Rick Bowness is entering his second full season as the Stars’ head coach. So, naturally, he’s preparing for his fifth training camp.
Well, kind of. It only feels that way.
When the Stars open training camp in less than three weeks, the feeling will be familiar for Bowness. In addition to being the most experienced NHL coach of all time (including games as an assistant coach), Bowness can count the different camps he’s run in Dallas across the last 14 months.
There was the one before the 2020 postseason bubble. The one before the regular season in January. There were the mini ones after shutdowns because of COVID-19 and the winter storm. Now, he’ll oversee a normal preseason camp ahead of the 2021-22 season, one that the Stars hope can springboard them back into the playoffs.
“You look at it on paper, and you get excited about it,” Bowness said during a recent phone interview. “We know we’re a good hockey club. When we’re healthy, we know we’re a very, very good hockey club. The key is to stay there. That applies to every team in the league. You start losing three, four guys and they’re top guys, the scramble will be on.”
Dallas missed the playoffs this spring after suffering through injuries (Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, Ben Bishop and Roope Hintz all missed significant time), a league-leading 14 overtime losses and the NHL’s most condensed schedule by five days.
Its depth thinned as AHL players were pushed into action, its goaltending was middling and its finishing was subpar given the chances Dallas created.
Now, as the Stars approach training camp, they’ll do so the healthiest they’ve been since before the pandemic.
Seguin (hip and knee surgeries), Hintz (groin surgery), Radulov (core surgery) and Joel Hanley (core surgery) will be ready for camp, Bowness said. The Stars can’t help but recall how injuries derailed each of their past two seasons, including when Dallas limped through the Stanley Cup Final against Tampa Bay in 2020.
“Those things stay with you when you’re that close and you’re missing a lot of your team,” Bowness said. “Those things stay with you. That’s a big part of us, we’re managing our schedule. The rest, the travel, that’s a big part of trying to do everything you can to avoid injuries.
“It’s not going to make sure you don’t get any, but we’re going to do everything we can to make sure our guys are rested and fresh and try to stay away from that injury bug this year.”
The biggest question mark is goaltending.
Bishop has been on the ice in Frisco, but the organization is unsure of when the 34-year-old goaltender will be available, or if he will play again at all. As a result, the Stars will enter camp with three healthy goaltenders competing for the starter and backup roles.
Anton Khudobin and Jake Oettinger split the net last season in Dallas, and the Stars added Braden Holtby, who struggled the last two seasons in Washington and Vancouver. Bowness said the Stars would “let that sort itself out” during the preseason.
“Eight of our first 11 games are on the road,” Bowness said. “The goalie that’s ready to play, he’s going to play. They’ll have to fight that out during training camp. We have confidence in all of them, obviously, but the guy that’s playing the best to start the season, he’s playing.”
The rest of training camp might hold little suspense, as available spots at forward and defenseman are hard to find.
But Bowness and the Stars will have to find the right line combinations, including how often Jamie Benn plays center vs. left wing. Dallas will have to find the perfect partner for the newly acquired Ryan Suter, whether that’s John Klingberg or Miro Heiskanen.
“We’ll get to camp and see how it all shakes out,” Bowness said. “Do I have a plan for it all? Absolutely.”
The first practice of training camp is Sept. 23. The preseason opener is Sept. 27 at St. Louis. The regular-season opener is Oct. 14 at Madison Square Garden vs. the New York Rangers.
