The Dallas Stars enter the offseason with some disappointment after falling in five games to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference finals.
After taking a 1-0 lead in the series, the Stars lost the next four games, marking their third straight year with an exit in the third round.
General manager Jim Nill and head coach Pete DeBoer now have to look ahead to the 2025-26 season and how the roster can improve, as the Stars continue to chase the franchise’s second Stanley Cup.
Related:Dallas Stars offseason storylines: Jamie Benn’s future, pressure builds for Pete DeBoer
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The Stars return the bulk of their core with Nill signing a number of pending free agents to extensions during the season. But the future for a few key players remains uncertain.
According to CapFriendly, the Stars are projected to have the least amount of cap space in the league to work with entering the offseason with just under $5 million to sign six players.
Here is a look at how the roster stands heading into free agency, including which players could be hitting the open market:
Unrestricted free agents
Forwards: Jamie Benn (35 years old), Matt Duchene (34), Evgenii Dadonov (36), Mikael Granlund (33), Colin Blackwell (32)
Defensemen: Brendan Smith (36), Cody Ceci (31)
The Stars have tough decisions to make about some of their most veteran players. Could their longest-tenured captain Jamie Benn hang up his skates? Will Matt Duchene’s 30-goal season be enough to earn him a bigger deal, or will his playoff struggles hurt him? Dallas cannot afford these five players without some of them taking major pay cuts. The Stars may need to trade others to make room.
Restricted free agents
Forwards: Mavrik Bourque (23)
Defensemen: Nils Lundvkist (24)
A restricted free agent (RFA) is the status given to a player whose initial entry level contract has come to an end but has yet to reach unrestricted free agency status. (More on what restricted free agency entails here.)
Mavrik Bourque had an up-and-down first year in the NHL as a regular in the lineup during the regular season before taking a seat for most of the playoffs. He’s been considered a popular offer sheet candidate, meaning another team could offer him a contract, and if the Stars don’t choose to match it, they could receive draft pick compensation. Nils Lundkvist took major steps forward on the ice in 2024-25, but shoulder surgery ended his strong campaign. How will that factor into his free agency?
Notable pending AHL free agents
Cameron Hughes, forward (unrestricted); Adam Mascherin, forward (restricted); Kole Lind, forward (unrestricted); Emilio Pettersen, forward (unrestricted); Matej Blumel, forward (unrestricted); Antonio Stranges, forward (restricted); Magnus Hellberg, goalie (unrestricted); Remi Poirier, goalie (restricted); Benjamin Kraws, goalie (restricted)
Under contractForwards (8)PlayerAgeYears leftMikko Rantanen288Tyler Seguin332Roope Hintz286Wyatt Johnston225Jason Robertson251Mason Marchment291Sam Steel272Oskar Bäck252Defensemen (5)PlayerAgeYears leftMiro Heiskanen254Esa Lindell315Thomas Harley231Matt Dumba301Ilya Lyubushkin312Goalies (2)PlayerAgeYears leftJake Oettinger268Casey DeSmith332
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