Every summer, teams across the NHL look to make some big deals to improve their roster ahead of a new season. However, that sometimes comes with having to lose some players. Â With a relatively shallow draft this year and many teams having minimal cap space available, there will likely be a focus on trades and free agency this offseason.
One such team who are keen to make some key trades is the Dallas Stars. While the Stars managed to reach the Western Conference Finals for the third straight year, they once again failed to make the Stanley Cup Finals.
With this, the names they sign this offseason are crucial. But with limited cap space, every move matters. With the offseason just kicking off, Dallas has already made one move that seemingly pushes them further down the corner.
Dallas Stars in a Tough Space After Recent Deal Made Final
The Stars recently retained center Matt Duchene for a four-year deal worth $18 million with an average annual value of $4.5 million. With 30 goals and 52 assists, Duchene was instrumental for the Stars. But according to PuckPedia, the contract has increased the team’s major cap space issues.
After the extension, Dallas now has just $455,084 remaining in their cap space. For now, they must operate with this limited financial capabilities while having seven players heading to free agency. That is a lot of holes to fill with limited finaical resources.
After signing Matt Duchene to 4x$4.5M extension, #TexasHockey now have just $455,084 available in cap space for 25-26. 😬
Pending UFA: Benn, Granlund, Dadonov, Blackwell, Smith, Ceci
Pending RFA: Bourque, Lundkvist@PuckPediahttps://t.co/W4qdgluugv— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) June 19, 2025
In addition to this, they also have two restricted free agents in their squad. Center Mavrik Bourque and defenseman Nils Lundkvist both have to be sorted out from the squad. With their contracts of $1.25 million and $894K, respectively, it doesn’t seem like the Stars can choose to retain them.
In addition to the RFAs, the Stars also have multiple UFAs on their roster, with the likes of Jamie Benn, Evgenii Dadonov, and Mikael Granlund, among others. Dallas has less than two weeks to figure out a deal for these players, or else the squad will be in serious trouble.
One solution that the Stars can arrive at is trading winger Jason Robertson, who has seen rumors of both the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings being interested in him. But with him still having another year on his contract and being the second-best point scorer after Duchene, there are chances the Stars won’t let him go.
Another factor that would trouble the Stars is that they don’t have a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. With no picks in the second round as well, the Stars don’t have a pick until the third round.
With minimal cap space and fewer chances to get good prospects in the draft, the Stars need to sell some of their key players if they hope to rebuild their hopes of another playoff run.
