The Dallas Stars have main soul-searching to do after their NHL Playoff exit

To name the 2025-26 Dallas Stars season a disappointment could be one of many largest understatements in hockey after their crushing opening spherical loss to the Wild on Thursday night time. It’s left the workforce needing to make essential choices this offseason which can resolve whether or not or not Dallas can stay a contender, or takes a big step backwards sooner or later.

So, what precisely went unsuitable with the Stars this season? Every thing on paper pointed to this being a Stanley Cup caliber workforce, prone to compete with the Colorado Avalanche for the perfect within the West — and through the common season they did for essentially the most half, however because the playoffs commenced we noticed the holes within the lineup open up, holes which aren’t straightforward to patch.

The commerce for Mikko Rantanen made all of the sense on the earth final yr, with the high-scoring Finn showing to be the celebrity ahead they wanted. Including Rantanen to one of many highest-scoring groups in hockey ought to have been a boon — however the deal hasn’t actually labored out.

The issue hasn’t been Rantanen (although he’s understandably the scapegoat), and extra how Rantanen is enjoying contained in the Stars system. The difficulty is that he’s now not the elite purpose scorer he was in Colorado with out Nathan McKinnon’s puck distribution within the center, which has pressured him into being a passer from the wing. Rantanen doesn’t have a spot on the highest line with Wyatt Johnson being a puck-dominant heart, and Jason Robertson being the go-to finisher. Throwing him on the second line hasn’t labored both, with Matt Duchene being damage, and regressing in important methods this previous season.

That is much more problematic in taking a look at what the Stars gave up within the Rantanen deal. Logan Stankoven was roughly the throw in prospect to get the deal performed, and he’s emerged because the Carolina Hurricanes’ key second-line heart — precisely what the Stars want now.

We have now a workforce that’s dangerously top-line heavy. All of the success Dallas had within the common season was as a consequence of that entrance pairing of Johnson and Robertson to do the heavy lifting, with Miro Heiskanen quarterbacking issues from the blue line, however the Wild had been capable of drag the strains deep and beat the Stars with depth.

This brings us to the hardest determination the workforce has to make: Jason Robertson.

The Stars usually are not in a great place on the subject of the wage cap. The workforce is projected to have $11.1M in area for the upcoming season, with a 3 key gamers set to hit the market.

It’s right here the soul-searching begins, as a result of they should make an unimaginable alternative. Jamie Benn is probably going gone, which is ok, however the Robertson/Bourque determination is brutal. They at the moment do not need the cash to fulfill the rumored wage calls for of Robertson, who reportedly is on the lookout for north of the $12M AAV that Mikko Rantanen is making — which is truthful coming off a 96-point season.

Bourque can be due a big pay increase, and may very well be an actual danger of being poached in free company.

The logical determination is to let Robertson stroll and re-sign Bourque. Robertson isn’t a play-driver, he’s not sturdy on the forecheck, and his defensive contributions are resigned to stay play. The difficulty in making use of this logic is that it’s unimaginable to think about a situation the place the Stars are higher with out Robertson, as a result of he’s their finest scorer.

It will probably necessitate transferring Rantanen again to the highest line, however it’s already been established that he’s not nice with Johnson at heart. It’s all a little bit of a multitude. The workforce may have to wish that Tyler Seguin retires to open the area to retain Robertson, which then means probably dropping Bourque.

Overpaying mediocrity in purpose

The opposite large a part of the Stars issues is Jake Oettinger, who was their key free agent from a yr in the past. Dallas determined to retain Oettinger and make him one of many 5 highest-paid goaltenders in hockey, and he was not good this season in any respect.

Oettinger completed the season at 0.899 SV%, with 2.59 GA — alarmingly, he additionally solely had 31 high quality begins in 54 video games, barely above the league-average on the season. It’s simply not adequate for a top-five paid participant at his place.

There isn’t something the Stars can do with Oettinger however pray he returns to kind. The free agent contract is haunting them, and he’s inked for SEVEN extra seasons.

What can the Stars even be in 2026-27?

The perfect hope is working it again, which wasn’t adequate to make a playoff affect this yr. They’ll preserve the highest of their core, dropping extra depth within the course of — or resolve to half methods with Robertson, take a step again, and attempt to discover a path ahead. That might imply taking a mulligan on the season to right a few of their cap points, however that isn’t conducive to attempt to benefit from Mikko Rantanen’s prime.

This was roughly a make-or-break yr for the Dallas Stars, and so they broke within the first spherical. What occurs subsequent is anybody’s guess.