Name Gulutzan coach, hope physical play can get them to elusive Stanley Cup Final
© Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the Dallas Stars.
The Dallas Stars are going to get physical this season.
That’s what Glen Gulutzan said after he was hired as coach July 1.
“What I’d like to do here is we have to up our physicality a little bit, one degree through 82 games, because you can’t turn that switch on in Game 83. You have to build it in,” Gulutzan said July 2. “We’ve got too good of players, but there has to be an element of physicality. The way we forecheck is going to change just a little bit so that we’re better prepared in the playoffs for Game 83 and on.”
Winning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs has not been a problem for the Stars, who have reached the Western Conference Final the past three seasons. Getting over the hump has been an issue. They were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and the Edmonton Oilers the past two seasons.
After losing the 2025 conference final in five games, the Stars fired coach Peter DeBoer and brought in Gulutzan, who not only coached the Stars from 2011-13, but was an Oilers assistant the past seven seasons.
Given another frustrating end, the Stars should enter this season hungry to get to the Stanley Cup Final. That should be especially true in goal, where Jake Oettinger will be looking to rebound after the postseason. Oettinger was 9-8 with a 2.82 goals-against average and .905 save percentage in 18 starts and was pulled 7:09 into Game 5 of the conference final after allowing two goals.
“I haven’t won the Stanley Cup or the NCAA Tournament, so every year of my life has been a disappointment,” Oettinger said May 31. “And I’ve bounced back, and I’ve learned from it, and I’ve gotten better.
“When you finally get that win, it makes it all worth it, so hopefully whether it’s next year, whether it’s five years from now, I’m looking at you guys, we just won the Stanley Cup, and I said ‘Remember all that B.S.? That was all for this.'”
While Oettinger is coming back determined, Miro Heiskanen is returning healthy. The defenseman said Monday that he is “100 percent back to normal” after having knee surgery Feb. 4 for an injury sustained when Golden Knights forward Mark Stone collided with his left leg Jan. 28. He returned for the final eight games of the postseason and had four points (one goal, three assists).
“The knee got some rest after last season, and now I can do everything 100 percent,” Heiskanen said. “My confidence is back where it used to be now that my knee can take all the practice and feels fine.”
Looking at the Dallas Stars going into 2025/26
To help boost the physical game Gulutzan wants, the Stars brought back Radek Faksa, who signed a three-year contract July 1. He played for Dallas from 2015-24 before he was traded to the St. Louis Blues on July 2, 2024.
“We missed Radek this year,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said July 1. “He’s been a big part of our team for a long time. He’s a big heavy body, he’s very good defensively, good penalty killer, very good on draws and he has a physical element to his game. That’s something that we thought we missed in the playoffs.”
Mikko Rantanen will play his first full season with the Stars. The forward signed an eight-year, $96 million contract after he was traded to Dallas by the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7. He’s part of a core that includes captain Jamie Benn and forward Matt Duchene, each of whom signed new contracts. They were part of an offense that tied the Winnipeg Jets for third in the NHL in goals per game (3.35) but saw that number drop to 2.50 (tied for 12th) in the postseason.
Wyatt Johnston, a 22-year-old center, had an NHL career-high 71 points (33 goals, 38 assists) in 82 games last season. Defenseman Thomas Harley, 23, took on more responsibility when Heiskanen was out until May 13, scoring 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists) in 78 games, and should be able to settle more into his usual role and minutes. Rookie forward Mavrik Bourque, 23, had 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 73 games and could vie for a top six role.
The Stars thought they built the team that gave them the best chance to win the Stanley Cup last season. It didn’t happen, but they’ll move forward largely intact and ready to go for it again.
“That was a good team, a real good team but we’re going to grow from that,” Nill said. “We’re starting over fresh now and we did lose a lot of good players, but the guys coming in and the steps the younger guys take, that’s what we’ll need internally.”
Hockey News