The NHL season is officially over with the Florida Panthers hoisting back-to-back Stanley Cups. The offseason is now upon us as three things are coming shortly with the Entry Draft, re-sign phase, and Free Agency. The Dallas Stars have lots to figure out over the coming weeks. Pete DeBoer ends his tenure as Head Coach of the Stars after his employment termination. The coaching search is one of the many things on the docket. There are several immediate needs but the Stars also have to think long-term. Several key players are now free agents. The Stars have used north of $90 million out of their cap space already for next season. Two restricted free agents are coming up next year. Their cap problem is now but the situation will snowball to the next offseason unless changes are made. Teams look to improve in the offseason and the Stars are no different.
Problem Now
Only having shortly under $5 million in available cap space with lots of free agents means there are some moves to make. Seven players are unrestricted free agents while two are restricted. Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene have already expressed their desire to stay in Dallas. They’ll likely take pay cuts from their previous salaries for the Stars to afford them with limited cap space. Another option to consider is trades. Rumors swirled about a Jason Robertson trade but fizzled. More names in the rumor mill are Mason Marchment, Ilya Lyubishkin, and Matt Dumba. Those players combined will make $11.5 million next season. Dumba never saw a playoff game while Marchment took eight minor penalties over the playoffs. Cap dump trades with low returns are the likely outcome.
Another coaching search will take place during the offseason. Pete DeBoer is out after being fired. He’ll have no problem finding another job in the NHL while the Stars move in another direction. Neil Graham is the running favorite after taking the Texas Stars to their Western Conference Final. The Stars will interview multiple candidates to fill the vacant position while the goal remains the same. No team has lost three consecutive Conference Final appearances since its inception until the Stars. Championship windows don’t remain open forever so the Stars losing before the Stanley Cup Final three times is disappointing. The Stars need a new coach to take them there. More problems arise after next season.
Next Season
Top performers in the NHL earn hefty contracts. One top performer for the Stars has an expiring contract after next season. Jason Robertson recorded 109 points in the 2022-23 season with several other good seasons on the Stars. He’s played every regular season game over the last three seasons, recording 394 points in 374 career games. His name appeared in trade rumors last week with those chances diminishing later. The salary cap will increase to $105.5 million next season, allowing the Stars to open a more reasonable window to sign him to a contract extension. Thomas Harley will join Robertson as a restricted free agent upon next season’s end. These two are critical components of the Stars’ core and will sign for more money than they are making now. Affordability may be an issue while more Jim Nill magic can get them to stay.
The Florida Panthers won back-to-back Stanley Cups. The Stars are trying to put themselves in a position to win one. Three consecutive Conference Final losses are detrimental to the direction they want to go. The puzzle pieces are there for a run at the championship but the Stars have difficult decisions over the next year.
Photo Credit: Dallas Stars X
