NHL Insider Reports Stars View Mavrik Bourque As Part Of Long-Term Plan

As the Dallas Stars navigate what figures to be a busy and expensive off-season, much of the conversation surrounding the organization has understandably centered on locking up star winger Jason Robertson. 

But tucked beneath the headline act is another restricted free agent situation that has quietly drawn attention from around the league, and one that Dallas appears determined to handle on its own terms.

Mavrik Bourque, 23, enters the off-season as a pending restricted free agent coming off a breakout campaign in which he posted 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points, providing Dallas with reliable secondary offense at a bargain $950,000 cap hit.

With another level of development still seemingly ahead of him, Bourque has attracted whispers league-wide as a potential offer sheet target, the kind of young forward with proven offensive upside that contending teams quietly covet.

The logic behind an offer sheet was straightforward enough. With Dallas's attention and cap space likely to be consumed by Robertson's new deal, one that figures to command top-dollar on the open market, some wondered whether Bourque might fall through the cracks, leaving an opening for a rival club willing to make a move.

Several teams around the league view him as a player still scratching the surface offensively, believing he has the tools to develop into a consistent 40-to-50-point contributor given a larger role and more responsibility.

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But according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, any team eyeing Bourque as an opportunity may want to think twice. Appearing on the FAN Hockey Show this past Thursday, Friedman was direct in conveying Dallas's position on the matter.

"There was a time this year I thought that Dallas would be vulnerable to [an offer sheet]," Friedman said. "I've heard Dallas has made it very clear that they see Bourque as a big part of their future."

That kind of organizational clarity tends to cool outside interest in a hurry. While the offer sheet remains a tool available to any team, the Stars sending an unambiguous message about Bourque's standing within the organization signals they intend to match whatever number comes his way, and would prefer to avoid that scenario altogether by getting a deal done.

What that deal looks like remains to be seen. Bourque's $950,000 cap hit is obviously not long for this world, and by most estimates he's in line for a significant raise, potentially landing somewhere in the range of $3-4 million per season depending on the structure and term.

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