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This is the latest of a series of daily installments on the NHL's new Central Division, culminating in a predicted order of finish blog in a few days.

Out with Loui Eriksson, in with Tyler Seguin, but how much has really changed for the Stars?

To me the Stars (also now sans Brenden Morrow and Jaromir Jagr—and with a new GM in the capable Jim Nill) look like a team that has quietly gone into rebuild mode. And while that is probably a good move for a team that was perennially a bubble contender in the strong Western Conference, Stars fans may need to have a little patience.

Not only was the older Eriksson swapped out for the younger Seguin, but the Stars might have roster room this year for an even younger player with high upside: Russian Valeri Nicushkin.

There are still some veterans who can play on this roster, most notably Jamie Benn and solid acquisitions Shawn Horcoff and Rich Peverley. But Ray Whitney and Sergei Gonchar are getting awfully long in the tooth to offer much in terms of quality minutes.

The Stars could challenge the Wild or the Avalanche for a lower seed playoff berth, but that looks unlikely.

I'll cover the Avalanche tomorrow.

All for now,


JJ

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