Stars Rumors

Stars Sign Adam Erne To PTO

September 10, 2025 at 10:29 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 2 Comments

The Stars have signed Adam Erne to a professional tryout, according to the training camp roster they announced today. It will be his third consecutive season attending an NHL camp on a tryout basis.

Erne has skated in parts of eight NHL seasons as a checking winger. He spent his first three years with the Lightning, breaking out as a full-time piece with 20 points in 65 games in 2018-19. Luckily for Erne, that was a contract year. Tampa couldn’t afford to give him a seven-figure cap hit, so they traded his signing rights to the Red Wings the following summer. He spent four years in Detroit, including a career-best offensive performance that saw him produce 11 goals and 20 points in only 45 games in the shortened 2020-21 season, before tumbling down the depth chart in 2022-23 and ending up on waivers.

Initially, it was puzzling to see the lack of interest in Erne on the open market in 2023. His waiver clearance could have been chalked up to his previous $2.1MM cap hit, but he still looked like an effective NHLer with 18 points in 61 games for the lowly Wings while averaging 13:23 per game and laying 161 hits. Nonetheless, he had to settle for a tryout with the Oilers, and he was successful in converting that into a two-way deal with Edmonton for 2023-24. He only managed two points in 24 games for the Oilers, though, ending up back on waivers and spending most of the season in the AHL.

Erne landed another PTO last summer with the Rangers, although he only managed to squeeze an AHL tryout deal out of that. He only had one assist in 10 games before sustaining a lower-body injury and getting released from his tryout in November, so it’s been around 10 months since he last played. Dallas’ forward depth remains a strong suit, so he’s unlikely to be in consideration for an NHL roster spot. He’ll use this tryout opportunity to angle for a two-way contract or AHL deal to get his career back on track in the minors.

Among Dallas’ other PTOs announced today who weren’t already signed to minor-league contracts are forward Cross Hanas and goaltender Antoine Bibeau, both of whom will be looking for AHL deals. Hanas was a second-round pick by the Red Wings in 2020 and had 50 points in 146 AHL games over the three seasons of his entry-level contract before getting non-tendered this summer. Bibeau, 31, is a veteran depth option with four games of NHL experience who spent the last two seasons in Europe. He played for Finland’s KooKoo last season, recording a .905 SV% in 35 Liiga games with a 20-13-0 record.

Injury Notes: Sharks, Power, Seguin

September 9, 2025 at 5:01 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 2 Comments

There was some concern for Sharks up-and-comer William Eklund’s health over the summer after he sustained a wrist laceration while playing in a pre-tournament game for Sweden at the World Championship. He needed surgery, and while the skate cut didn’t damage any vital nerves, it did carry a lengthy three-month recovery window. During that time, he also inked a three-year, $16.8MM extension.

Since Eklund’s injury occurred in May, the expectation was that he’d be ready for training camp. That looks to be the case as he was on the ice for an informal skate Monday and was taking contact, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now relays. That’s great news ahead of what could be even more of a breakthrough season for Eklund. He turns 23 next month and carried a 17-41–58 scoring line through 77 appearances in his sophomore year in 2024-25, up from 45 points in 80 games as a rookie (with a horrifying -45 rating) the year prior.

With the 2021 No. 7 overall pick on the mend, another first-rounder in their system also skated after ending last season on injured reserve. Defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin was on the ice yesterday “without obvious limitation,” Peng wrote. The 23-year-old had shoulder surgery in the closing days of the regular season after logging nine points and a -7 rating in 30 regular-season appearances, a career-high. The 2020 first-rounder, previously acquired from the Devils, will be in a tight battle with fellow first-rounder Sam Dickinson and depth righty Jack Thompson for a roster spot in camp. He’ll need waivers to head to AHL San Jose, likely a matter of high concern to the Sharks’ front office.

