The Dallas Stars have come close to reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the past two seasons, making back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Final. In 2023, they were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights. The following year, in 2024, they were ousted by the Edmonton Oilers, who went on to lose a seven-game series to the Florida Panthers in the Final.
One significant change to the Stars' roster this offseason is the retirement of veteran forward Joe Pavelski, concluding an impressive 18-year NHL career. Pavelski had a productive 2023-24 regular season with 27 goals and 40 assists. However, his offensive production took a sharp downturn in the playoffs, where he managed just one goal and three assists.
With his playing days behind him, Pavelski joins the club of high-profile former NHL players who could not win the Stanley Cup during their otherwise stellar careers.
In the meantime, there were several additional subtractions to the Stars roster that advanced to their second straight Conference Final:
- F Ty Dellandrea was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round draft selection
- F Radek Faksa was traded to the St. Louis Blues
- D Chris Tanev, who was acquired at the '24 Trade Deadline, signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs
- D Ryan Suter's contract was bought out; he then signed with the Blues
- D Jani Hakanpää signed with the Maple Leafs
- F Craig Smith signed with the Chicago Blackhawks
- G Scott Wedgewood signed with the Nashville Predators
Additionally, general manager Jim Nill also made a handful of additions to his roster to help alleviate the voids left by the aforementioned departures:
- D Matt Dumba was signed to a two-year deal; he played last year with Arizona and Tampa Bay
- D Ilya Lyubushkin was signed to a three-year deal; he played last year with Toronto
- D Brendan Smith was signed after playing last year with New Jersey
- G Casey DeSmith was signed; he played last year with Vancouver
With training camp for the Stars just around the corner, there's still time for one key move to address the offensive void left by Joe Pavelski’s retirement and other departures. Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, entering the final year of his contract, has been a prominent figure in trade rumors.
Ehlers has openly stated that he doesn’t intend to sign an extension, making him a prime trade candidate for Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. Recently, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period indicated that Cheveldayoff is currently exploring his options for the Danish forward, who carries an AAV of $6 million:
“According to a well-placed source close to the Jets, Ehlers is not interested in signing a contract extension with the club and that is primarily why Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is exploring his options via the trade market.”
Additionally, Bet MGM ranks Ehlers 3rd on their most recent NHL Offseason Trade Candidate Rankings list, further fueling speculation about his potential move.
Nikolaj Ehlers provides an offensive spark
A native of Aalborg, Denmark, Ehlers was selected ninth overall in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Jets and would make his NHL debut during the 2015-16 campaign. He's appeared in 605 regular season games, all with the Jets, and has scored 201 goals with 256 assists while adding four goals and 10 assists in 37 total postseason games.
Under now-former head coach Rick Bowness, Ehlers saw his ice time dip to under 16 minutes per game, though he still managed to amass a productive 61 points (25 goals, 36) assists for the Jets in 2023-24. Unfortunately, he only contributed a pair of assists in their opening round Stanley Cup Playoffs loss to the Colorado Avalanche this spring.
Given Ehlers' openness about seeking a change of scenery, the Dallas Stars could present an ideal landing spot. With just over $6 million in available salary cap space, the Stars could absorb his $6 million cap hit, making a potential trade financially feasible, even if the Jets didn't retain any of his salary.
Ehlers, with his offensive prowess and speed, would seamlessly fit into Dallas' top-six forward group, helping fill the void left by Joe Pavelski and boosting their scoring depth as they look to get over the hump and advance to the Cup Final.
One potential obstacle to a deal between the Stars and Jets is their status as division rivals, which traditionally makes high-profile deals between the two less likely. Teams often hesitate to strengthen a competitor within the same division, especially with a player like Ehlers who could make a direct impact.
However, with key Stars players like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin aging, Dallas GM Jim Nill may feel increased urgency to go “all in” and capitalize on their current title contention window.
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