Former Vegas Golden Knights Head Coach Pete DeBoer and former winger Evgenii Dadonov await the winner of Game 7 between the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
The Dallas Stars have beat the Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche to advance to the Western Conference Finals and after the Oilers beat the Canucks in Game 6, they'll have to wait for another game to know who they'll take on.
A huge reason why the Stars are in the position they are in right now is because of their head coach.
DeBoer was the head coach of the Golden Knights for a little less than two and a half seasons. He was hired during the 2019-20 season after he was fired by the San Jose Sharks. He then went on to coach the Golden Knights until the end of the 2021-22 season.
With the Golden Knights, DeBoer had a record of 98-50-12 in 160 games. He led the Golden Knights to the conference finals in back-to-back years and has now done the same thing with the Stars.
He's never quite been able to get his team over the hump as he lost in the Stanley Cup Finals twice in his career, once with the New Jersey Devils and once with the Sharks. He's lost four times in the Conference Finals but is hoping that this season with the Stars is different.
Dadonov is also hoping this season is different as well. The 35-year-old played one season with the Golden Knights in the 2021-22 season and scored 20 goals and 43 points.
The Golden Knights failed to make the playoffs that season but he still had a productive year. Dadonov was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Stars the next season where he has been a perfect addition.
In the playoffs, the veteran has registered three goals and six points in 13 games. All his production comes at 5v5 which is vital for the Stars.
Whether it's the Canucks or the Oilers who win Game 7, the Stars will be the heavy favourites. They have advantages on defence, in goal and they have more depth with their forward group. The Stars have a great blend of youth and veterans and DeBoer deserves his respect for how he's maximized the team's potential.
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