The Dallas Stars have reason to be hopeful in 2025-26. They have been to the conference finals three straight years, and look to make it four in a row during this campaign. The Stars also had a successful summer in NHL Free Agency. As they attempt to get over the hump in the playoffs, it is time to make some bold predictions on their upcoming season.
The Pete DeBoer era in Dallas had some success. He joined the team for the 2022-23 season, getting second place in the division, but losing in the conference finals to his former employer, the Vegas Golden Knights. The coach would bring the franchise to two more conference finals, compiling a record of 149-68-29 in the regular season, and 29-27 in the playoffs. He was never able to get the team to the Stanley Cup Final, and after a disastrous series against the Edmonton Oilers back in May, he was let go.
The team decided to bring back a familiar face to be the new head coach. The Stars hired Glen Gulutzan to be behind the bench. He has not had much success as a head coach. In his first stint with the Stars, the team missed the playoffs both times. Then, the coach would head to the Calgary Flames for two seasons, making the playoffs once, but being swept in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks. He rebuilt his coaching reputation over the last seven seasons, working as an assistant coach for the Oilers. Now he looks to bring the success he had in Edmonton to Dallas.
Mikko Rantanen puts up over 100 points
One of the biggest moves in the regular season for the Stars was trading for Mikko Rantanen. The Finn was solid in his time with Dallas in the regular season, playing in 20 games, finding the back of the net five times, and adding 13 assists. Still, 18 points in 20 games places him on pace for just 74 points in 82 games. That would be a major disappointment for Dallas. In his final two full seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, he amassed 100 points in each campaign. He also had 64 points in 49 games before being traded, placing him on pace for 115 points.
There is one major difference between the two situations. In Colorado, he played alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. This gave Rantanen more open ice to work with and took some of the defensive focus away from him. In Dallas, he has Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen in those spots. While both are solid players, they are not at the level of MacKinnon and Makar.
There is good reason to believe the winger will return to his 100-point stature. First, he had to adjust twice to new teammates last season, playing 13 games with the Carolina Hurricanes and then 20 in Dallas. Second, his playoff performance showed he can be the spotlight player. In 18 games in the playoffs, he lit the lamp nine times while adding 13 helpers. That is good for 1.22 points per game, or a pace of 100 points in 82 games.
Meanwhile, his advanced statistics skyrocketed in the playoffs. His IPP, individual point percentage, shooting percentage, and expected goals rate were all at paces that would have eclipsed his best seasons in Colorado. While 18 games is a small sample size, 18 games when pressure is at its highest show he is ready to be the guy for the Stars, and he will easily surpass 100 points this year.
Wyatt Johnston breaks the 40-goal marker
Wyatt Johnston's goal total has slowly increased year over year. In his first full season, he lit the lamp 24 times, and would increase that total to 32 in 2023-24. Then, in the 2024-25 campaign, he beat the goaltender 33 times. He will make the jump to 40 goals in the upcoming season. To begin with, his projected line pairing is a perfect setup for a major outbreak of goals from the Canadian. He is projected to be set up with Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene. Duchene led the team with 52 assists last season. Further, he was the primary assist 26 times, with most of those going into high-danger scoring areas. Johnston set a career high in converting high-danger scoring chances, both in total and conversion rate, during the 2024-25 run.
Moreover, Jamie Benn had 33 assists, but two-thirds of them were primary, which works perfectly with the 26 secondary assists of Duchene to help find Johnston. The return of Duchene was perfect for a breakout season from the team's former first-round pick. Another reason for a major bump is the foot injury of Roope Hintz. While Hintz has said his broken foot is fully healed, injuries to the foot in hockey can easily flare back up. It could cause Hintz to miss some time. If that happens, Johnston would likely move to the top line, being paired with Rantanen and Jason Robertson, which would once again increase his goal-scoring chances. Combining all this with the fact that he is projected to be on the top powerplay unit, Johnston is scoring 40 goals this season.
The Stars contend for the President's Trophy
The Stars finished second in the Central Division behind the Winnipeg Jets, who won the President's Trophy as the NHL's top regular season team. This year, the Stars will make a run at it. To begin with, odds at the time of writing, provided by FanDuel, project the Stars to win the division. They also project a step back for the Jets. Also, the Stars still have the overall depth of talent advantage over the Avalanche. A major reason for the Jets' success was their star goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck. Jake Oettinger had a slight down year compared to his career standards. If he can rebound to the level of 2021-22 or 2022-23, the Stars will win more games. That will put them in a position to win the trophy.
Further, they will get a full year of Rantanen, which will increase the win total as well. The schedule also sets up for the team to gain some immediate ground in the race for the President's Trophy. In their first 13 games, they face ten teams that made the playoffs last season. This includes the Jets, Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, and Oilers. A hot start will set them up for success and a run to be the top team in the regular season.
Still, that is not the ultimate goal for the team. While they are one of the favorites to reach the Stanley Cup Final again, winning the President's Trophy may not be the best thing for them. It has been over a decade since the winner of the President's Trophy also won the Stanley Cup. It last happened in 2012-13 when the Chicago Blackhawks accomplished the feat. The Stars will contend to be the best team in the league, but reaching their ultimate goal is going to be difficult.
