Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Over one week has passed since the Minnesota Wild eliminated the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This Stars season failed, as they lost the final three games of the series.
The season is now over after a first-round exit for the first time since 2022.
This loss severely undermines the position this team wants to be in. They must now re-up and rearm for next season. The Stars enter a tumultuous period as Free Agency approaches.
The biggest offseason hurdle is re-signing Jason Robertson to make him a franchise player.
The Stars simply cannot afford to lose him to another team. Improving on what went wrong in the playoffs is a major task they will undertake over the next few weeks.Jason Robertson
Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Jason Robertson is currently a restricted free agent. By far the biggest priority of the Stars this offseason is finding any way to get him signed to a contract. Robertson has already proven himself as a perennial franchise player. This franchise player is one the Stars cannot let go under any circumstances. Robertson has recorded 490 points in 456 games with the Stars. There is a major problem with signing Robertson. His new contract range is around $12 million+ each year.
The Stars are approaching cap hell.
Thomas Harley’s new contract at $10.587m AAV kicks in next season, alongside Tyler Seguin making $9.85 million next year. The Stars cannot afford the cap space of three players making north of $10 million, joining Mikko Rantanen’s $12 million AAV for the next seven years. The cap situation is a major problem, but Robertson is still worth it. He is the future of this franchise, consistently putting in the effort and producing results. He played in all 82 games for four straight seasons. Seguin’s contract is up next season, allowing for much more leeway. Speaking of Seguin, that brings us to another problem this season.
Injury Problems
One significant problem became a plague for the Stars all season long. Tyler Seguin began a career resurgence with 17 points in 27 games before going down to an ACL injury at Madison Square Garden. The Olympics took out several Stars players.
Mikko Rantanen tore his MCL during the Olympics. He never reached 100% even after he returned. Nils Lundkvist suffered a deep facial laceration from a skate blade in Game 4. The Stars missed Roope Hintz in the playoffs after he got sick during the Olympics and injured his hamstring in his first game back. He missed the rest of the season after a re-injury. This is just some of the myriad injuries the Stars suffered from all season.
Playoffs
Injuries and lack of production culminated in the Wild winning three straight games to eliminate the Stars in six. They had a chance in Game 6, but luck did not favor them. Now the Wild are down 1-3 in their series with the Avalanche. It wasn’t meant to be this season. The Stars lost all momentum against a more desperate team. The Wild won their first playoff series in a long time. Their hated rivals, the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, look to face off in the Western Conference Final. Vegas took a 3-2 series lead against Anaheim.
All hope lies in the east for the Stars, where the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabers, and Montreal Canadiens remain. Former Stars player Logan Stankoven is performing exceptionally well for the Hurricanes, leading them to an 8-0 playoff record so far. All Stars fans can do now is watch and hope their rivals don’t win the Stanley Cup.
This season ended up being incredibly tough on the Stars. This offseason is no different. Important decisions are on the table. The cap situation is tough, but a trade for Jason Robertson is on the rumor mill. Losing at any point during the playoffs is a tough pill to swallow, especially losing in the first round.
By the time the Stars get their next chance, their Stanley Cup drought will rise to 28 years. They get some help with the salary cap rising to $104 million. Everything went wrong this season, and it’s time to fix that.
It’s a waiting game now after ruminating on playoff elimination over the past week.
The Stars will have their time, this offseason being an important component in shaping the future of this franchise.
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Tags: 2026 NHL Playoffs 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Avalanche Carolina Hurricanes Colorado Avalanche dallas stars hurricanes Jason Robertson Logan Stankoven Mikko Rantanen Minnesota Wild nhl nhl playoffs Nils Lundkvist Roope Hintz Stanley Cup Playoffs stars Thomas Harley
Categorized:Stars