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A lot of readers voiced their concern this week that the Brad Richards deal has killed the chemistry of a once successful team.

And it's a good point.

Whether it is the challenge of fitting Richards into the lineup or the fact that several people lost good friends in Mike Smith, Jussi Jokinen or Jeff Halpern, the Stars seem to be fighting to get this thing to gel.

In talking to the Stars' power brokers, they believe it can be fixed in time for the playoffs. There is a run of six games in 11 days to end the season, and the coaches believe that will snap the team to attention – as will big games against Anaheim and San Jose.

Just as important, they say, is the fact that the Richards deal was done not only for this season, but for several seasons going forward. Richards, 27, and Mike Ribeiro, 28, should form a solid 1-2 center punch for years to come. That means Dallas will be ready whenever Mike Modano decides to retire. When you consider that the Stars were prepared to start last season with Jokinen as their No. 2 center, that is a significant upgrade.

Now, the big question is whether fans will be patient enough to believe in that strategy. Co-GMs Brett Hull and Les Jackson see this as a fresh start – as the beginning of their era – but the three first-round playoff exits have fans hungry for immediate results. It will be an interesting collision of perceptions if the Stars lose again in the first round.

Insiders say the Stars will work out their chemistry issues and be ready for a strong run, but the concerns of the fans are merited. There really is no predicting how this group will come together, if at all.

It will be interesting to see how things shake out.

Q: I was reading the Stars media guide, and I noticed Brenden Morrow used to wear No. 45. When did he change to No. 10, and why did he change?

Trae in Allen, Texas

HEIKA: Morrow's is one of the more interesting number stories. He was assigned No. 45 as a rookie and took it, as most rookies will. "I was just glad to have any number," he said. But after a while, Morrow said that Brett Hull stepped in and told the equipment manager that 45 would simply not do – that it wasn't a forward's number. Morrow wore No. 29 in Portland in junior hockey and his favorite number growing up was No. 19. Grant Marshall was wearing No. 29, and No. 19 was retired for Bill Masterton, so Morrow and Jon Sim were given the choices between No. 14 and No. 10, which had each come open when Dave Reid and Brian Skrudland were not re-signed. Sim picked No. 14, and that left Morrow with No. 10.

Now it's difficult to imagine Morrow having any other number.

Q: It is the last 60-90 seconds of a game, the Stars need one goal to tie. The goalie hurries to the bench, another attacker comes on, and about 40-50 seconds later the other team scores an empty net goal and the goalie comes back out (after there is no chance to tie).Is there some recent history (or statistic) in professional hockey that makes the "empty net" strategy useful? It just seems to me that today's players are just too fast to make this strategy practical anymore.

Dwaine H in Plano

HEIKA: Well, I guess the question a coach would ask you is: Does it matter if you lose by one goal or two goals? If it doesn't, then the strategy seems worth it even if it only works one time out of 100.

Now, if you believe the team can get even more scoring chances by keeping their goalie in and playing straight up, then I see the logic in that argument. For example, if an empty net goal is scored 30 seconds after you pull your goalie and you still have 40 more seconds left in the game, then the empty net strategy didn't work very well in using the full opportunity to score.

But if you reference anecdotal history, I would say there have been plenty of goals scored for a team that has its goalie pulled. So, for those teams, it's worth the risk.

Q: I watched a hockey film called "The Rocket," about Maurice Richard recently. It would do the Stars players good to watch it. I had no idea what Richard went through to become one of the greatest players in history. My point: He could not stand to lose – and for a lot less money than today's players are getting. Stars coach Dave Tippett should demand no less from his players! We have the players, we need a coach that will expect nothing less than perfection.

H R in Arkansas

HEIKA: As much as it would be nice to think coaches can coach the same way they did back then, players unions and no-trade clauses and long-term contracts make that difficult.

The Stars fired Ken Hitchcock because they believed the players stopped listening to his routine. Other NHL teams have done the same thing, switching back and forth between a hard-nosed coach and a players' coach.

One of the great talents of the best coaches in the league is to get the best out of players who aren't always 100 percent motivated. It's a lot tougher nowadays than it used to be.

Q: The stars traded away some good players for Brad Richards. Other than the first game, I haven't seen a big impact by the new "stud" player. Has he gotten lost in all of the defense, or don't the stars know how to utilize him to their best advantage? It seems like the stars have a history of taking scorers and sucking the goal-scoring life out of them – or is it just my imagination?

