What’s Next for the Dallas Stars?

The offseason is now underway for the Dallas Stars. All they can do now is watch the Vegas Golden Knights inch closer to the Stanley Cup.

Vegas is 2 wins away, and now the Stars are asking a tale decades old; when will it be our turn?

The Stars were 2 wins away themselves in 2020. Almost but never enough. Now it’s time to focus on the 2023-2024 season. Getting 16 wins in the playoff is the ultimate goal.

First is the NHL Draft, where the Stars don’t hold a lot of real estate. They traded away their 1st and 3rd Round picks, so there are no big splashes.

Free Agency is the place where the Stars are going to build a team.

Here’s how they can.

Draft

The Stars traded away their 1st Round 29th overall pick to the New York Rangers in exchange for Nils Lundkvist. That pick now goes to St. Louis. The 3rd Round pick went to Arizona in exchange for Scott Wedgewood. The Stars only have 5 picks in the upcoming draft.

Unless a trade happens, don’t expect lots of action approaching the Stars.

Free Agency

Money is an important issue for the Stars. Signing big-name free agents like Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, or Ryan O’Reilly isn’t likely. The Stars currently have $7,394,670 in cap space starting on July 1st. Potential departures from Max Domi, Evgenii Dadanov, and Joel Kiviranta mean roster spots need filling.

Max Domi placed 4th on the team for points in the playoffs, so re-signing him is beneficial. Finding a championship-caliber team with a limited budget is always a difficult task, but Jim Nill finds a way.

That Step Further

The Stars shocked the World in 2020 when they competed in the Stanley Cup Final. That experience became a fever dream for the Stars even though they lost. 2020 seems like a decade ago. The Stars jumped from a 1st Round exit in 2022 to a 3rd Round loss in 2023. They have been making substantial progressive progress over the last several years. Making it to another Stanley Cup Final, let alone winning it, is next year’s goal.

Players like Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, and Jake Oettinger are getting better every year. This young core of players is getting veteran experience every year with older players. Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin are helping out the future generations of this team. Benn and Pavelski are players that need a Stanley Cup before they retire.

Next year for the Stars starts now, beginning with the offseason.

Featured Image: Dallas Stars/Twitter