Although Oettinger and the Stars were able to maintain that success early on in the postseason against the Colorado Avalanche, who they eliminated in seven games in the first round, and the Jets, the bottom fell out in the Western Conference Final. Following a 6-3 win in Game 1, the Stars were outscored by the Oilers 19-5 in the next four games, including the 6-3 loss in Game 5, when Oettinger was pulled for Casey DeSmith just 7:09 into the game after allowing two goals on two shots.

After that loss, Oettinger was the subject of criticism by then-coach Pete DeBoer.

“You get to the same spot three years in a row and you hope that you can do it and then get over the hump,” Oettinger said. “When you put that much into it and you have nothing to show for it, it’s extremely disappointing.”

The Stars fired DeBoer on June 6. Glen Gulutzan was hired to replace him on July 1.

“You never want to see anyone lose their job, and with how good we’ve been the last three years, it’s tough,” Oettinger said. “But the reality is that’s part of the job and every coach gets fired. I’ve got best friends getting traded left and right. It’s just kind of how the job goes.”

And yet, the Stars will have another chance to get over the hump with a roster that has remained mostly intact.

To start with, they will have their first full season of Mikko Rantanen, who led Dallas in points (22) in the postseason after coming over in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7. Forwards Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene, as well as defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell are also signed long term, and although forward Jason Robertson and defenseman Thomas Harley are each in the final season of his contract, they are set to become restricted instead of unrestricted free agents.

“We just have to make sure we’re pushing this thing one degree,” Gulutzan said on July 2.

That one degree could be the difference in winning the second Stanley Cup championship in Dallas/Minnesota North Stars history (1999).

“It’s a group thing, just coming together at the right time,” Oettinger said. “We’ve put it together for different stretches of the playoffs, but it doesn’t matter how well you play for two rounds if you can’t put it together for the third. You win a round and move on. We have to move on and be better at putting it together for every round.”