Other injury updates as players begin to return to their team bases for training camp:

Sabres defender Owen Power is fully healthy after rehabbing a lower-body injury that ended his 2024-25 season prematurely, telling the team’s Justin Alpert he’s “back to doing everything” and is “ready to go.” He said he’s looking forward to how the increased time in the gym over the summer due to his rehab affects his game as he heads into his fourth full NHL season. The 2021 top pick hit a career-high in points with 40 last year, but also saw career lows in plus/minus (-13) and time on ice (21:19 per game).
After telling reporters following the Stars’ playoff elimination that he was dealing with a shoulder injury, Tyler Seguin is 100% after some “relatively easy” rehab, he tells Robert Tiffin of D Magazine. He told Tiffin the injury was caused by a hit from Oilers defender Darnell Nurse in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final. Seguin had 29 points in 38 combined regular-season and playoff games last year, losing most of his regular season to a significant hip procedure.

Aidan Hreschuk Signs With AHL Texas

September 5, 2025 at 12:04 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

Defenseman Aidan Hreschuk was among the higher-drafted college players to become eligible for free agency last month. Reporting earlier in the offseason indicated the Blue Jackets, who had acquired his draft rights from the Hurricanes in 2022’s Max Domi trade, had already made up their minds on not offering him an entry-level contract before the Aug. 15 deadline. PuckPedia confirmed a couple of weeks ago that he’d filed the necessary paperwork to become an unrestricted free agent.

After four years at Boston College, the 5’11” lefty will instead need to settle for a minor-league pact. He’s signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Texas Stars to join the Dallas organization, the team announced Friday.

It’s not particularly surprising to see him go unsigned by Columbus and subsequently struggle to yield NHL offers. Despite his 2021 third-round billing, he never really popped offensively at BC. He only ever cracked the 10-point mark in a season once and finished his run with a 6-32–38 scoring line in 146 contests, a pace of 0.26 points per game.

While that’s not the end-all-be-all for a defender’s effectiveness, offensive production and high-end puck-moving skills are a must in today’s league for a sub-6′ defenseman. While he is relatively mobile and physical and did develop his defensive skills well at BC, particularly in his junior season, NHL teams will be extremely wary about his ability to overcome his lack of height to translate those skills to the game’s top level.

Instead, the 22-year-old will get a crack in the Stars’ pipeline and look to convert a strong AHL showing out of the gate into an NHL contract, whether that’s this year or next or further down the road. Dallas already has 15 defenders signed to NHL contracts, so it’s not surprising to see them not offer him an entry-level deal despite some obvious organizational interest.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Dallas Stars

August 29, 2025 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Central Division, next up are the Stars.

Dallas Stars

Current Cap Hit: $95,094,916 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Lian Bichsel (two years, $918K)

Potential Bonuses
Bichsel: $500K

Bichsel split time between Dallas and AHL Texas last season before being a regular for them in the playoffs, albeit with limited playing time. He should crack the roster on a full-time basis this year but still in a third-pairing role, which doesn’t bode well for reaching his bonuses. Given their longer-term cap situation which we’ll get into as we go along, it would be surprising if his next deal isn’t a short-term bridge contract, likely around the $2MM range.

Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level

F Nathan Bastian ($775K, UFA)
F Jamie Benn ($1MM, UFA)
F Mavrik Bourque ($950K, RFA)
D Thomas Harley ($4MM, RFA)
D Nils Lundkvist ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Alexander Petrovic ($775K, UFA)
F Jason Robertson ($7.75MM, RFA)

Potential Bonuses
Benn: $3MM

Robertson’s situation has garnered plenty of attention with his name coming up in trade speculation. He’s averaging over a point per game for his career and has notched at least 79 points in four straight seasons. That’s top-line numbers and he’ll be looking for top-line money next summer which should push his cap charge well past the $10MM mark. Notably, his qualifying offer is $9.3MM with salary arbitration rights. Benn re-signed this bonus-laden deal to allow Dallas to keep cap-compliant this season, one that is team-friendly even with the bonuses. $2MM of that is games-played based while the other $1MM is based on team playoff success. If he wants to remain with the Stars beyond this season, it’s probably going to be on a similarly structured agreement.

