Jamie Benn (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)Better luck next year.
The Dallas Stars are going home empty-handed after they couldn’t come back against the Edmonton Oilers.
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After falling out of their third consecutive Western Conference Final, it’s clear that things need to change. One of the things the team could do is not extend contracts to a few veterans.
Here are three Stars players who shouldn’t be back with the team once next year begins.
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Evgenii Dadonov
Evgenii Dadonov just finished his second full season with the Stars. The Florida Panthers draft selection recorded 20 goals and 20 assists in 80 games while playing 13:32 a night.
He is coming off of a $2.25 million contract. Dadonov providing 40 points during the regular season at that price point is great value for the team. However, as far as the playoffs are concerned, he should produce more than his measly four points in 16 games.
Cody Ceci
Cody Ceci is a serviceable defender in the NHL. However, deploying him as a top pairing or shutdown defender is placing him in a miscast role.
During the Stanley Cup Final last year, Ceci was relegated to the third-pairing. That isn’t a knock on the player, that’s simply a realistic view of what he is – a third-pairing defender on a Stanley Cup-calibre team.
His current price point of $3.25 is a little rich for someone in this deployment. The Stars would be better served to look elsewhere for a top-four defender.
Jamie Benn
Time’s up for Jamie Benn’s tenure in the organization. The current captain offers numerous intangibles that make him invaluable to the team.
Benn is coming off an eight-year, $9.5 million contract. During the 2024-25 season, he produced 49 points. That makes his offensive offers rather pricey, especially considering that Mason Marchment makes less than half of that but only produced two fewer points during the regular season.
For the Stars to truly progress next season, the team needs to move on from these players to open up roster positions for new, more effective players to take their place.
That’s the only way for them to have better luck next year.
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