Dallas Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin (46), left wing Jason Robertson (21) and center Matt Duchene (95) warm up before Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Dallas.

Dallas Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin (46), left wing Jason Robertson (21) and center Matt Duchene (95) warm up before Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Dallas.

Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News

One of the top priorities this offseason for the Dallas Stars and GM Jim Nill is to sort out contract negotiations with restricted free agent Jason Robertson.

The team’s leading goal scorer is due for a significant raise. The question is whether the Stars can afford him.  

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Robertson will likely seek at least $12 million annually — a similar deal to Mikko Rantanen’s. For the Stars to fit that into their cap, they’ll likely need to trade a player or two under contract next season to make room. 

According to PuckPedia, the Stars have just $11 million in cap space remaining next season to sign at least 2-3 forwards.  

Here are four players the Stars could consider trading this offseason: 

Radek Faksa 

The Stars once traded away Radek Faksa for future considerations, and while it may not be an easy decision for the organization, they could look at doing so again. 

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Faksa spent the first decade of his professional career in Dallas where he was drafted before the Stars traded him to St. Louis in July 2024 for nothing in return, a cap-saving move to save $3.25 million at the time. 

The Stars brought Faksa back last offseason on a three-year deal worth $2 million annually. Faksa is a skilled penalty killer and depth forward with strong face-off abilities. But the Stars are deep at the center position and at penalty-killing forward. 

Faksa missed a long stretch of the season following a concussion he suffered at the Olympics and a serious laceration on his foot that could require surgery this offseason. With his health in question, that could make it more difficult to move him.  

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But clearing $2 million could be enough to sign Robertson to a $12 million deal and bring in an additional depth forward on a cheap contract. 

Sam Steel 

Steel makes slightly more than Faksa and only has one year remaining on a two-year deal worth $2.1 million annually, possibly making it easier for the Stars to send him to another team this offseason. 

Steel scored 12 goals this season and recorded 33 points in 73 games. He was one of Dallas’ top penalty killers.  

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While he contributed consistently in a depth role, Steel sometimes slid up the lineup to the top six and played on the left wing alongside Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston — however, that role may have been a reach for his skillset. At times, it felt like he couldn’t score at the rate his linemates needed him to. 

Again, the Stars have other options in terms of penalty killers and centers. Faksa and Steel play a similar role, so Dallas may choose to part ways with one. 

Ilya Lyubushkin 

The simplest and most impactful move would be trading Ilya Lyubushkin.  

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The right-shot defenseman is entering the third year of a deal where he makes $3.25 million. While Lyubushkin has been a reliable penalty killer and depth defenseman, he appeared in just 53 games this season after playing in 80 during his first season in Dallas. Simply put, the Stars aren’t using Lyubushkin enough to make his $3.25 million contract worth it. 

Right-shot defensemen are hard to come by, but the Stars have Miro Heiskanen, a lefty whom they have played on the right side, Nils Lundkvist and Tyler Myers back. They could also re-sign Alexander Petrovic, who played one more game than Lyubushkin this past season, for far cheaper. 

Lyubushkin could find a more consistent role in the lineup on another team as well, making a potential deal a win-win for both parties.  

Tyler Myers 

After his playoff performance, the Stars’ trade deadline acquisition could be one player Dallas looks to send elsewhere this offseason.  

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Myers, whom Dallas brought in from Vancouver in exchange for two draft picks, struggled in the postseason, making costly mistakes that ultimately led him to being healthy scratched late in the series against Minnesota. 

Nill traded the two picks to Vancouver in exchange for salary retention. The Canucks are retaining half of Myers’ $3 million deal, which runs through next season, meaning his contract only takes up $1.5 million in cap room for the Stars. 

That is a rather cheap price to pay for a veteran right-shot defenseman. It’s why the Stars may prioritize trading Lyubushkin. But if the Stars were so displeased with Myers’ play during the playoffs, Nill could also seek to trade him instead. 

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However, Myers does have a 12-team no trade list that the Stars would have to work around.