With the news of Pete DeBoer being dismissed, Dallas Stars’ general manager Jim Nill is at work trying to land a new head coach for the only NHL team that doesn’t have one right now.  Aside from the obvious question of who’s the next coach, perhaps the bigger question is it going to be another veteran, or a fresh face.  The latter appears to be the better option.  Neil is primed for a promotion in the Stars organization.

Use him or lose him

Before Graham came along to coach the Texas Stars, the American Hockey League affiliate in Austin was led by Derek Laxdal. Once looked at as a future coach in Dallas, Laxdal went over to Coachella Valley.  To coach the Fire Birds, the AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken instead.

However, the Stars want to make sure they don’t end up with another Glen Gulutzan situation.  Getting a young coach to take over is still a roll of the dice given the lack of experience.  But all signs right now point to hiring Graham to take over behind the bench to be a wise choice.

Graham has done well with Texas in his six seasons behind the bench.  The best minor league coaches often get promoted to the NHL ranks.  This includes going on to coach for NHL teams that are not the parent organization of the same team.

Graham knows the guys

Speaking of coaching in Austin, Graham already has experience with Jake Oettinger, and Thomas Harley to name only a couple of the guys on the roster heading into the 2026 season.  With chemistry amongst the coach, and players it should be easier to start the 2026 season off on the right foot. Helping to have a strong start in the fall, and collecting more points so Dallas isn’t playing catch-up come winter or even March.

Youngblood

Many NHL teams found themselves having success by going with a fresh perspective behind the bench.  Rick Bowness (before he retired), and Pete DeBoer are a couple longtime coaches who bounce around team to team.  Many Stars fans have grown tired of the “turn coat” coaches.

Photo credit: texasstars.com

Coaches such as Mike Sullivan, Jared Bednar and Kris Knoblauch are a few guys who came into the NHL as fresh faces who brought their teams success.  Let’s see if Graham is invited to take a shot at the trend.

Featured photo: texasstars.com