Stephan

HEIKA: I agree that the Stars in the past have done a great job of cutting about 20 points off of a scorer's normal totals, but if Richards can simply hit at 80 percent of his career scoring pace, he will help the Stars immensely. Even more important, if he can score in the playoffs the way he normally has, he will be worth everything the Stars surrendered to get him.

And, surprisingly, this team has scored more than teams in the past – and the coaches have done a good job of accelerating scoring totals for players such as Mike Ribeiro and Niklas Hagman, so maybe the trend is turning. Richards can not be seen as a playoff savior, but he can be seen as a valuable additional – just the way Joe Nieuwendyk was a valuable addition back in the '90s.

Q: How far do you think the Stars will advance in the playoffs?

Thanks, Correnda Cantrell

HEIKA: It's the million-dollar question, Correnda. A lot will depend on the match-up, but I definitely think the Stars have their hands full. They have to get their veteran D-men healthy, or they have to quickly teach their young D-men to handle the high-pressure game that is the playoffs. Either way, that's a tall task. Quite honestly, this team could win the Stanley Cup or lose in the first round. That's how good they can be, and that's how balanced the league is.

Q: I've been wanting to ask you your thoughts about Mike Ribeiro's lack of production since signing his big contract. Is it merely because the opposition has been paying more attention to him? Can he be injured? I only ask because, to me, it seems as if he is not jetting around as much as he used to, and he seems to be using less creative playmaking. I can only say my review of his play lately seems – lethargic. The team needs him to be more productive.

Jim Panenka

HEIKA: I think Ribeiro is a victim of teams scouting him and knowing what he does. If you watch opposing teams now, when he is behind the net, they stand next to the net and block his passing ***s into the slot. Detroit started it a month back, and now everyone is copying.

Ribeiro is going to have to work hard to find new ways to create scoring opportunities, and he seems to embrace that challenge. I was impressed with him a week back when he played with Hagman and Miettinen and only drew 12 minutes of ice time in one game. I thought he did a good job of creating at least two golden scoring chances that his wingers could not convert. The test for Ribeiro will be whether he can create with Morrow in the playoffs. The Stars need it, and his performance will play a big role in whether they succeed.

Q: Over the years, I have noticed that the coaches for the Stars are always tinkering with different line configurations throughout the regular season. I can understand this strategy lately with the addition of Richards to the team, or if the coach sees that a line isn't working, but why has this been the norm since the Hitchcock days? Do other coaches around the league do the same? It just seems to me that the constant changing of the guard doesn't allow the lines to develop chemistry and hinders more than helps.

CSR

HEIKA: It's somewhat maddening, but it is the norm in the NHL. Coaches want to have an immediate impact on the team, and the easiest way to do that is change lines. They believe that by jockeying players, they can either tweak the performances of certain players or they can find chemistry that can be used later in the playoffs

Plus, when you mix in the injury factor, very few lines stick together for a full season.

Rest assured, though, it's not just Stars coaches. Former coaching great Scotty Bowman was one of the biggest line jugglers of all-time.

Q: I am going to preface all this by saying I think Mike Modano has been a great player and Star over his career, but when are they going to move him off center and put him on wing? At this point in his career, he is an awful checking center, contrary to what the media and coaching staff say. He is a team-worst minus-15 (excluding Richards, who just got here) and seems to turn the puck over often. It seems like they are worried about hurting Modano's ego since taking the "C" away. Why not put him in a sniper's role on wing, allowing him to concentrate mostly on offense like Hull used to do?

Wayland

HEIKA: I don't think Modano's concern as a checking-line center is his ability so much as it is his intensity.

When he embraces the role, he's very good at it. His "minus" was accumulated earlier in the season when he was going after the USA scoring record and not concentrating near enough on defense. He was minus-10 on Nov. 30. Since then, he has been much better in that role.

Consider that 22 of his 43 points this season have come on the power play and that he has been out against the opposition's best players for much of the past three and a half months, and a minus-6 in that span is really not that bad.

But you have a point about his inconsistency. Does Modano want to be the checking-line center? Probably not. Would he thrive if you gave him a chance to be a scoring winger? I think he would better embrace that role.

The problem is, Dave Tippett is trying to do what's best for the team and not what's best for Modano. If Modano embraces that the checking-line center position, there is a chance that strategy works out once the Stars get to the playoffs.

