The Dallas Stars are one of the most interesting teams to watch as the NHL offseason begins. Dallas has a ton of questions to answer, but they have limited wiggle room to make it all work. However, they made a big statement on Thursday with moves involving Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment.
On Thursday, Dallas signed Duchene to a four-year contract extension. The veteran forward signed a very team-friendly deal, which carries a $4.5 million cap hit. He receives a $1.5 million raise over his last two contracts after playing at a point-per-game level in 2024-25.
“We are thrilled to have Matt back with our organization,” said Stars general manager Jim Nill, via Dallas’s official website. “As our team’s leading scorer last season, he helped to solidify our forward group while also providing invaluable leadership off the ice and in the community. The fit with Matt and our team has been seamless from the start, and we’re looking forward to continuing to pursue our shared goal of bringing a championship to Dallas.”
Later on, the Stars made a trade. Veteran forward Mason Marchment was traded to the Seattle Kraken during the evening. Dallas received two draft picks in return for the 30-year-old forward.
With these moves in the rearview mirror, let’s take a deep dive into the Stars’ salary cap picture as they still face some major decisions prior to the NHL Draft and NHL Free Agency.
Stars’ Salary Cap Outlook
Steph Chambers/Getty ImagesThe Dallas Stars created some breathing room on Thursday, but more is needed.
Following the Duchene trade, Dallas had less than $500,000 in available cap space. With Marchment gone, however, this has changed. The Stars did not retain salary in that deal. As a result, they opened up $4.5 million in cap space.
This gives Dallas some needed breathing room. Taking a look at their roster, though, reveals the need for more space. Here is a breakdown of the players without a contract for 2025-26:
Dallas Stars unrestricted free agents
- Jamie Benn (captain)
- Evgenii Dadonov
- Mikael Granlund
- Colin Blackwell
- Brendan Smith
- Cody Ceci
Dallas Stars restricted free agents
- Mavrik Bourque
- Nils Lundkvist
There are certainly some players here who are expendable. For instance, Smith is a veteran defenseman who was brought in for depth purposes. He played 31 games this season and didn’t overly impress. He could be allowed to walk in NHL Free Agency.
However, there are some key names here as well. Benn is the captain of the team and has spent his entire career in Dallas. Granlund and Ceci were important trade deadline acquisitions. These players will be prioritized as NHL Free Agency approaches on July 1.
What’s more compounding is that the Stars cannot simply worry about 2025-26. They have some major contracts due to be signed soon that will surely impact how they operate this summer.
Dallas Cornerstones Are Entering Contract Years
The good news for the Stars is that most of their core is locked up. What isn’t good news is that some of their more important players are due to be signed to big-money deals. Both Jason Robertson and Thomas Harley are restricted free agents next summer.
Robertson is a top-six forward who is the only player to score 100 points in a season since the team moved to Dallas. Harley, meanwhile, is a top-four defenseman who has the potential to become a top-pairing blueliner down the line.
The Stars have $30 million in available space for the summer of 2026, according to PuckPedia. However, signing Harley and Robertson is going to significantly eat into this. As a result, Dallas has to be mindful this offseason.
Dallas may need to trade someone like Robertson if they can’t afford to sign him. Moreover, they could run it back for one more shot at the Stanley Cup in 2026. No matter what the Stars do, there are tough decisions ahead over the next year or so.
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