By: Chris Nosek

Everyone remembers how last season ended. The surprise pulling of goaltender Jake Oettinger by now former Head Coach Pete DeBoer. DeBoer made a really tough call in a key situation and it turned out to be the correct one. Oettinger was not on his game that night. Changing goaltenders woke up the rest of the team. Despite losing, it was the correct call to make. This season they continue their push for a Stanley Cup.

Biggest Departure: Pete DeBoer, fired

Normally a coach wouldn’t make this list. However, the success DeBoer has had puts him in a different category. He’s never won the Stanley Cup. However, he’s been to the Western Conference Finals in six of the past seven seasons. He’s accomplished this feat with three different teams, and has not lost in a deciding game 7. Coaches are paid to make the toughest calls to try to help their team win. He made a tough call when he went from Marc-Andre Fluery to Robin Lehner. He repeated the tough decision when he pulled Jake Oettinger. We can look at the decisions he’s made along the way in detail later. The organization has had significant successes over the past few seasons under DeBoer. A Stanley Cup victory is the only thing that would make this the correct decision.

*Mikael Granlund, signed with Anaheim as Free Agent

As a player, Granlund presents the largest lost on the ice. At 33 years old, he is still performing well. He put up 21 points over his 31 games in Dallas during the regular season. He played in all 18 post season games. He tied with Wyatt Johnston for fourth on the team with 10 points. Granlund is able to move up and down the lineup as needed. He is also able to play the wing or center positions at high levels. His versatility and scoring will be missed in the Dallas lineup.

Biggest Acquisition: Mikko Rantanen, acquired via trade from Carolina Hurricanes

This one is pretty obvious. Despite a rocky season overall, Rantanen still posted over a point per game. During his 20 games in Dallas he scored 13 goals and posted 18 assists. Rantanen should be more relaxed without moving from Colorado to Carolina before arriving in Dallas. He should be prepared for his first full season in Dallas. Former top players in Dallas include Tyler Seguin, Matt Duchene, and Jamie Benn. They are now 33, 34, and 35 years old respectively. Having Rantanten next to Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson on the top line will provide an extremely potent offensive punch.

Best Contract: Thomas Harley, signed as restricted free agent on September 17, 2024

Harley is entering the final season of his 2-year extension signed back in 2024. He proved last season that he is on his way to being a top-pairing defenseman. When Miro Heiskanen went down with a knee injury, it was Harley who stepped up. Even upon the return of Heiskanen in the playoffs, Harley led the team averaging 25:58 of ice time per night. He also posted 14 points over the teams 18 playoff games. He led their top powerplay unit, and finished tied with Jaccob Slavin for 7th in Norris voting. Harley is one of the top young defensemen in the league. He is due for a big raise when the season is over. However, he will still be a restricted free agent. The team will have a lot of leverage in the negotiation, unless Harley is willing to sit out the season. At the end of the day, this means his next cap hit will still be a reasonable number.

Worst Contract: Jason Robertson, signed as restricted free agent on October 5, 2022

This designation has nothing to do with his production. Over the past four seasons he has posted 79, 109, 80, and 80 points. He’s played all 82 games each of the past three seasons and has 40 points over 40 post season games. He, like Harley, is due for a new one at the end of this season. This is the situation that earns him this designation. Carrying a $7.75 million hit to the salary cap, he has the sixth highest on the team. Ahead of him are Mikko Rantanen, Tyler Seguin, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, and Miro Heiskanen. Of that list, only Robertson is due for a new contract, however he will be a restricted free agent. His qualifying offer will be $9.3 million for next season. Signing him to a $9.3 million cap hit would limit Jim Nill to only $18.6 million in cap space for next season. He would also need to re-sign Mavrik Bourque, Thomas Harley, Nils Lundkvist, and Jamie Benn. This also doesn’t account for Jamie Benn, Lian Bichsel, or any other rookie earning a performance bonus. Currently, the Stars have only $405k in cap space for this season. If any performance bonuses carry over to the 2026-27 season, the cap space Nill will have is further limited.

Notes:

The Dallas Stars are all in to try to win a championship this season. Losing Logan Stankoven is certainly a loss for them. However, acquiring Mikko Rantanen will significantly enhance their offense. How Jim Nill addresses the weaknesses of the team this season will be something to watch. They have plenty of young talent they can trade. However, any player they bring in will require they pull another player off their NHL roster. They should be able to put themselves in contention for a Stanley Cup again this season. However, we will see how they are with a new head coach.