After falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals, the Stars failed to get out of the first round for the next two seasons, before making the Western Conference Finals in 2023. There, they fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights. In 2024, they once again made the Western Conference Finals, but fell to the Edmonton Oilers in six games.

So, how did the Stars’ 2024-25 season go, and what have they done this off-season? Let’s find out!

How the season went

Last season, the Stars finished with a 52-21-9 record for 113 points, the most in the Western Conference. They didn’t do as well in 2024-25, as they finished with a 50-26-6 record, good enough for 106 points in a stacked Central Division.

They kicked off a series against the Colorado Avalanche, with the two teams splitting the first six games. Game 7 saw the Avalanche score less than a minute into the third period to put the Stars on the brink. However, former Avalanche Mikko Rantanen scored twice, got an assist (along with Matt Duchene) on the game-winning goal, and capped off the comeback and hat trick with an empty netter.

Against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets, the Stars jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, lost Game 5 by a score of 4-0, but found the game-winning goal early in overtime thanks to defenceman Thomas Harley. This sent the Stars to their third consecutive Western Conference Final with a rematch against the Oilers.

Unfortunately, the Stars lost four consecutive games after winning Game 1, sending them packing once again.

Leading the team in points was Duchene, who scored 30 goals and 82 points in 82 games. Jason Robertson wasn’t too far behind in points with 80, but he led the team with 35 goals. Wyatt Johnston was their other 30-goal scorer, potting 33 goals with 71 points. Roope Hintz had another strong season, finishing with 28 goals and 67 points.

Harley found a new level in 2024-25, scoring 16 goals and 49 points, while Es Lindell scored five goals and 26 points. Miro Heiskanen was injured for a significant portion of the regular season, as well as the post-season, but he finished with five goals and 25 points.

Tyler Seguin also missed significant time, scoring nine goals and 21 points in 20 games, while Jamie Benn scored 16 goals and 49 points in 80 games. After the trade, Rantanen scored five goals and 18 points in 20 games, along with nine goals and 13 points in 18 post-season games.

Between the pipes, Jake Oettinger finished with a .909 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average in 58 games.

Drafted players

Despite being a Stanley Cup contender, the Stars had a fair share of picks in the 2025 draft. Their first pick was with the 94th overall pick, where they selected Cameron Schmidt 94th overall. Calgary Hitmen forward Brandon Gorzynski was their fourth-round pick. With two picks in the fifth round, the Stars selected Atte Joki and Mans Goos.

Their final two picks were from the Canadian Hockey League, selecting Acadie-Bathurst Titan’s Dawson Sharkey in the sixth round and Guelph Storm’s Charlie Paquette in the seventh round.

Trades

Since the off-season began, the Stars have made two trades to clear cap space. On Jun. 19, they traded Mason Marchment to the Seattle Kraken for a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick, clearing $4.5 million. That said, Marchment finished the 2024-25 season with 22 goals and 47 points in 62 games, so it’s no small price.

Their other trade saw them move a 2028 second-round pick and Matt Dumba to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Vladislav Kolyachonok, clearing $3.75 million in cap space.

Free agent signings

As for the Stars’ free agent signings, their biggest move was re-signing Radek Faksa to a three-year deal worth $2 million annually. Faksa was traded before the 2024-25 season to the St. Louis Blues, and he had spent his entire career with the Stars before the move.

Instead, the Stars focused on re-signing players, signing Duchene, Nils Lundkvist, Mavrik Bourque, Jamie Benn, and Colin Blackwell.

As for their coaching situation, the Stars fired Pete DeBoer and hired former Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. This isn’t Gulutzan’s first stint behind the Stars bench, as he was their head coach in 2011-12 and 2012-13. He’s spent the past seven years as an assistant coach for the Oilers.

Departures

On top of losing Marchment (and Dumba), the Stars lost two of their trade deadline acquisitions: Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci. The former signed with the Anaheim Ducks, while Ceci signed a contract with the Los Angeles Kings.

Moreover, Evgenii Dadonov signed with the New Jersey Devils after scoring 20 goals and 40 points in 80 games last season.

What the team looks like heading into 2025-26

Despite the departures of Dadonov, Marchment, and Granlund, the Stars are still a strong team up front. At centre, they have Hintz, Duchene, Johnston, and Faksa, with Seguin having the ability to play centre if need be. On the wing, Robertson, Rantanen, Seguin, Benn, and Borque back up a strong core, with Oskar Back, Sam Steel, and Blackwell as a supporting cast.

The left side of their defence is strong as well, as it features Lindell, Harley, and Lian Bichsel, who had a solid post-season. Heiskanen is a left-shot defenceman playing on the right side, and that’s because the Stars don’t have a ton of great options on there. Ilya Lyubushkin and Lundkvist round out the defence core.

In net, Oettinger looks to return to the goalie he was before playing the Oilers in the Western Conference Finals.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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