Will Cole Have a Bounceback Season in 2013-14
When 34-year-old veteran winger Erik Cole first came over to the Dallas Stars last season in the trade that sent 33-year-old veteran Michael Ryder back to the Montreal Canadiens, the hope was that Cole would provide a better all-around game and comparable offensive production to Ryder.
The previous year, a resurgent Ryder had a 35-goal season with Dallas, flanking Mike Ribeiro. Likewise, Cole had a 35-goal year in Montreal in 2011-12. Unfortunately for the Stars, the early returns on Cole were a little disappointing, at least in the offensive zone.
In 28 games with Dallas, Cole produced six goals and one assist to Ryder's 10 goals and 21 points in 27 games with Montreal. Looking a little deeper inside the numbers, Cole played a more defensive-oriented role in Dallas, starting just 41.2 percent of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone and ranking fourth among Stars forwards in difficulty of opposition. As was the case in Dallas, Ryder had the advantage of a lot of offensive-zone starts (56.5 percent) at even strength while also playing against a somewhat -- but not dramatically -- lower grade of opposition.
Offensively, Cole had two long dry spells in Dallas. After scoring a goal in his Stars debut, Cole had just one point (a first-period goal in 4-3 home win over Calgary) to show for his next 10 games. Down the stretch, Cole had just two points (one goal, one assist) in the final dozen games of the season. He logged heavy ice time and played a lot of tough minutes -- playing 19-plus minutes in six of the final 12 games -- but a little more offensive production would have been nice, too.
If the Stars are to have the offensive depth to compete for a playoff spot in 2013-14, they will need players like to Cole to supplement the production of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and ageless Ray Whitney. Speaking yesterday to The Ticket's Bruce LeVine, Cole predicted that he will have a bounceback offensive year, with a 30-goal output being realistic.
If so, that would go a long way toward diversifying the Stars' attack in the upcoming season. Even if Cole doesn't hit the 30-goal mark, if he produces about 25 goals, stays healthy and continues to handle tough minutes, it will be a successful season for him.
Cole's contract runs through the 2014-15 season, and carries a $4.5 million cap hit. He will be a 36-year-old unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2015. A bounceback year this season will go a long way toward helping him prolong his NHL career beyond his current deal. Although Cole's contract has a no-trade clause (at least it did when signed with Montreal, as the NTC may no longer apply), he could be a deadline trade candidate in the final year of the current deal.
**********
KINDLE USERS: Please subscribe to Stars Buzz; a one-stop feed for all things Dallas Stars-related at HockeyBuzz. Content is automatically updated whenever a new blog is published. For more information,
click here.
Dallas Stars Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»