Bourque was a speculative offer sheet candidate this summer but agreed to this deal before the draft to take that off the table. Had he tested restricted free agency, he’d have landed more than this but the one-year term sets him up for arbitration eligibility and a shot to triple this or more next summer if all goes well. Bastian was a recent signing from the Devils and has been a physical fourth liner throughout his career but his offensive production has largely been limited. That should keep him around the minimum salary barring a big jump in output.

While Robertson’s case has garnered the majority of the attention for next year’s free agency, Harley’s is arguably just as significant. He showed last season that his 2023-24 breakout effort was no fluke, taking on an even bigger role and being just as productive. He is now a legitimate top-pairing player. As a result, this could be a situation where his pay increase next summer is higher than what Robertson’s is going to be. Noah Dobson’s eight-year, $9.5MM AAV contract signed this summer looms large as a viable comparable while ticking past $10MM per season is a real possibility as well. Notably, he’s not UFA-eligible until 2029 so one option that could be considered is another two-year bridge deal more in the $7MM range which could allow their reported desire to work within an internal cap to happen. That would buy them a bit of short-term flexibility at a time when cap space is going to be tight so GM while Jim Nill likely doesn’t prefer to go that way, he might have to.

Lundkvist looked to be heading toward a non-tender to duck arbitration rights for the second straight year before signing this contract for the same amount he made last season. Between some struggles and injuries, 2024-25 was largely a write-off so he’s getting near the point of either needing to take that step forward or understanding that he might not be more than the depth player he currently is. Petrovic spent most of last season in the minors before playing in most of the playoffs in Dallas which should give him a leg up for a full-time spot to start this year. Even so, his track record has only been that of a depth defender thus far and at 33, that’s unlikely to change. He should stay around the minimum salary moving forward although a full year in the NHL could flip his next deal to a one-way pact.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Oskar Back ($825K, UFA)
F Colin Blackwell ($775K, UFA)
G Casey DeSmith ($1MM, UFA)
D Ilya Lyubushkin ($3.25MM, UFA)
F Tyler Seguin ($9.85MM, UFA)
F Sam Steel ($2.1MM, UFA)

A hip issue sidelined Seguin for most of last season although he was a little over a point per game in his limited action. However, he has generally been more in the 50-point range in recent years and this price tag for that type of production isn’t great. He’ll be 35 when his next deal starts and while a multi-year pact should still be doable then, it’s going to come with a multi-million-dollar drop in AAV. Steel inked this deal back before the trade deadline in the midst of his fourth straight season with at least 20 points. Between that and his ability to kill penalties, he should be able to provide decent value on this contract but unless his point production starts to go up, he might not be able to go too much higher than this.

Back had a decent rookie year, getting into 73 games while holding his own in a bottom-six role to secure this deal at a rate that will be below the minimum salary next season. Assuming he remains a regular in this type of role for them, this should work out just fine while Back should be able to push more into the $1.25MM range on his next deal. Blackwell fit in nicely in a depth role last season, earning this new contract along the way. While he had a couple of years in the past with a seven-figure salary, he’s someone who should be staying around the minimum salary on any future contracts.

Lyubushkin was brought in to bring some physicality to the back and stabilize the bottom pairing. He was able to do that for the most part although this contract is on the higher side for that type of role which led to some speculation about his future when they needed to open up cap space. It would be surprising to see him beat this by any significant amount two years from now but another contract in this price range might be doable.

DeSmith is certainly at the lower end of the salary scale for backup goalies as he opted for stability and a winning environment over trying to get the highest price tag. He certainly had a solid first year with numbers that should have him toward the higher end of the backup scale (more in the $3.5MM territory). He’ll be 36 when this deal expires so it’s unlikely that he’ll find a contract in that range but value-wise, he should double this if he looks for top dollar next time out.

