Glen Gulutzan blasts last year's Dallas Stars coaching staff

The Dallas Stars are heading into a new season with a familiar challenge: balancing speed and skill with the kind of toughness needed to survive playoff hockey.

New head coach Glen Gulutzan made it clear that while he won't change the team's identity, he expects every player to bring just a bit more edge. After back-to-back playoff exits to the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas knows it must find that missing ingredient to finally push through.

Why Glen Gulutzan wants every Dallas Stars skater to add just a little more bite

Gulutzan explained that he isn't asking his roster to become reckless, only smarter and harder to play against.

"That one percent upgrade is from every guy to be a little more in people's ear, a little more physical, finishing more checks. You do that with 18 skaters, that's your getting an 18-degree pop,"

The new coach stressed that the goal isn't to turn Dallas into a bruising squad.

"Now that doesn't mean we're gonna be running around body checking and Tom Wilson-ing and being that kind of physical, but we do need to be more physical on guys and in puck battles. And that creates camaraderie."

That message hits on one of the team's biggest weaknesses last season. According to league data, the Stars finished dead last in team hits despite ranking among the most-hit teams themselves. See the full NHL hits report here.

Personally, I think this is the right adjustment. It's not about abandoning Dallas's fast, skilled game but about layering in a tougher mentality that pays off when every playoff battle gets tighter. Even a small uptick in physical play could be the edge this team needs to turn regular-season success into a Stanley Cup Final appearance.