The Dallas Stars enter the offseason with little salary cap room to work with.
After the Stars fell in the Western Conference finals for the third straight year, GM Jim Nill now has to find a way to make his roster even deeper and more skilled heading into the 2025-26 season.
But with just under $5 million in cap space to sign six players, Nill and his staff will have to find a way to free up some more space.
With free agency opening on July 1, here are a few moves the Stars could make to manage their tight cap situation.
Move Matt Dumba
A top priority for the Stars’ front office this offseason will likely be moving defenseman Matt Dumba.
The Stars signed Dumba to a two-year deal worth $3.75 million annually last offseason, and it hasn’t quite worked out how the Stars hoped.
The veteran defenseman recorded 10 points (one goal and nine assists) in 63 regular-season games before being scratched for the entirety of the playoffs. Stars coach Pete DeBoer felt he could trust AHL defenseman Alexander Petrovic more during the most important time of the year.
Dumba was also -5 and recorded 60 penalty minutes in his 63 regular-season games.
Dumba’s $3.75 million cap hit is not insignificant, and the Stars could use that space if they wish to bolster their blue line.
A buyout could be a last resort but isn’t the best option, as the Stars are still paying Ryan Suter’s buyout, and it wouldn’t save them much in the long run.
Sending Dumba and a lower draft pick to a team like Anaheim could be an option.
Trade Mason Marchment
It might not be a popular move among fans, but Mason Marchment may be one of the better trade pieces the Stars have this offseason.
His $4.5 million cap hit isn’t cheap, and if the Stars want to prioritize bringing back players like Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene, they need the room to do so.
Granlund’s previous deal with a $5 million cap hit expires this summer. He was added ahead of the trade deadline, was a key contributor in the postseason and is one of the most versatile forwards on the roster. Duchene was a 30-goal scorer and the most consistent player for Dallas during the regular season. He also should be more affordable.
Marchment had one of the best seasons of his career in 2024-25, recording 47 points (22 goals and 25 assists) in 62 games. He missed over a month, needing facial surgery after taking a puck to the face.
His numbers took a slight dip after his injury. He had 27 points in his first 33 games before recording 20 in his last 29. In the postseason, he had just one goal and four assists in addition to 18 penalty minutes.
There’s certainly value to keeping Marchment for his goal-scoring abilities, penalty-drawing abilities and physicality. But if the Stars need to make space, he could be a piece they’re willing to part ways with that will come with a solid return. Dallas could use draft picks after trading away three first-round picks this year.
He does have a 10-team no-trade list but those can typically be worked around.
Trade Jason Robertson
A far less popular decision than trading Marchment would be trading Jason Robertson, but it’s an option Dallas could explore this offseason.
It would not be an easy decision — and may not even be the right one — but Dallas could get the best return for a top scorer like Robertson. With his contract situation, it’s unclear whether they’d be able to keep him in the long run either.
Robertson led the team in goals with 35 this year. He recorded 80 points in 82 games even after a slow start to the season following offseason foot surgery.
He had his most challenging year yet, battling injuries and an up-and-down performance throughout the year. Robertson also missed the first round of the playoffs with a leg injury, took some time to get up to speed but ultimately scored four goals in the last three games against Edmonton.
Robertson is a skilled scorer, but with the addition of Mikko Rantanen, he likely won’t be viewed as Dallas’ best goal scorer from here on out. Now through four playoff runs, Robertson’s postseason numbers (44 points in 56 games) haven’t quite matched up to his regular-season production of over a point per game in his career.
Robertson makes $7.75 million on the final year of his contract. He is set to be a restricted free agent next offseason and an unrestricted free agent the year after. He’ll probably expect a big raise in the coming years, and the Stars may want to decide now whether they think they can afford it — or whether they should get something in return while they can.
Make Jamie Benn deal bonus-heavy
If the Stars bring back captain Jamie Benn, his contract will have to look a little different.
Benn said at locker clean out day Saturday that they hope to remain in Dallas next season but after making $9.5 million annually on his last eight-year deal, he is expected to take a big pay cut if that happens.
His next deal may more closely resemble Joe Pavelski’s final deal as a Star. Pavelski signed a one-year deal worth $3.5 million for his last season with the potential for $2 million in performance bonuses.
If Benn earned those bonuses, the Stars would have to pay them down the line, but it could save them some money in the short term.
Elevate Alexander Petrovic
The Stars have two unrestricted free agents on their blue line and likely won’t or can’t keep either.
They brought Cody Ceci in from San Jose at the trade deadline and were able to fit his $3.25 million cap hit in because of the LTIR room they had after injuries to Tyler Seguin, Nils Lundkvist and Miro Heiskanen.
Ceci was reliable for Dallas through most of the playoff run but will be difficult to retain at that price.
Brendan Smith is the other UFA defenseman, who had a $1 million cap hit. Smith played in just 32 regular-season games for Dallas and did not appear in the postseason, so it’s hard to imagine the Stars bringing him back.
To help their cap situation, the Stars could make Petrovic, who spent almost the entire year in the AHL, their seventh NHL defenseman. He has just shy of 300 games of NHL experience and has played more in the playoffs in the NHL over the last two years than regular season.
He also makes the league minimum of $775,000.
If the Stars re-signed restricted free agent Nils Lundvist, which they are expected to do, this is what their defense could look like.
Esa Lindell-Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley-Ilya Lyubushkin
Lian Bichsel-Nils Lundkvist
Alexander Petrovic
Realistically, the Stars should target adding another quality right-handed defenseman in free agency if their cap can afford it, but Petrovic is a reliable option for some additional depth.
On X/Twitter: @Lassimak