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The Stars fell short of repeating as Stanley Cup champs, but a finals appearance and 102-point season are nothing to scoff at. The real question is whether the glory days are over in Dallas. ESPN.com takes a Closer Look at the Stars and what they need to get better next season in 2000-01.

Season Review: West winners

	Modano

Four teams in the Pacific Division made the postseason, and Dallas won what was generally considered the league's deepest division. The Stars developed a style to their dominance: If there was a catch phrase for it, "just enough to win, baby" would be it. Coach Ken Hitchcock's boys scored fewer goals than every team in the Pacific, but allowed 30 fewer than any of their division rivals. One- and two-goal victories were the norm.

Mike Modano overcame a scary early-season injury on a hit by Anaheim's Ruslan Salei to have another superb year. Ever wonder how many he'd score if he played on another team? Modano notched 38 goals and 81 points in 76 games. Brett Hull produced consistently, especially early on, but his minus-21 wasn't good considering the team was a plus-27 in goal differential. Hull has never been a great two-way player, but the previous season, he was plus-19. Do the math; that's a 40-goal swing.

In net, Ed Belfour might have been even better than during the '98-99 Cup-winning season. When the Stars struggled, Belfour kept them in games. He had fewer wins and a higher GAA than the previous two seasons, but his .919 save percentage was a career best. He faced about 200 more shots than either of the two previous years; and it was evident the defense in front of him was not as strong, despite some late-season acquisitions.

In the playoffs, Dallas once again outlasted a deep and inspired Colorado team. But in the end, the Devils were too good -- and the Stars too old. It was one of the better finals in recent years, but the best team won.

The Open Market: back to the original roster
Gone are last season's playoff-run acquisitions of Dave Manson, Scott Thornton and Sylvain Cote. Blake Sloan is the only key player unsigned, but he filed for arbitration -- he wants a one-way contract -- so he'll be in camp. Basically, that means that the Stars are hoping young players like Brad Lukowich, Richard Jackman, Sami Helenius and Sloan fill the vacancies competently.

	FREE AGENCY
	Key unsigned free agents: None Signings/offseason acquisitions: Ted Dontato, Mike Bales, Sami Helenius, Eric Houde, Jamie Langenbrunner, Jere Lehtinen, David Ling, Brad Lukowich, Rick Tabaracci, Jeff Tory, Marty Turco, Shaun Van Allen, Chris Wells, Jamie Wright.

Dallas signed free agent Ted Donato, but he can hardly be considered a major acquisition. The plan might be to play with the current roster, and then make another big splash at the trade deadline. Remember, Dallas infused a decent amount of youth at the beginning of '99-00, so youngsters like Brenden Morrow (14-19-33) should be even better.

Claude Lemieux is still available, but it doesn't seem wise for the Stars to give him the long-term deal he's looking for. Three years? Maybe. But to give the 35-year-old anything longer could be a risk, although Lemieux always will be popular as trade bait come springtime.

How to improve: Youth must shine
Standing pat in the West doesn't bode well for a Dallas' return to the finals. Having Jere Lehtinen for the full season will be a huge plus, but perhaps, not enough for this team to run over teams like Colorado, St. Louis and Detroit. Guy Carbonneau, who retired after the season, will be missed for both his leadership and big-game experience.

But the Stars remain a great team. The best chance for Dallas to return to Cup glory is if the young guys break out in a big way. Morrow is the most poised to become a 20-plus goal scorer, and Jamie Langenbrunner realistically could net 25 or more. The Stars need production from those guys because there will be more youth on the blue line. But who knows how long Belfour can excel the way he has in recent years?

Brian A. Shactman is the NHL editor for ESPN.com.