The Dallas Stars are heading into free agency with their roster situation hanging in the balance and very little room to breathe.
After a deal that would have sent Thomas Harley to Columbus and brought Zach Werenski to Dallas fell apart, the Stars now find themselves dealing with a cap-space crunch and several unfinished business items all at once. General manager Jim Nill has just over nine million dollars in cap space, but that money has to stretch a long way before the club can even think about adding outside help.
The biggest priority remains Jason Robertson, along with Mavrik Bourque and Arttu Hyry. Dallas gave all three qualifying offers, but until contracts are signed, they are exposed to offer sheets starting tomorrow before free agency begins. That puts even more pressure on a front office already trying to juggle a tight budget.
Jamie Benn’s situation is also still unresolved. The Stars have not made a decision on whether the captain is returning or what his next contract would look like. Beyond that, Dallas has several unrestricted free agents to sort through in Adam Erne, Michael Bunting, Nathan Bastian and Alexander Petrovic.
Unless Nill finds a way to create room quickly, Dallas does not look like a team positioned to make major moves when free agency opens. Still, Nill has won the GM of the Year award three times, and the Stars are clearly hoping that track record matters now more than ever.
Cap space could come from elsewhere if Dallas can move some money out. Nill had been trying to trade Ilya Lyubushkin at the deadline to open space for Blake Coleman, and that idea could still be alive.
Another possibility would be moving Sam Steel or Radek Faksa. The problem is simple: everyone around the league knows Dallas needs relief, and that makes finding a fair deal even tougher.
For now, the Stars are left waiting to see who stays, who goes, and whether Nill can somehow pull the club out of a mess that has turned free agency into a high-wire act.
In Other News...
Mason Marchment's Next Move Will Sting For Stars Fans
Mason Marchment is headed into another chapter after a season that already had him bouncing between teams, and the move carries a familiar sting for Dallas fans who watched him find his best form here. Since 2019-20, Marchment has piled up 234 points in 370 regular season games, but his most productive stretch came with the Stars in 2023-24, when he delivered 22 goals and 53 points and looked like a strong fit in the lineup.
Now the next contract and the long runway attached to it shift the conversation entirely, especially with the family tie that runs through his late father, Bryan Marchment, and the Sharks organization. For Dallas, it is another reminder that a useful middle-six piece who could help drive offense is gone for good, and the loss is likely to linger because of how well he had settled in before the latest turn in his career. [Read more 🡒]
Jason Robertson Suddenly Sits At Center Of A Brutal Stars Decision
Jason Robertson has landed squarely in the middle of a decision the Stars would rather not be making this time of year. A report from The Athletic says Pittsburgh has interest in prying the winger away from Dallas, with Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas among those who reportedly values Robertson highly. For the Stars, the issue is not whether Robertson can play - his production has already answered that - but how his market and long-term price tag fit into a roster that has to keep stacking contenders.
The tension is in what Dallas would have to give up, and what it would take to keep a player of Robertsons caliber from becoming part of another teams pitch. Robertson is viewed as a player whose next deal could climb into territory that forces real organizational choices, and the Penguins pursuit only adds pressure around those talks. If the Stars ever decide this conversation goes beyond curiosity, the framework of any return could say plenty about how they see their own window. [Read more 🡒]