NHL's Top Issues Facing the Dallas Stars: Cup Final Hopes, Replacing Pavelski, and Stankoven
Adam Proteau says the Dallas Stars' burning questions include getting to the Cup final, replacing retired star Joe Pavelski and the impact of rookie Logan Stankoven.
You’re reading the newest edition of THN.com’s ongoing series looking at the top issues facing every NHL team this coming season.
Today, we’re focusing on three key issues facing the Dallas Stars.
1. How can the Stars avoid becoming the Carolina Hurricanes, a perennial Stanley Cup contender that cannot make it to the final?
The Stars have been one of the NHL’s better teams in the past two seasons, finishing first or second in the Central Division and winning two rounds in each of the past two Stanley Cup playoffs.
However, in the Western Conference final, they’ve fallen twice in six games in the last two post-seasons.
Like the Hurricanes, Dallas isn’t happily accepting limited success. This summer, the Stars made many notable moves – many of which were the result of salary cap pressure – including saying goodbye to veteran defensemen Chris Tanev, Ryan Suter and Jani Hakanpaa. As well, now-retired star forward Joe Pavelski leaves a big hole in the lineup.
Does that mean the Stars are going to take a step backward this year? We think not.
That’s because Dallas’ core of young talent – Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Jake Oettinger, Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven and Thomas Harley – are going to be major contributors in 2024-25 and beyond.
So long as they get internal improvement, the Stars can take that next competitive step, and they’re going to be the sexy pick of many pundits to win it all this year.
Time is always of the essence, of course, but Dallas’ draft and development team (including elite GM Jim Nill) has given them a large window in which to get to the Cup final and win the second championship in team history.
The stars (no pun intended) must line up for them the way they have to line up for all Cup-winning squads, but if they stay healthy when the games matter most, the Stars have what it takes to be champs.
2. Who fills in the gap of their second-top scoring forward last year in Joe Pavelski?
Pavelski generated 27 goals and 67 points in his final NHL season last year, and those totals will not be easily reproduced in 2024-25. However, his spot on Dallas’ top line will likely be filled in by Johnston, who posted a career-best 32 goals and 65 points last season at only 21 years old.
Johnston is entering a contract year this year, but he’ll be an RFA next summer, and if he wants a lucrative extension similar to what the Seattle Kraken gave to 21-year-old center Matty Beniers this summer, Johnston needs to produce at least that much offense, if not more.
Nill also has youngsters Logan Stankoven (more on him below) and Mavrik Bourque to look to for increased offense contributions, so it’s safe to say Dallas won’t be hurting for goals this year.
Losing Pavelski’s veteran expertise can’t be a wholly positive thing, but the Stars’ tremendous pipeline of talent will blunt the pain of being without a year-in, year-out star like Pavelski.
3. Will this season be the Logan Stankoven show?
The 21-year-old Stankoven spent much of last season in the American League, where he scored 24 goals and 57 points in 47 games, proving he’s an NHL talent. In his first 24 NHL games last year, Stankoven posted six goals and 14 points – and in the playoffs, he had three goals and eight points in 19 games. Clearly, that’s a positive harbinger of what’s to come for him, but it might be somewhat premature to expect him to light the league on fire in 2024-25.
If Stankoven takes a lateral step or a small step back this coming year, he wouldn’t be the first to do so. We expect him to put up somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 goals and 40 to 50 points – and for such a young performer, those numbers would be terrific for him as he continues to acclimate to hockey’s top league. He should also challenge for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.
Stankoven doesn’t have to be the straw that stirs the drink in Dallas, and that absence of pressure should make his life easier this coming year. The Stars believe he’s a keeper, and we do as well, but he’s probably not going to be a superstar competitor just yet.