Signed Through 2027-28

F Radek Faksa ($2MM, UFA)

Faksa returns after a one-year stint in St. Louis after Dallas needed to clear his contract last summer. While he showed some offensive upside early in his career, he has settled into more of a pure checking role in recent seasons. Between his penalty killing utility and his faceoff skills, he should be able to provide a good return on this contract, even with the points remaining hard to come by. But unless his production improves, he likely won’t command much more than this moving forward.

Signed Through 2028-29

F Matt Duchene ($4.5MM, UFA)
D Miro Heiskanen ($8.45MM, UFA)

With Duchene making it known that he didn’t want to settle for another one-year contract this time around, it looked like his days could be numbered. And then he signed a below-market deal to stay. The trade-off is four years for a 34-year-old which isn’t ideal but he’s coming off an 82-point effort last season and could have plausibly surpassed $7MM on a multi-year contract (though not four years) on the open market.

Heiskanen is the potential internal cap on Harley’s contract and understandably so given his overall track record. (Whether a different salary cap environment makes that feasible remains to be seen.) He’s coming off an injury-riddled year but he’s an all-situations number one defenseman and the market for those has easily pushed past the $10MM mark. He’s heading for another big raise as things stand.

Signed Through 2029-30 Or Longer

F Roope Hintz ($8.45MM through 2030-31)
F Wyatt Johnston ($8.4MM through 2029-30)
D Esa Lindell ($5.25MM through 2029-30)
G Jake Oettinger ($8.25MM through 2032-33)
F Mikko Rantanen ($12MM through 2032-33)

It was quite an interesting year for Rantanen who couldn’t agree to terms with Colorado and didn’t want to agree to terms with Carolina, only to go to Dallas and sign a contract that was believed to be in the neighborhood of what the Avs were offering. That deal was a record-setting pact for a winger (since matched by Mitch Marner in Vegas). Rantanen has consistently been one of the top-scoring wingers in the NHL in recent years and while he didn’t go great in the regular season after the first trade, he showed his ability to carry a line in the playoffs. As is often the case with these types of contracts, surplus value will be hard to come by but as long as he remains the type of player he has been for a lot of his career, this will hold up well.

Hintz isn’t necessarily viewed as a true number one center but with a forward group that’s more driven from the wing, he fits the bill just fine while averaging 33 goals per season over the last four years. It would be surprising to see his output jump up to a true top level but a steady and reliable 70-point center like he is would probably have gotten more than this on the open market this summer. It feels like Hintz’s deal was the internal cap for Johnston, who signed a contract that only bought Dallas one additional year of club control. That will give them a better shot at keeping the core intact, of course, while setting Johnston up to reach unrestricted free agency at 27. That contract could be a whopper if he continues to progress; in a more inflated cap environment, Rantanen’s price tag could be within reach if he keeps improving.

Lindell has been a strong defensive defender throughout his NHL career while typically chipping in with a point total in the mid-20s. He’s capable of playing top-pairing minutes although in the long run, he might be best off in a number three role. As things stand, this is a deal that already holds up well and should continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Already 31, he’ll be 36 when his next contract starts so while a small raise might come his way, it shouldn’t be too much higher, especially on a multi-year pact.

After some high-end performances to start his career, Oettinger hasn’t been able to get quite back to that level over the last couple of years. That said, he’s still a well-above-average starter locked up at a rate we’ve seen a few starters of his caliber receive recently. As long as he performs at a top-10 level or so, this contract should hold up pretty well.

Still To Sign

None

Buyouts

D Ryan Suter ($1.433MM in 2025-26)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Carryover Bonus Overage Penalty

$368,250

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Harley
Worst Value: Seguin

Looking Ahead

As a result of having several players on contracts considerably below market value, the Stars will enter the season with one of the strongest rosters on paper once again. But they won’t be entering it with much cap space unless they’re willing to go one or two skaters below the maximum on the active roster. That still won’t be enough to bank enough in-season room to do much but that would at least buy them a little wiggle room for injuries.

