By Craig Custance

updated 2:57 p.m. ET Aug. 13, 2008

Les Jackson is prudence to Brett Hull's passion.

He's patience to Hull's panache. And this yin and yang of NHL general managers is working to perfection for the Dallas Stars.

Last week, the Stars introduced summer free-agent addition Sean Avery, and though Hull was elsewhere getting in some final vacation time, his co-G.M. Jackson was charged with running the meet -- and -- greet between Avery and the Dallas media.

Avery's signing was no doubt Hull's idea, even if he wasn't there for the intro. The two were roommates with the Red Wings, and the admiration in Avery's voice was clear when he spoke about Hull.

The admiration of a young hockey fan who in 1992 brought a sign to Maple Leaf Gardens with the message "Hull of a Shot" -- but was too embarrassed to hold it up.

The admiration of the NHL neophyte who, while playing -- and living -- with Hull in Detroit, now admits he probably took on Hull's persona a little too early in his career.

"I don't think I was ready to do that," says Avery, 28, who left the Rangers to come to Dallas.

And while Avery gushed about Hull, there sat Jackson, meeting his biggest summer addition for the first time.

After handing Avery his first Stars sweater, Jackson was handed back Avery's designer coat and observed that "this is the nicest jacket I've ever held." Maybe the most expensive, too.

Even on a day that was about celebrating Avery's signing, the money-cruncher in Jackson couldn't help but reveal his hesitancy to give up big contracts to free agents. Big contracts that buy fancy jackets.

"When you get to July 1 -- terms and dollars, you don't want to go there. But sometimes you go there," Jackson said, tap-dancing around the idea -- while never actually saying -- that Avery's four-year deal for $15.5 million was an overpayment.

That's what makes the Hull-Jackson duo so good. Hull was passionate in his case to sign Avery, especially when a deal couldn't be worked out for the defenseman Jackson preferred.

And Jackson listened. Even if he wasn't crazy about the price tag.

"When you make a trade or draft a player, you want guys to have a passion to bring in that player," Jackson says. "Hully had that passion -- why not do it?" Maybe the Stars don't sign Avery without Hull's nudging. Maybe they don't win a Stanley Cup this season without Avery's well-documented antics.

Avery says he watched the Stars battle the Red Wings in the Western Conference finals and felt like they were one piece away from getting past Detroit. You can guess who Avery thought that piece might be.

"If you throw me in the lineup in that series, it's definitely going to make the difference," he says.

And you believe him.

Jackson looks at the makeup of his roster heading into this season and sees the right mix of grit and skill. Of youth and veterans. Of players hungry to win a Cup and guys who know how to do it.

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The defending champion Detroit Red Wings got better by signing Marian Hossa. The San Jose Sharks are gaining momentum as the experts' choice. And the Chicago Blackhawks seem to have a weekly press conference to announce exciting developments in the Windy City.

But it just might be the Stars of Hull and Jackson who are best poised to make a run in the Western Conference.

In just two years, the team has gotten younger and faster, a necessity in today's game. Goalie Marty Turco looks at recent moves and sees a team better constructed for the playoffs. During this salary cap era of the NHL, a franchise has a distinct window of opportunity to be an elite contender, and Turco thinks these Stars are smack in the middle of it.

"I can't think of a team out there with a bigger window. We've made great strides the last couple years, and the losing is building up that frustration," he says.

Turco senses excitement in Dallas. From fans, all the way up to the front office. He recently chatted with team president Jeff Cogen, who likes the makeup of the team so much he wants the season to start immediately.

There's that kind of anticipation in Dallas this summer, although Turco, who will turn 33 this week, isn't quite ready to drop the puck.

"I need some time to heal still," he says. "But don't worry, it'll be well worth it."

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