offense on this team could easily be this team's downfall tonight. Tom Wandell, Vernon Fiddler and whoever else is left as centers need to find a little oomph tonight and try to make some plays to get the wingers on this team some good shots. Eriksson and Ryder can do a lot on their own but getting the puck to them in good postions can do worlds of good for this team.

One piece of good news for Dallas tonight is that Tomas Vincour could make his return to the team. He was activated from the IR today and recent call-up Francis Wathier was sent back down. Either Vincour returns to the lineup in his place or the Stars go with 7 defensemen today. Vincour has been out with a knee injury since Dec. 15 against the NY Islanders.

Bachman gets the start in goal tonight. His last game was a 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 7.

Dallas will be without Benn (appendectomy), Ribeiro (slight MCL tear) and Philip Larsen (concussion)

more after the jump

Final

Dallas 0 - St. Louis 1

Dallas played its first game last night without the top 2 centers on the team, and boy did it ever show. The Stars offense last night might have set hockey back a year or two. The team just couldn't get anything going without its playmakers and while Jaroslav Halak had an excellent night, he didn't exactly have to do a whole lot to make his 22 saves. For all I can remember, Dallas only had two really really good chances to score a goal.

One was an early chance from Eriksson and the other was an Eric Nystrom breakaway chance that didn't work because he was too tired from a long shift. Nystrom just went straight at Halak and tried to five-hole him but Halak made an easy save. The only reason Dallas had a chance to get a point out of this game was because of Kari Lehtonen. Lehtonen had one of his best games of the season, saving 31 of 32 shots and most of them in spectacular fashion (Toby Peterson also had a kick save of his own when Lehtonen was left out of the net after a save).

The only shot that got past him was from TJ Oshie. Oshie beat Nick Grossman on a rush to the net and received a pass from David Perron. Lehtonen looked to have him squared up but Oshie made a fantastic move and deked Lehtonen, just barely outstretching his left leg to put the puck into the net. Grossman has had major struggles recently and it's even more glaring when the defense has to be perfect in order for the Stars to win.

more after jump

Dallas Stars (24-18-1, 49 pts) @ St. Louis Blues (26-12-6, 58 pts)

6:30 PM CT, January 16, 2012

Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri

Oh boy, we have gut check time now for the Stars. With the news coming out yesterday that Mike Ribeiro would be out until the All-Star break and Jamie Benn needing an emergency appendectomy (and subsequently missing at least 10 days and up to 2 weeks), Dallas suddenly finds themselves in dire straits as they try to stay in the playoff hunt.

Even worse for the team? The flu is making its way through the players and many of the guys are sick. Dallas was forced to recall winger Francis Wathier from the Texas Stars just so they might have enough healthy bodies to play in this game. The only saving grace to all of this is that it comes with the All-Star break looming, so it's possible that Dallas will only be without their top 2 centers for only the next 5 games. It's pure survival mode now.

The obvious big question is where (and who) do the Stars turn to now? The Dvorak-Fiddler-Nystrom line now might be the number one option as Dallas tries to figure out the center rotation. I would assume that Tom Wandell sticks with Morrow and Eriksson as he usually has when Ribs is out with injury. The guy stepping into Benn's spot provides a bigger issue.

The possible replacements? Toby Peterson, Jake Dowell, a whenever-he's-healthy Tomas Vincour or perhaps even moving Steve Ott back to center. Otter takes enough face-offs anyway so he might as well move back to center and perhaps use Burish or Wathier as the other winger besides Ryder. No matter which way you cut it, the results are not pretty. These next 5 games could decide the playoff future of this team. Dallas cannot afford to drop points with the race as tight as it is.

Dallas will be missing the aforementioned Benn (appendectomy), Ribeiro (knee) and Vincour (knee). Philip Larsen is also out due to a concussion.

As for the starting goalie, it could be either Lehtonen or Richard Bachman tonight. With a back-to-back with the Blues tonight and the Red Wings tomorrow, the two goalies will split these next two games.

more after the jump

Final (SO)

Dallas Stars 5 - Los Angeles Kings 4

Wow, what a firecracker of a game between these two last night. This one had a little bit of everything in it: Great saves, great goals, fights, vicious hits and an intense playoff atmosphere. After what happened in the game against Anaheim, to see the Stars come out in this game and actually look like they wanted to play the entire game was encouraging though it remains to be seen if they can actually keep this up.

