Dallas Stars co-general manager Les Jackson answered questions in a live chat on dallasnews.com on Wednesday, March 26.

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mcgoo: What do you think would be considered "success" this season? I think for most fans a series win would be nice, but opening on the road against the Ducks has many worried.

Les Jackson

Les Jackson: There's different levels of success and how you measure your growth. Developmentally, we've brought in three young defensemen and they have all stepped up this year. To me, that's success. But as far as an organization, we have to do everything we can to succeed in the playoffs. Now, only one team wins the Cup, so that doesn't mean 29 teams fail, but I do believe that you have to pursue the Cup with everything you have. That would be success to me – if we give it our best effort and feel we have done everything we can with this group. I agree, our history would make it important that we get out of the first round and get that tag away from us, but what I would like is to simply be ready for the playoffs and play at the highest level we have.

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From e-mail: As a longtime Stars fan, it is with equal parts maddening frustration and sadness that I have watched this team unravel in the last three weeks. What can you do as GM to get this team playing better?

Karen

Les Jackson: You encourage the guys that this is all part of the business. First of all, the players can put pressure on themselves to perform better (they want to clean it up as quick as they can). Then, the coaches are going to put pressure on. From a management standpoint, Hullie (co-GM Brett Hull) and I have our own approaches. My approach is that we've been through this before and I'll encourage the guys to keep pushing. So, to me, this is just like the playofffs. If you have a little adversity, you have to keep pushing and work through it. Every team has been through it this year. Detroit has been through it, Ottawa has been through it. This is just our turn.

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From e-mail: Do you think the recent downswing of the Stars can partly be attributed to the team playing so little in March?

Karl

Les Jackson: That's a big part of it, because this is the first time this season where we've had such a long stretch of time between games. All season, we've been working and traveling and playing. We thought March might be good, but in reality, it's worked against us. When things go sour, it gives guys a lot of time to think about things, and I think that's worked against us. I think the best way to get out of this situation is to play games – and it's probably good that we're playing them on the road. It's a chance to get together and bond and bring the team together. It gets everybody on board.

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JUNIOR: How is our team looking? I have noticed the losing slumps end with a great stretch of wins. It would be a great time to go into the playoffs with a stretch of wins. Thoughts?

Les Jackson: Wins are what it's all about and that's what we're working for. But, I think losses can actually allow you to focus on the things you need. I think this losing streak has allowed us to focus on the things we need work on. We know if we don't pulll together and work as a group, then we will struggle. We're hoping that we'll be focused and we'll be able to take advantage of things we've learned.

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PhillyFilly: I'm not as panicked as some seem to be (although I am concerned), but with the late addition of a player like Brad Richards, is it smart to change the lines every five minutes? There's no time for anyone to gain any continuity.

Les Jackson: I think first of all, that the history of deals at the trade deadline, there's not often an immediate impact. When we made the deal, we were looking long term. This is not a quick fix. There is an adjustment period you have to allow. But, as far as the lines go, I think when you're struggling, you are looking for answers and looking for something to click. I think what the coaches are looking for is getting two guys to click and keeping those two guys together. I think you'll see more often than not that we have two guys who play well together and those two guys will stay together. Then, you'll see coaches work with that third guy. The coach has to be able to have the flexibility to use guys in the way they think can help the team and the way they think will help win a game. Plus, as you look at the game today, your best players get the chance to work together on special teams, so there are plenty of opportunities for players to get the chance to help the team and build chemistry.

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Khodayar: When are Boucher and Zubov expected to return? And how many games are they expected to play before the playoffs begin?

Les Jackson: Boucher could be a player Thursday, and as far as games played, that will be a tight call. I think both of them have missed a lot of games, and we have to have patience with them. At the same time, we don't have time for a lot of patience. I think it really will be reading things day to day. We have to do what's best for the players and make sure they are healthy and ready to play.

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Mighty Duck: Can you talk about the problems a potential first-round matchup with Anaheim poses for the Stars?

Les Jackson: When you get in the playoffs, the task is to win. We've had fairly good success against them, so that is a positive. Their defense is big and we'd have to fight to get to the net. We'll need good games from our goaltending and play tight to the vest. I think we match up well against them. I think we would have our hands full with them, but I think at the same time, they would have their hands full with us as well.

