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The Dallas Stars made just as big a splash at the trade deadline as the Pittsburgh Penguins. A lot of commotion was made when the Stars acquired center Brad Richards. A former Conn Smythe winner, Richards provides clutch performance in big games. He represents the final piece of the puzzle that the front office had been building for years. Richards joins a cast of talented individuals from rookies to grizzled veterans.

The Dallas Stars made a loud and clear announcement by crushing the defending Stanley Cup champions in five games. There will be no stopping the Stars on their quest to the finals this year. Dallas is the best team in the Western Conference and will put all doubts to rest with a win in round 2 against the mighty San Jose Sharks. Led by great goaltending in Marty Turco, these Stars are a deep and talented team with potential to reach the finals.

The heart and soul of the team is Mike Modano who is through and through a Dallas Star. Originally drafted with the first overall pick in 1988 by the Minnesota North Stars, he is a certain Hall of Famer that the fans adore. The defense is solid and lead by Stephane Robidas and Mattias Norstrom. The offense features several long-time Stars including Jere Lehtinen and Brenden Morrow. Goaltending is not an issue due to Marty Turco's consistent and reliable play.

The great Anaheim Ducks, with all their glitz, glamour, and drama (should I retire or shouldn't I) were outmatched from the start of the series. Shaky goaltending and an anemic offense spelled doom for the ill prepared Ducks. Instead of focusing on what went wrong with the Ducks, it's more important to realize that the Stars time has come. Dallas is the team to beat in the west.

The Ducks were lucky to win one game. Dallas has the complete team and can accomplish a series win, which is what the playoffs are all about. San Jose is a great regular season team but simply does not have the depth to play a competitive series against a contender. The Stars will be challenged in Round 2 but will win in six games

Dallas's march to the finals will cast aside any doubt as to whether they are contenders or pretenders. Unfortunately for the Stars, the Penguins have even more depth to go with the explosive firepower on all four lines. What's in store for the Dallas Stars during the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs? A great run to the cup similar to the Minnesota North Stars brilliant run in the 1990-91 season where they were upended by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Learn more about this author, Erik M. Dell.
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