This is a question that many fans, hockey observers or analysts ask themselves today. Will this be the year when the Stars will once again find a recipe for winning the third Stanley Cup in their modern history, or will the Dallas Stars definitely fall into mediocrity or even lower after an extremely successful decade. Will it be a controlled fall or a painful or shocking catapult? Or will the Stars simply rise up from within?

After the departure of the first center Evgeni Malkin, the new era begins in the Dallas Stars organization, Malkin, who has been with the team since 2019 and significantly contributed to the aforementioned team's successes, new questions, new expectations, but also new goals and, above all, new possibilities for new players or players who until now did not have the space or ice time to show what they can really do at their best.


Let it not sound like there have been any huge changes made in the team apart from Malkin's departure, the complete opposite is rather true, the skeleton of the team has remained intact, long-term mainstays in the offense such as Grigorenko, Sprong, Burakowski, Galchenyuk or captain Armia are still here ready for the next great seasons. With the departure of Malkin, the young stars such as Kaliyev and Gunler should get even more space on the ice and beat their previous highs and fully realize their true potential and become real NHL stars.


Defenseman JJ Moser, who was taken by the Oilers via offer sheet which the Stars management decided not to match, left the defense group and the team accepted the given compensation, which is a selection in the second round of the next draft from the Edmonton Oilers. A new key addition to the defense will certainly be the arrival of veteran Seth Jones, who arrived from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Cristobal Nieves. The departure of Nieves should provide more ice time and more opportunities for players from the second wave such as Conner Bleackley or Ty Dellandrea, or even rookie Nate Danielson, who is definitely ready to be an everyday player in the NHL. New additions to the bottom six will be Samuel Fagemo from the New Jersey Devils, who is not afraid to fight for his team, or Alexander Wennberg, who spent last year in the AHL, but will probably play in the big league this season. Jack Perbix, who came from the waiver list at the end of last season, should also find a place in the lineup. He still has a room to grow. Other options in the offense in case of injury are Jesse Koskenkorva, who had an excellent year in the AHL last season in the Los Angeles Kings organization.

As previously mentioned, Seth Jones, a native Texan, who is looking forward to playing in his home state for the first time in his career, basically replaced Moser on defense. Young defensemen Alex Cotton and Alex Vlasic should also get more opportunities to continue their growth and prove that they are good NHL defensemen for the future. Due to the cap crunch last season, defenseman Braden Schneider didn't play as much as many would have like, but that should be different starting this season. He should regularly play around 18 minutes per game, since he recently signed a new long-term contract. Other defensemen who may get a chance in the NHL in the next season could be former Washington Capitals prospect, defensive defenseman, Filip Johansson or another new player in the team Danila Galenyuk, or other players who have been in the Stars farm system for a long time such as Alec Regula, Michael Callahan or Slava Demin.

The best prospect in the system is currently young center Riley Heidt, drafted 24th overall in 2023. He should play regularly in the AHL this season and it is assumed that at the end of the season he could get a chance to show his potential in the big league. Newly drafted first rounder, Norwegian forward, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard will stay in the OHL and gain experience with the Plymouth Whalers. He has the potential to be a quality reliable forward in the top-six, who should be relied upon both in powerplay unit and as a penalty killing option. He???s very responsible defensively but also owns a really fast and accurate shot.


Finally, as far as the goaltenders are concerned, Filip Gustavsson, the mainstay in the goal from last season is staying in Dallas, and the goalkeeping tandem will be completed by his compatriot, Felix Sandstrom, who signed a two-year contract with the team as a free agent in the summer. He comes from the Carolina Hurricanes, where he served for a long time as a starting goalie where he performed very well.
On top of that, veteran goalie Malcolm Subban will also be ready for action from the AHL at any time, who will certainly help his younger colleague Isaiah Saville in the Texas Stars team.


Next up: Convo with the GM and Head Coach about the summer and the next season.