The cap crunch isn’t going away next summer, either. Harley and Robertson will make navigating the 2026-27 Upper Limit rather difficult, even with an $8.5MM increase. However, the year after that, getting Seguin off the books coupled with a projected $9.5MM bump to the cap ceiling should give them some much-needed wiggle room. But if they wind up having to bridge Harley next summer, that flexibility could be short-lived. That all said, it’s still a good problem to have given that they should once again be a contender in the West; it’s better to have a good cap-crunched roster than a lot of cap space with a weaker group.

Photos courtesy of Jerome Miron and Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.

Afternoon Notes: Hockey Canada, Zary, Harley

August 28, 2025 at 5:09 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 8 Comments

A preliminary report has been released by the ’Future of Sport in Canada’ commission, a group formed in May of 2024 focused on reviewing Canada’s amateur sports system. In it, the group made a recommendation for the creation of an independent body to oversee amateur sports across the country, shares TSN’s Rick Westhead. They claim that this group could address both funding shortages and instances of abuse or maltreatment.

The recommendation was one of 71 made by the commission in their initial report. It follows an investigation that spanned visits to 12 Canadian cities and review of over 1,000 written submissions. Their findings detailed multiple instances of abuse or neglect, including suspended or banned coaches still working within their clubs. This effort comes as part of a yearlong push to make Canadian amateur sports more safe and secure environments for children and families. The federal Heritage Committee also made recommendations for changes in the sports system in June 2024.

The creation of an independent oversight committee would be an innovative push into public support of youth sports. It could be an effort that bodies like USA Hockey – who currently handles oversight internally – looks to mimic in years to come.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

Calgary Flames restricted-free agent Connor Zary will likely end up with a bridge-deal, per hockey insider Jeff Marek on the latest Empty Netters podcast episode. Zary remains one of the top available free agents, after posting 13 goals and 27 points in 54 games last season. That equates to a 41-point scoring pace over 82 games. Zary has stepped up as a reliable, middle-six center for the Flames over the last two seasons. He’s racked up 61 points in 117 career games, and should be due for big growth over the next few seasons. First, he’ll need to find his way back to good health after missing 47 games over the last two years due to injury. That bad luck could make a bridge deal sensible, and give Zary a chance to earn a payday before his prime years.
Also on the Empty Netters podcast, Marek shared that the Dallas Stars aren’t likely to go above Miro Heiskanen’s cap hit for 2026 RFA defenseman Thomas Harley. Heiskanen signed an eight-year, $67.6MM contract with the Stars in 2021, at the age of 22. The deal carries an $8.45MM cap hit. Heiskanen had totaled 131 points in 275 games before signing the deal. That’s more scoring and experience than Harley’s 103 points in 197 career games. Harley also turned 24-years-old two weeks ago. He’s a sharp offensive-defenseman who thrived in Heiskanen’s absence last season, but a lighter resume and older age could counteract a rising salary cap in his contract negotiations.

Prospect Notes: Behrens, Wassilyn, Bourque

August 25, 2025 at 3:45 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley Leave a Comment

The Colorado Avalanche have received a bit of good news in the quietest days of summer. Defense prospect Sean Behrens shared that he’s been fully cleared to participate in the team’s rookie tournament with Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports. Behrens missed all but two games of last season after sustaining a knee injury in an October practice scrimmage. The first-year pro only suited up for the very first, and very final, game of the Colorado Eagles’ season.

Hopes were high for Behrens prior to his season-ending injury. He seemed well set for a strong push into pros after finishing a three-year stay at the University of Denver with 31 points in 44 games, and a National Championship win, in the 2023-24 season. Behrens was a core part of the title-winning Pioneers, where he often found himself playing alongside or directly behind top prospect Zeev Buium. He showed off all of the sharp stickhandling and quick skating needed to keep the Pioneers offense running with Buium off the ice, and earned the NCHC’s ’Defenseman Of The Year’ award as a result. Behrens now faces an uphill battle adjusting his slight, 5-foot-10 frame to the pro level. He’s made strong impacts in both junior and college hockey, and could earn a top role with the Eagles with a quick return.. He’ll be a name for fans to watch – though likely one that the Avalanche take their time with – as he looks forward to a healthy season.

