It’s no secret that the Dallas Stars have been dealing with a mountain of injuries so far this season. Whether it’s Matt Duchene dealing with a concussion, or Lian Bichsel going down due to a lower body injury, the list goes on and on and on and on every NHL season will continue to grow. Because the season has 82 games, this is inevitable. (This changes to 84 regular-season games starting in the 2026-2027 season, with the preseason reduced to four games.) Regardless, the Stars continue to show why they’re a top team in the NHL and why that means GM Jim Nill won’t be making any moves anytime soon.
The caveat to Stars center Tyler Seguin’s injury is cap relief. If you like Stars writer Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News I now highly recommend it. According to Assimakopoulos, placing Seguin on LTIR gives the Stars $3.8 million in cap space due to the new LTIR rules. The benefit is limited to the previous season’s average annual salary until the team decides to officially close Seguin for the entire season, including the playoffs. If Seguin is shut down for good this season, the Stars will get the total salary allocated to Seguin, which is $9.85 million. As mentioned, Nill has done so much with so little and if he gets the chance to work with that much cap space at the trade deadline, Stars fans are reeling, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
While the thought of the Stars’ front office impressing a big-name forward or defenseman excites anyone dressed in victory green, what’s the point? The Dallas Stars defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 on Tuesday night at the Canada Life Center after jumping ahead with the worst lead in hockey (3-0). The road victory set a franchise record 13 road games. That gives the Stars 21 wins and 47 points in 31 games and keeps the pressure on the league-leading Colorado Avalanche, who suffered a shootout loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. That being said, the Stars continue to find ways to win no matter who is on the bench night in and night out.
This is partly thanks to new head coach Glen Gulutzan, who said in an interview with D Magazine in August: “It’s not just hitting,” he said. D magazine. “It’s in the rubbing and racing, the heavy turns and holding pucks, that part of the game. I think it’s going to be even more important this year just because the schedule is a shortened season.” [for the Olympics]. So it’s important to have guys who understand their roles so it’s easier to build a team that’s ready for the next step and playoff hockey becomes a step, not a transfer.”
Under Gulutzan and his staff, the Stars have revamped their identity into a team that shows they can compete with any team on any night, regardless of lineup. It is clear that the Stars have fully bought into the Gulutzan mentality with great performances from Mikko Rantanen, who is off to one of the best starts as a Dallas Star in fifty games played (18-40-58), along with Neal Broten and Mike Gartner. Add in the dynamic goaltending duo of Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith, along with point streaks from Jason Robertson and power play dominance from Wyatt Johnston, and you have one of, if not the most dangerous team in the NHL right now.
The Stars have been in the conversation as Stanley Cup favorites for years, and while Stars fans say, “This could be our year,” there is a genuine sentiment in Dallas that the Stars could be in a position to make one of the strongest attempts for the Stanley Cup in the window that seems wide open.
I’ll continue to keep an eye on potential suitors and packages that Jim Nill could make once the trade deadline approaches, but for now I recommend Stars fans sit back and enjoy the show. This is a special hockey variant.
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