Analyzing the Dallas Stars 2024-25 Opening Roster

The 2024-25 NHL season is upon us, and teams submitted their rosters.

Here is what the Dallas Stars opening roster looks like.

Stars Opening Roster

Forwards (13)

Jason Robertson
Roope Hintz
Wyatt Johnston‘
Tyler Seguin
Matt Duchene
Mason Marchment
Jamie Benn
Logan Stankoven
Mavrik Bourque*
Evgenii Dadonov
Sam Steel
Colin Blackwell
Oskar Back

The Top Line

There are no real surprises here as most of the lineup was set going into training camp with the majority of last year’s roster returning. Several players from that team will be jumping lines to start the season; most notably Wyatt Johnston taking the place of his mentor, Joe Pavelski, on the first line.

The top line may have some complications early as the trio has little previous playing time together and has faced some injuries throughout the offseason. Robertson did not skate with the team as he recovered from surgery. Now, Johnston is battling through an injury as the season begins. He is still expected to be able to lay in Nashville on Thursday.

“With Pav’s departure, there’s a lot of chemistry we’re going to miss, but we’ve got Little Pav coming in,” Robertson told the media on Monday. Johnnie’s a quick learner, so I’m sure he’s going to come in and adapt. It might take some time to get used to it, but he’s 21 years old, so he’s going to learn quick.”

Chances for Impact

The second line of Mason Marchment, Tyler Seguin, and Matt Duchene stays together and could easily be the most productive early in the season based on the rapport they have built with each other. Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque also make the Dallas Stars opening roster with more prominent roles expected. However, Bourque will start the season on the Injured Non-Roster list.

That opens the door for the last two forwards on the team to make an early impact. Colin Blackwell was the favorite to earn the final spot on the fourth line going into the offseason and will play alongside Evgenii Dadonov and Sam Steel. Oskar Back also made the opening roster as a rookie in the final forward spot. He’s more of a two-way player and will likely make his NHL debut on Thursday with Bourque missing.

Defencemen (7)

Mathew Dumba
Thomas Harley
Brendan Smith
Ilya Lyubushkin
Miro Heiskanen
Esa Lindell
Nils Lundkvist

Defence Analysis

Six of the seven defencemen spots seemed to be filled on the Stars roster entering training camp. Three players (Lindell, Heiskanen, and Harley) had become regular staples of the lineup. Three others (Dumba, Smith, and Lyubushkin) signed heavy contracts in the offseason.

That left one spot available, and it went to Lundkvist. The Stars decided not to give him a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent but brought him back on a one-year unrestricted “prove it” deal. Fans and coaches have been waiting for him to take the next step in his development, and winning the last roster spot in a deep position group is a great start.

Lundkvist beat out Alexander Petrovic, Lian Bichsel, and Kyle Copabianco for the roster spot.

Dallas believes it is deeper on defence than in years past. The group has a diverse skill set, with several players bringing a plus-offensive game and additions that increase the group’s physicality. Making more of the unit into complete NHL players will be the biggest challenge this season, particularly after Chris Tanev‘s departure.

Stars Opening Roster Goaltenders (2)

Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith

Goalie Anlaysis

The goalie situation ended up exactly how you would expect it. While there is always debate over keeping two or three goalies, Dallas tends to be a two-goalie team under Pete DeBoer and his staff.

Jake Oettinger is one of the young cornerstones for this team and has been one of its best performers throughout his career. He particularly excels during the playoffs and feels he is ready to bring those types of performances to the regular season more frequently. Even during his worst years, he is an All-Star caliber player, so it would be foolish to expect him to end up anywhere else anytime soon.

“I feel like my game’s been dialed in,” Oettinger told reporters. “That’s the nice thing. Training camps are long, but you have a lot of time to work on the stuff you want to work on.”

DeSmith is the new backup goalie and only had a little competition for the spot, although there are some talented netminders on the AHL team. Expect the newcomer to become an adequate replacement for Scott Wedgewood and a great complement for Oettinger.