Other notes from around the prospect world:

Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Braidy Wassilyn will indeed return to the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs next season, then attend Boston University in the 2026-27 season, shares Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News. Kennedy mentions that Wassilyn’s return to juniors wasn’t previously guaranteed. This news puts the cherry on top of a productive summer for Niagara. Wassilyn scored 39 points in 62 games of his rookie OHL season last year. He rivaled the team’s top-six by the end of the season, profiling as a sharp and mobile playmaker with a heavy, 200-pound frame. He’ll return to great company in Niagara – set to play alongside fellow top 2026 draft prospect Ryan Roobroeck, Winnipeg Jets prospect Kevin He, and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Czata.
Dallas Stars forward Mavrik Bourque will now be represented by agent Olivier Fortier, Vice President of Wasserman Hockey, per PuckPedia. Borque just wrapped up his rookie season in the NHL with 11 goals and 25 points in 73 games. It was a relatively calm performance, after Bourque won the AHL’s MVP award with 77 points in 71 games of the 2023-24 season. He did maintain a positive plus-minus and consistent lineup role through his first NHL season, even playing second-line minutes through certain points in the year. He’ll face the task of now cementing a spot up the lineup, and discovering his scoring prowess, ahead of restricted-free agency next summer.

Hintz Fully Recovered From Broken Foot

August 23, 2025 at 1:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

Stars center Roope Hintz has fully recovered from the broken foot he sustained late in the playoffs, relays NHL.com’s Tracey Myers. The injury ultimately didn’t need surgery and he will be ready to take part in training camp next month. Hintz came back for the final two games of the series before Dallas was eliminated by Edmonton but he was clearly not at his best given the injury. He finished fourth on the Stars in scoring last season after putting up 28 goals and 39 assists in 76 games while adding a dozen points in 17 postseason appearances. It was the first time in four years that he didn’t reach the 30-goal mark, something he might have been able to reach had he been fully healthy during the regular season.

Gulutzan Focused On Making Stars More Physical

August 20, 2025 at 4:06 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 3 Comments

The Dallas Stars are in the midst of a frustrating streak. They’ve lost in the Western Conference Finals in each of the last three seasons, including back-to-back losses at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers. In an effort to curb their bad luck, Dallas went directly to the source to fill their head coaching vacancy earlier this summer. They hired Oilers assistant Glen Gulutzan, who brings the sharp assessment of Dallas’ roster that only a Conference rival could have. In an interview with Sean Shapiro of the Dallas Magazine, Gulutzan shared that his key focus for the 2025-26 Stars will be playing more physical.

Gulutzan’s critique of Dallas’ style certainly lands at a good time. The Stars delivered the fewest hits in the league, at even-strength, last season (1,160 total hits). They were also on the receiving end of more hits than any other club (1,963 total hits received). It was the second-straight season that Dallas ranked dead-last in the NHL in terms of hits-given versus hits-received – but Gulutzan’s urge to address that weakness won’t take too much improvement. The Oilers have also been among the league’s most out-hit clubs, ranking second-to-last in the 2024-25 season and fifth-to-last in 2023-24.

Even with that standing, Gulutzan acknowledged how much a dash of physicality transformed the Oilers. He pointed directly to the growth of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl over the last two seasons. McDavid recorded a career-high 118 hits in the 2023-24 season, while Draisaitl reached 58 hits, the second-highest mark of his career. Both players took a major step back in hits this season – McDavid recording just 40, and Draisaitl recording 23 – but star talent leaning into the physical game clearly inspired the Oilers lineup. Gulutzan told Shapiro:

