Can Glen Gulutzan Lead the Dallas Stars to a Stanley Cup?
Right now, the Dallas Stars are in the same spot as all other 31 NHL teams.
Late June, off-season, and their names on the way-too-early 2027 Stanley Cup betting odds according to sites like DraftKings.
For the Stars, they are looking at themselves in the mirror, figuring out who they feel is best to lead them to a win in the last game in June.
Today, we’re looking at Glen Gulutzan. He will enter his sophomore year as the rehired head coach of the Stars.
Playoff Streaking
One positive sign of a team that wants to win it all is a five-year playoff streak. Teams that win the Stanley Cup tend to win it in consecutive years in the postseason. Teams that learn to win after taking enough losses along the way. Unless a series of shocking, unlikely events follow, the Stars will be a playoff team for a sixth straight year, which would be a franchise best in Dallas history.
Aside from a couple of teams, such as the 2019 St. Louis Blues and the 2023 Vegas Golden Knights, you will be hard-pressed to find a team going the distance that isn’t in the playoffs annually. Momentum and experience are crucial in those battles when the league starts its process of elimination.
Defensive Reputation
Defense, aside from a postseason injury to Nils Lundkvist, is not a major problem in Dallas. While people all over social media like to criticize the right side of their defense annually, the Stars are among the top defenses in the NHL every year. It’s easy for many Dallas fans to forget that they have an embarrassment of riches on defense. Miro Heiskanen is arguably the best hybrid defenseman in the game today. Esa Lindell might be the best defensive defenseman in the league.
For Gulutzan, defensive schemes are no problem. He’s known to teach good defense. Such as shot blocking and hitting. Two things the Stars improved on from 2025. The Edmonton Oilers’ defense also notably struggled after he left their assistant coaching role.
Plenty of Questions
Dallas is an annual NHL contender. They’ll be shooting to make the playoffs, and more than likely will set a franchise record next spring for consecutive playoff appearances. So the stage is set for this team, with veterans and youth, to make a run at the Cup.
But there are reasons why they bowed out in the first round. You can point out that they faced the third-best team in the West, the Minnesota Wild. However, to win the Stanley Cup, you still have to win 16 games in the playoffs. Period. Five-on-five goal scoring and depth scoring were far and away the biggest issues facing the Stars back in April. Aside from the injuries, and a few guys not being at 100%, of course.
Gulutzan has yet to head-coach a team past round one in the postseason.
With a deep, playoff-tested roster that should be a lot healthier come October after a short playoff run, 2026-2027 looks to be a prove-it year for Gully at the helm: no matter what happens this summer, and the talks about Jason Robertson and Mavrik Bourque.
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Categorized:Stars