Q: I'm no hockey expert, but it seems that whenever Mike Modano gets the puck, unless there's just an abundance of open ice, his immediate thought is to pass the puck – not just pass first, but pass immediately. It gets frustrating because it seems like he could create so many more chances if he held onto the puck just a bit longer and drew the defense towards him before dishing off the puck. Is he not a good enough puck handler to do that? Is he not a good enough passer? Is he afraid of the resulting check if he held on longer? Any thoughts?

Brian

HEIKA: I'm not sure that he's passing quicker, but I have noticed that his passes have been a lot harder in recent weeks. I'm not sure what the thinking is, other than that he's trying very hard to create offense and move the puck up ice. I think, like everyone else, he's trying to discover where he fits in a team that just added Brad Richards. As much as he is the team's checking line center, Modano would definitely like to play an offensive role. He has been playing with wingers who do not have a history of scoring, and I think he's challenging them to pick up the pace – and that could be the reason for the quick, hard passes.

My guess is that as he gets comfortable with some of his new linemates, he'll be able to relax a little more, carry the puck a little more and have more touch on his passes.

Q: During a game a couple of weeks ago, Marty Turco's net was knocked out of place during play. The Stars had puck possession and skated into the opponent's zone. The referees did not blow the whistle until the opponent touched the puck, a good 15 seconds after the net was moved.

Question one: Could Turco have skated to the bench to add another attacker?

Question two: Once the Stars set up in the opponent's zone, if one of the forwards passed the puck back to the point, but the point man missed the pass and the puck went all the way back into where the net should have been, shouldn't that be called a goal?

It just seems that the refs should blow the whistle as soon as the net is dislodged.

Greg Coon

HEIKA: On your first question, yes, he can skate to the bench. Turco learned his lesson from that incident, and when the same thing happened last week against Vancouver, Turco did skate to the bench to get an extra skater on.

On your second question, Rule 57A says a goal can be scored only "with the goal frame in its proper position," so my guess is that would not be a goal.

With all delayed situations, the league tries to give a team that has gained an advantage the chance to finish the play.

Q: Hopefully, you can answer another question that's been nagging at me a bit. There's always talk about how Daryl Reaugh would be a good commissioner. Is this something that he has actually shown any interest in? I have heard many talking-heads on this topic in the past – and Razor himself has alluded to it, somewhat in jest – and I wonder how likely this would be.

Thanks, Polo

HEIKA: As much as I believe it would be a great idea, there's pretty much no chance the NHL plucks its next commissioner from the broadcast booth.

The commissioner should be a person who has the best interest of the game at heart, but, in reality, he is the hired business leader of the owners whose job it is to manage the league and make money. As such, they will hire a businessman with a legal background when Gary Bettman retires.

What I do believe Daryl Reaugh could do is lead the television and broadcasting arm of the NHL. If the league is serious about promoting its sport on television and taking full advantage of all the technological improvements that are at its disposal, I think Daryl would be an excellent choice.

I'm sure there are other bright minds out there with similar great ideas, but having been around Daryl for a decade, I do believe the NHL should try to tap into his somewhat strange but beautiful mind.

Q: Do you see Dallas taking a chance on any of the following young players like Konstantin Pushkarev, James Neal or Perttu Lindgren being brought up before the end of the year and or for the playoff run? Pushkarev and Neal have played very well lately. Go Stars,

Dan

HEIKA: I definitely think the Stars will bring some players up, but I'm not sure they will play them in the playoffs. The kids would simply come up for the experience of being around the team.

Iowa's season ends April 13, so they still have to have players there. The Stars start the playoffs April 9. Dallas could bring some players up early, since it appears Iowa will not make the playoffs. That would definitely be a feather in the cap of a young player if he is selected to join the Stars, even if it is only for the sake of experience.

Q: Through 3/17, there were a total of 115 points awarded for OT losses in the Western Conference and even more points in the Eastern Conference. Whatever happened to a loss is a loss standard? (sigh)

Charlie

HEIKA: I originally thought the loser point would make the games more fun and allow coaches to coach competitively and take chances, knowing they were going to get a point for a tie at the end of regulation. But, in practice, they coach conservatively to try to maintain a tie score. If the rules were changed to two points or no points (decided in the shootout if need be), I think you would see some real coaching.

Imagine if you had to trust the game – and all of your points – to a shootout. My guess is a lot of coaches would be pushing hard for a win in the third period.