Dallas Stars Head Into 2026-27 With Unfinished Business and One Big Asterisk

Dallas went 50-20-12 for 112 points last season, finished second in the Central, and made another deep playoff run before falling to Minnesota in the first round. The roster is essentially the same, which is both a strength and a source of frustration. The Robertson situation keeps this from being a clean A.

Last season in review

The numbers from 2025-26 are genuinely impressive. Dallas scored 279 goals (ninth in the league at 3.33 per game) while allowing only 226 (second-best in the NHL at 2.71 per game). That combination of offensive punch and defensive structure is rare, and it reflects a team that is well-coached and deep at every level.

Jason Robertson led the club with 96 points (45 goals, 51 assists). Wyatt Johnston matched him goal-for-goal at 45 and added 41 assists for 86 points. Mikko Rantanen, in his first full season in Dallas, contributed 77 points despite missing time to injury. Jake Oettinger posted a 35-12-6 record with a .899 save percentage, reliable if not spectacular.

The power play was second in the league at 28.6 percent. The penalty kill was solid but not elite at 80.3 percent, good for 13th. Those are the contours of a legitimate Stanley Cup contender that still has a couple of areas to tighten.

Ins and outs

• In: Joel Kiviranta (signed, one-year, $1 million)
• In: Sam Steel (signed four-year, $14.8 million extension through 2030-31, announced Sept. 21)
• Out: Mavrik Bourque (traded to Nashville Predators along with Ilya Lyubushkin for draft picks)
• Out: Ilya Lyubushkin (traded to Nashville as part of Bourque deal)
• Out: Alexander Petrovic (signed two-year contract with Florida Panthers)
• Out: Tyler Myers (departed)

Jason Robertson avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $12 million deal on July 21, keeping him in Dallas through 2026-27. A long-term extension cannot be discussed until January 1.

The big question

Everything in Dallas circles back to Robertson. He is signed for this season only, and the earliest the two sides can negotiate an extension is January 1. If a deal is not in place before the March 1 trade deadline, the Stars will face a genuine dilemma: move their best scorer or risk losing him for nothing next summer. A sign-and-trade to Seattle fell apart in June when Robertson declined a reported eight-year, $120 million deal with the Kraken. That episode made clear he has leverage, and it will hang over this franchise all season.

X-factor

Roope Hintz. He was limited by a hamstring injury last regular season and did not play in the playoffs at all, which means his production is essentially missing from what was already a strong team. Hintz is a two-time 70-point scorer and a three-time 30-goal scorer. If he stays healthy, Dallas's top six becomes deeper and more dangerous than anything it showed in 2025-26. His chemistry with Rantanen and Miro Heiskanen gives the coaching staff real flexibility.

Bold prediction

Dallas wins the Central Division this season. The offence is too deep and the defence too structured for a team that finished second with 112 points and a healthy Hintz still to come.

The outlook

The Stars open at home against St. Louis on Oct. 2 as one of the two or three best teams in the Western Conference. The cap is tight, Tyler Seguin is recovering from ACL surgery and the Robertson clock is ticking. But the foundation here is real, and this group has been to three consecutive Western Conference Finals. They know how to get there. Whether they can finally get past that stage is the only question that matters in Dallas right now.