The Stars’ preseason has come to a close, and Dallas is now less than a week from the puck dropping on the 2024-25 season.
After three weeks of training camp, the Stars are getting closer to finalizing their opening-night roster.
Still with a handful of cuts to be made and lines to be decided on, here is a prediction of the lineup the Stars could use for the season opener at Nashville on Thursday:
Stars’ 2024-25 opening night lineup prediction
Forwards:
Jason Robertson - Roope Hintz - Wyatt Johnston
Mason Marchment - Matt Duchene - Tyler Seguin
Jamie Benn - Mavrik Bourque - Logan Stankoven
Evgenii Dadonov - Sam Steel - Colin Blackwell
Matej Blumel
Defensemen:
Miro Heiskanen - Matt Dumba
Thomas Harley - Ilya Lyubushkin
Esa Lindell - Nils Lundkvist
Brendan Smith
Goalies:
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
Forwards: Dallas’ top nine was essentially set before camp began. While Jason Robertson has missed all six preseason games as he recovers from foot surgery, he’s expected to be healthy by the season opener and return to his spot as a top-line left wing. Wyatt Johnston is expected to join him and Roope Hintz on that line after leading the team in goals last year.
Dallas’ second line is the only one expected to be preserved in its entirety from last season while captain Jamie Benn looks like he’ll skate alongside the two newest players to the NHL roster.
The fourth line is the most fluid for Dallas and will most likely rotate throughout the season. The Stars have the cap space to call up a 13th forward, and Matej Blümel, who led the Texas Stars in goals last year, is the most likely candidate to get the nod after a strong camp and impressive campaign in Cedar Park last year.
Defenseman Brendan Smith can also slot in at forward when needed and other forwards like Oskar Bäck, Kole Lind and Arttu Hyry may also see some time in Dallas as the season progresses.
Defensemen: The Stars have maintained the same defensive pairings throughout camp and have liked how they’ve looked so far. Miro Heiskanen has gotten to skate on his dominant side with the addition of Matt Dumba while Thomas Harley and Ilya Lyubushkin complement each other’s skills well.
Esa Lindell is the steady defensive force Nils Ludkvist needs alongside him. Brendan Smith appears to be the odd defenseman out, but that could change.
Lian Bichsel, Alexander Petrovic and Kyle Capobianco all made pushes for roster spots, but the blue line was crowded from the start. That doesn’t rule them out from a call up later in the season, but there likely isn’t enough room for opening night.
Goalies: Both Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith saw plenty of action in preseason, as the new goalie pair prepares for their first season together.
DeBoer said at the start of camp his ideal situation is for Oettinger to play around 55 games. He was around that number last year but that included him missing a month of the season with a groin injury.
That means DeSmith will be called upon more heavily, though Oettinger will get the start in Nashville.
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