Last week was a busy one in Stars-land, as the Dallas Stars re-signed Matt Duchene on Thursday morning and, on the same day, traded Mason Marchment to the Seattle Kraken by sunset. Friday was just as busy, extending Nils Lundkvist and Mavrik Bourque, who were both set to be restricted free agents this summer, amongst other American Hockey League (AHL) talent.
Leading up to this, naturally, there was lots of conversation and debate about who to bring back, who could see free agency, or who could be traded. Now that the puzzle pieces are starting to come together, it’s time to praise or criticize what general manager Jim Nill has done so far, understanding that there is still a ton of work left to be done.
Related: Dallas Stars’ 2025 Free Agents: Who Stays & Who Goes?
Nill has made it clear that things need to change, and the first bullet in his chamber was firing head coach Pete DeBoer. Yes, there was a lot of drama surrounding that decision, but it is certainly a big change. There is also the simple fact that the Stars need to be harder to play against, specifically as they go deeper into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
So were Thursday’s decisions the right ones, or could this be the beginning of more of what we’ve seen over the last three years? Let’s dive in.
Stars Re-Sign Duchene For Four More Years
The Stars re-signed the 34-year-old to a four-year contract extension, beginning in October, that is worth $18 million, which equals out to $4.5 million per season. This past season, Duchene scored 30 goals and 82 points in 82 games, a point total that led the team. In his two seasons with Dallas, he has scored 55 goals and 147 points. As a whole, Duchene has been one of the most consistent point-getters for the Stars since his arrival.
“We are thrilled to have Matt back with our organization,” Nill said on Thursday. “As our team’s leading scorer last season, he helped to solidify our forward group while also providing invaluable leadership off the ice and in the community. The fit with Matt and our team has been seamless from the start, and we’re looking forward to continuing to pursue our shared goal of bringing a championship to Dallas.”
There’s no doubt that Duchene has played an important part in the Stars making it to the playoffs and winning 50-plus games in each of the last two seasons. His chemistry with Tyler Seguin and Marchment on the second line has become that of legends, and his place as a leader on this team has been cemented.
Just as important as the Stars wanting Duchene back, or maybe even more so, was his desire to stay, which he made well known in his end-of-season presser.
May 25, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) and center Matt Duchene (95) and defenseman Lian Bichsel (6) celebrates a goal scored by Bichsel against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period in game three of the Western Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
“I think at this point as a family, my kids are getting to the point where I’m looking for some stability,” Duchene said two days after the Stars’ season ended. “I feel like I’ve hopefully put myself in a good position. I’ve really enjoyed being here and I’ve gotten great feedback about things. Hopefully, we can continue to move forward.”
That’s exactly what they did, as Duchene’s contract is set to expire when he is 38 years old. I’m not sure if he would have gotten more money with the same term somewhere else, but he certainly could have gotten more than $4.5 million from another team. Granted, maybe a team with less hopeful Stanley-Cup aspirations, but more money nonetheless. The fact is, he wanted to stay here, and he got the deal that worked for him and his family. But is this deal the right decision for the Stars?
On the surface, this is a good deal for both sides, and I’m okay with it. Not that they care about my opinion. But there is one major fact that is cause for concern. Duchene’s production, like many other players on this roster, has all but evaporated in the postseason. In 37 playoff games with the Stars, Duchene has three goals and 12 points. Now, he’s not alone in this, but for a team trying to get over the hump, bringing back a player who disappears in the postseason won’t, by itself, get it done.
Marchment the Price for Duchene’s Extension
Less than 12 hours after Duchene was re-signed, his linemate, Marchment, was traded to the Kraken for Dallas’ own fourth-round draft pick in this summer’s draft and Seattle’s third-round pick in 2026.
In 211 regular-season games with the Stars, Marchment had 56 goals and 131 points, including back-to-back 22-goal seasons to wrap up his tenure in Dallas. In 49 playoff games, the 30-year-old left winger scored eight goals and 16 points.
Since Marcment’s cap hit is the exact $4.5 million that the Stars ended up giving to Duchene, it’s easy to conclude that they chose Duchene over Marchment. I guess they did, sort of. The truth is, he won’t be the last guy shipped out this summer, and he was probably gone regardless of who they re-signed. Before Duchene and the others were brought back at the end of last week, the Stars had about $5 million in cap space to play with. Let’s say they signed Mikael Granlund (which they still might), or wanted to bring in a free agent or two to shake up the roster. Marchment was a realistic option to move.
We just watched a team in Florida that is tough, borderline dirty, and hard to play against win their second straight Stanley Cup, while we watched a team in Dallas show zero grit and pushback get eliminated a couple weeks earlier. The Stars are loaded with skill and finesse, which has done wonders in the regular season. Despite helping them win six rounds of playoff hockey in the last three years, it has failed them time and time (and time) again in the final four. If there is anyone on the Stars who can emulate the identity of the defending champs, it’s Marchment.
Mason Marchment, Dallas Stars (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
However, year by year, we have slowly seen him depart from this kind of game and blend in with the skilled players he lines up with on a nightly basis. When he did play with that aforementioned grit, bad penalties were a cost of doing business, much like it is in Florida on some nights. When that is your identity and part of your character, it’s easier to live with. Unfortunately for Marchment, as he started to rely more on goals, points, and playmaking, the penalties kept on coming, especially in the playoffs.
Moving on from Mush, as the Stars’ faithful have come to call him, isn’t the end of the world. He’s a good player, but not irreplaceable. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t see more of the side of his game that could have really helped this team win. It’s also hard to imagine him having the same kind of production that he had with Seguin and Duchene. It’s logical to assume he’ll go back to his former style when he laces up in Seattle.
Do These Moves Forecast Future Decisions in Dallas?
In a vacuum, both of these decisions make sense. Duchene has become an incredibly consistent producer, both 5-on-5 and on the power play, and with all of the talent that this team possesses, Marchment was certainly dispensable.
To me, however, that’s the problem. The Stars have a whole lot of talent, and that talent has given the fans the exact same result every year. They are juggernauts in the regular season, can win a couple of rounds in the playoffs, but when the chips are down, they do not have the grit and edge in their game to take that next step.
Related: Dallas Stars Sign Mavrik Bourque & Nils Lundkvist to Contract Extensions
Like we said earlier, when they fired DeBoer, they sent the message that something needed to change. Now, they re-signed a very good regular season player, who also can’t get it done in the playoffs, and traded away the one player who could potentially find the type of game that this team needs. I’m not saying that they should have necessarily kept Marchment, or that they shouldn’t have kept Duchene. It just seems like these moves are ones that we would have seen over the last few years.
Are they going to approach the roster like they did the coach and change it up, or stick to what has given them strictly regular season success?
They still have to sign Jamie Benn and make a decision on Granlund, plus some other roster decisions, and have only $1,980,084 left to play with. The rumors continue to swirl around Jason Robertson, and it’s been assumed that Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin will be bought out if they can’t be traded. Regardless of what Nill decides with those players, money will be limited, and so will the players they can bring in via free agency.
Their recent moves are fine on the surface, but are we really going to see a change in identity, or more of the same?