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eblock: Are there any parallels that you can draw between your time as assistant GM in Atlanta and as co-GM here in Dallas? Are the challenges the same/different? And do you and Hullie work well as a partnership?

Les Jackson: When I was in Atlanta, the team was already put together and the scouting group was all in place. That was good for me to get away and see how other teams function. That allowed me to reflect on how a team is built and what my ideas would be. Here, I'm very familiar with the organization and I know what works here and what doesn't work here. I have a lot of ideas of what I want to do, but it doesn't happen overnight. I think you have to work every day and tweak and move pieces in place that you think need to be moved, but it takes time and it takes patience. Working with Brett, it's a different concept of I've been involved in. We have our days where we have our challenges, but I think we both like to get a lot of input and then make a decision together. We both have opinions, but what we want is what's best for the organization. That's our thinking right now – to do what is best for the organization, long term and short term.

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RDale: Does the team still retain the services of a goalie coach?

Les Jackson: Andy Moog still helps out, so yes.

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Cyndi: We have had a really bad tendency to let in late goals throughout the year. Is this a lack of concentration, complacency, pressure? How do you think we can correct this?

Les Jackson: The guys just have to stay more in tune to close the game out. The game has changed, and it's tougher than it used to be to close out games. The officials are clalling penalties more at the end of games and I think that affects players. I think they try to play more cautious, and that's not really the attitude your want. I do think, for us, recent games have provided some tough situations, and we need to do a better job adjusting to them. I think one thing that would help is taking advantage of good play and stretching our leads earlier in the game, but in the real world, you have to be able to protect a one-goal lead, and that's something we just have to be better at.

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From e-mail: James Neal has been playing really well in Iowa since returning from injury. Will he get a chance with the Stars before the end of the season? I would be interested to see what he can do at the NHL level.

James

Les Jackson: Yes, when Iowa's season is done, there will be a few players who come to Dallas, and he is on our radar. If he finishes the season strong, he has a chance to be in that group.

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Rob Stroope: Long-time hockey fan here. I was curious ... was there ever an instance in which the Stars considered trading Marty Turco instead of Mike Smith?

Les Jackson: No. You always analyze your entire roster, and every player is talked about in some form or another. But Marty is a big part of our team and at the end of the day, we have never really seriously considered moving him.

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eblock: In Razor's most recent blog entry at dallasstars.com, he recommends getting rid of icing all together in light of what happened to Minnesota's Kurtis Foster. Do you agree?

Les Jackson: I think it's a good concept – you'd have to take the trapezoid away. You'd have to get it on the agenda, but I think the league would be very open-minded. Then, you'd probably try it at the AHL level. But I think Razor is a pretty sharp guy, and I like his idea on this rule.

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Ran: Is Johan Holmqvist going to get a start again before the playoffs and if not, are you comfortable with him as your playoff backup considering how long it's been since he's played?

Les Jackson: That's a coaching and competitive issue, and I'm sure the coaches will be comfortable with him before the playoffs start.

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Bud: If we placed you and Hullie in Thunderdome, who would prevail?

Les Jackson: Do you think Hullie can find that place?

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chris b.: In the off-season, how do you decide whether or not you would like to make a splash in the free-agency market?

Les Jackson: I don't think we can make a splash, because we don't have the money available. My guess is we would make whatever adjustments we can either internally or through players trades. We would be open to using free agency for smaller moves, but that would be it.

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TIM: With the Brad Richards contract, how are the Stars positioned against the probable cap for the next two years?

Les Jackson: Provided the cap is near $54 million, we'll be OK. We're close to $50 million with what we would imagine our 23 players would be.

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chris b.: As a GM, how close do you get to your players? I've often wondered how if you had a friendly relationship with them, that it may affect separating friendships from business.

Les Jackson: There's always a fine line. You have to have a presence – especially when things are going tough. You have to show support, but you also have to allow a gap. The locker room is their home. Even as a manager, you have to respect that and allow space. I'm here when I'm needed, but I don't try to meddle.

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Les Jackson: Thanks so much for all the questions.