Dallas got out early in this game to a 2-0 lead through the first period. The Kings would outscore Dallas 2-1 in the second and third periods. Dallas actually had to make a comeback in order to send it into overtime. I don't know what it is about the second period but the opposing team always seems to score multiple goals in that period while Dallas gets nothing. While the win was nice, there were a lot of things to worry about, particularly the special teams. The Kings are a really bad offensive team, so allowing 4 goals to them is a big nono.

There's a lot of subplots to touch on after this one. First off is how great Loui Eriksson was. He was all over the ice and ended up providing the game tieing (though Willie Mitchell actually had an own goal) and winner in the shootout for a pseudo hat trick. Was he sending a message after that All-Star snub? I doubt he would care about that but he certainly looked like he was a man on a mission last night.

Dallas Stars (23-17-1, 47 pts) @ LA Kings (21-15-7, 47 pts)

9:30 PM CT, January 12, 2012

STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, California

The second half of the season starts with a big game big game big game. That's pretty much all you can say about this one. As of today, the Stars sit two points behind the Kings, who just happen to hold the eighth seed in the playoffs. After what happened on Tuesday against the Ducks, this feels like a must win game.

Dallas needs to come out determined and ready to play tonight. Any effort like what they showed against the Ducks and this thing will be over very soon. LA may not be a great, or even good, offensive team but they can certainly take advantage of bad play. The loss of Ribeiro has really hurt this team as more and more of the offensive burden is in Jamie Benn's hands.

Tom Wandell is a nice player but he's not a second-line guy and can't really fill the skates alongside Morrow and Eriksson. Those two guys need a playmaking center with them and unfortunately Wandell is not that. With the third line of Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak struggling for the first time this season, everything suddenly depends on Benn.

Kari Lehtonen gets the nod in goal. Dallas will be without Mike Ribeiro (slight MCL tear), Tomas Vincour (knee) and Philip Larsen (concussion).

Final

Dallas Stars 2 - Anaheim Ducks 5

Sometimes, it just seems that everything just doesn't go your way. From the outset of this game, it was clear that this just wasn't the Stars night. They were unlucky in the first period, bad in the second and a tease in the third.

In all honesty, Dallas could've been leading this game 4-1 after the first ten minutes but the puck just wouldn't go into the net. Things got off to an ominous start when Saku Koivu scored on a wild deflection that somehow made its way past Kari Lehtonen. I'm sure though that most people just waved that aside though. The Ducks were starting their third/fourth string goalie afterall and were 11-6-4 when scoring first, a record that puts them among the bottom five in the league.

The only problem? Jeff Deslauriers had some kind force field that Stars couldn't get past. Jamie Benn and Nick Grossman both hit posts and Benn alone had four great chances to score a goal in the first ten minutes of the game. Heck, he could've had a hat trick within the first five minutes but alas, supernatural forces just would not let it happen.

Dallas Stars (23-16-1, 47 pts) @ Anaheim Ducks (12-22-6, 30 pts)

9:00 PM CT, January 10, 2012

Honda Center, Anaheim, California

Oh Pacific Division, how I've missed thee (not really). It's been awhile since the last division game for the Stars (a home game on Dec. 19 against the Ducks was the last one) so Stars fans have been blessed with not having to deal with the late starts for month. Sleep schedules get messed with tonight as the Stars head to Anaheim for a start of a short two game West Coast road-trip. 

While Dallas has been playing good hockey recently, they've also have been riding the injury merry-go-round. When Kari Lehtonen made his return, Sheldon Souray and Stephane Robidas got injured. Robidas made his return in the Stars last game and Souray should be back in the lineup tonight. While those two are back, Mike Ribeiro finds himself on the shelf with a knee injury.

Ribeiro had a knee-on-knee collision in the second period of the game against the Oilers and left for a bit. He actually returned in the third period and scored two goals to boot. This only seems to be a precaution though so Ribeiro should be back on the ice soon enough. He's proved his toughness in the last two games anyway so this should not hold him down long. It's a shame as he was playing his best hockey of the season.