The Dallas Stars were eliminated in just five games by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals. They managed to win one less game in a series where they were heavily favored. Several things went wrong for the Stars: the locker room, injuries, and on-ice struggles, to name a few. That all said, there were a fair few positive takeaways from this season, and one thing is for sure. This team will be back eventually.
If someone had told Dallas general manager Jim Nil that Mikko Rantanen would be playing for his team at the beginning of the season, he would have called them crazy. Nonetheless, it happened, and Rantanen shone bright on the biggest stage in the first round of the postseason. Nobody had more expectations to play well in that series than Rantanen, and boy, did he deliver. Single-handedly sending his former team packing was one way to do it.
Now, Stars fans will get to enjoy Rantanen’s play for the next eight years. For those worrying about his quiet WCF, there shouldn’t be much concern after a full offseason with the team and time for chemistry to build.
There were mixed expectations for Thomas Harley and the rest of the Dallas defensive core after Miro Heiskanen went down. In just his second full season in the NHL, Harley was slotted into the number one defensive spot, and he made the most of it. After a successful 4 Nations run with Team Canada, his confidence was at an all-time high, and it translated to his on-ice play. He ran the first powerplay unit that showed life in ways that it couldn’t at the beginning of the season.
Harley then elevated his play in the postseason, fending off the speedy and skilled Colorado Avalanche and a well-rounded Winnipeg Jets team until Heiskanen returned. Tack on his 14 points, good for second among defenders in the postseason, and one could say Harley proved he’s worth every penny on his upcoming contract extension (gulp).
It’s common knowledge at this point that playoff hockey is much different from the regular season. The ice shrinks up, players are playing defense more meaningfully, and the physicality gets cranked to an 11. Luckily, a certain 6’7 giant has shown that he is more than capable of playing in the postseason.
Lian Bichsel could’ve crumpled in the playoffs, and not many would have blamed him. He’s just turned 21 and only played 38 regular-season games with the Stars before the postseason started. Instead, with the help of his old AHL partner Alex Petrovic, Bichsel rose to the occasion. He brought much-needed physicality and wasn’t a slouch defensively either.
Sure, he didn’t play big minutes, but in his first professional season, Bichsel proved that he deserves a roster spot at the NHL level.
The Stars suffered major injuries to key players up and down the lineup. For starters, in December, Tyler Seguin underwent hip surgery for the second time in five years. This put him out for almost the entire regular season, only returning for the last few games before the postseason.
Then, in late January, disaster struck. Miro Heiskanen went down with a knee injury in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. This put Heiskanen out for the rest of the regular season, and well into the postseason as well. Just a day later, 24-year-old Nils Lundkvist went down with a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.
And to top it all off, in a meaningless game 82, Jason Robertson exited the game with a leg injury, one that kept him out of the entire first round.
Thankfully, three of the four players recovered on time and were able to participate in the playoffs at some point. Seguin had eight points in 18 games and played a big role in the Stars’ game one comeback against the Edmonton Oilers. Heiskanen had the most anticipated comeback of them all. He was missed dearly in their round one matchup against the Avs, and was able to make his comeback in game four of the second round. From there, his impact was immediately felt, as he recorded four points in eight games, allowing the defensive core to play more favorable minutes.
Robertson had a slower start after going goalless in the entire second round, but he heated up in the WCF. He had four goals in his final three games and was finally starting to look like his older self.
Lundkvist hasn’t made a full recovery yet, but all signs point to him being ready for the start of next season if the Stars choose to re-sign him.
Yes, the season didn’t end the way most fans and players wanted it to. Fortunately, though, there were plenty of bright spots in a season where many players made significant developmental growth. No season is guaranteed, but most can probably bet that the Stars will be back in the playoffs in the 2025-2026 season.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