You had to ask the elite players to use their skills and smarts to check, not to deliver big body checks, but to check and add a little physicality each shift… And the reality is that’s the evolution of that group. It happened because [McDavid and Draisitl] wanted it to happen, and reinforced it for everyone. I look at our team [in Dallas]. I’m putting the energy in the same spot

To their credit, Dallas does have their fair share of bruisers at the top of the lineup. Rookie Lian Bichsel managed an incredible 155 hits in just 38 games last season, confidently leading all NHL defensemen in hits-per-60 minutes played. The Stars also continue to receive heavy physicality from captain Jamie Benn, who has recorded at least 100 hits in three of the last four seasons – and 97 hits in his sole off-year. But Gulutzan will ask for more out of the rest of the team’s stars – a group likely to include Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston who managed 60, 53, 48, and 45 hits last season respectively.

A new brand of physicality could be the piece that pushes Dallas past their Western Conference foes. The Florida Panthers just won back-to-back Stanley Cups on the heels of high-pressure forechecking opening ground for their star scorers. That will be the mantra Dallas looks to adopt under new head coach Gulutzan, as they look to pave their way past the Western Conference for the first time since 2020 next season.

Bichsel Looking For Extended Role

August 11, 2025 at 8:24 pm CDT | by Paul Griser 3 Comments

With the Dallas Stars parting ways with veterans Cody Ceci, Mathew Dumba and Brendan Smith, the door is fully open for 21-year-old defender Lian Bichsel to make a full impact on the blue line this season, per NHL.com’s Mike Heika.

Last season, during his rookie year, Bichsel, the Stars’ first-round pick in the 2022 draft (18th overall), appeared in 38 games, recording nine points, 23 blocked shots, and a team-leading 155 hits. The hulking 6’7″, 230-pound defenseman also suited up for 18 playoff games, contributing one assist and adding 75 more hits. His 16.4 hits per 60 minutes last season was nearly 10 higher than the second-place finisher (Colin Blackwell with 6.9).

A native of Switzerland, Bichsel appeared in the Swedish Hockey League for three seasons before coming over to North America, and worked his way into Dallas’ lineup in short order. And as Heika notes, Bichsel could slot into a variety of pairings on the Stars’ third defensive unit, but skating alongside veteran Alexander Petrovic would give him a steady, experienced presence. The two also have experience playing as a pairing in the AHL.

Stars Sign Nathan Bastian

August 9, 2025 at 11:02 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

The Stars have added some depth on the wing as the team announced that they’ve signed Nathan Bastian to a one-year, one-way contract. The agreement will pay the league minimum of $775K. GM Jim Nill released the following statement:

Nathan will add forward depth and a physical presence to our lineup, both of which will be valuable to our organization. We’re looking forward to watching him take the next step of his career with the Stars and are excited to welcome him to Dallas.

The 27-year-old has parts of six NHL seasons under his belt, most of which came with New Jersey, which drafted him in the second round back in 2016. Before now, his only time away from the Devils since that time came when Seattle selected him in the 2021 Expansion Draft but just two months later, the Kraken waived Bastian with New Jersey quickly reclaiming him.

Last season, Bastian played in 59 games for the Devils, picking up four goals and six assists along with 138 hits in just under 11 minutes per night of playing time. That stat line lines up with most of his seasons as he has yet to reach 20 points in a single year while he has only hit the double-digit mark in goals once, that coming back in 2021-22. However, he averages 223 hits per 82 games played, giving the Stars some extra physicality in their lineup.

Dallas has largely stayed quiet as expected in free agency this season with the bulk of their moves coming from either re-signing players or making trades. As things stand, he’s likely to battle with Oskar Back and Colin Blackwell for playing time on the fourth line while starting out as the 13th forward is a realistic outcome as well.

At the moment, the Stars project to be very tight against the salary cap with a 23-player roster coming in just a few hundred thousand below the Upper Limit, per PuckPedia. Accordingly, this could very well be it for their free agent moves with a big chunk of their roster from last season’s run to the Western Conference Final returning as from here on out, any addition will require money coming off their books as well.

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