Coyotes upcoming Central Division rivals: Stars

We are doing two weeks of showcasing rivals, and instead of looking at existing division rivals, we are going to look a few seasons into the future as the Arizona Coyotes prepare to join the Central Division. Today we look at the Dallas Stars.

Reason for the rivalry: Desert battle.

The Arizona Coyotes weren’t the first team to move to the desert, the Minnesota North Stars relocated to Dallas in 1993. Dallas isn’t as close as Vegas, but the two cities are fairly close, making Dallas a good choice for a regional rival. Dallas is also a pretty fun city, so might be worth a road trip, especially if you don’t get much from gambling and don’t like Las Vegas.

Reason against the rivalry: Minimal shared history.

This is a pretty common theme with the Central Division, but the Coyotes don’t have much history or animosity with the Dallas Stars. If you are really looking Corey Perry and Joe Pavelski are currently with the Stars, although Perry’s contract is up after this season.

Reason for the rivalry: Similar teams.

While the Colorado Avalanche rivalry may work because the teams are so dissimilar, the Stars rivalry may work because the teams are so much alike. This past season the Stars had one player who finished with over twenty goals, just like the Coyotes this past season. Their top point scorer was Tyler Seguin who finished with 50 points, while the Coyotes was Nick Schmaltz who finished with 45 points. And similar to the Coyotes, the Stars have a great tandem in net of Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin.

X-Factor: Competing for the same spot.

If the Coyotes continue competing as a bubble/Wild Card team they are likely going to be competing against the Stars for a spot. The Stars finished above the Coyotes this past season, but the difference isn’t too much more.