Stars Weekly is back after an August break as we approach the beginning of the 2025-26 NHL season. As much as I love football, all of the start-of-season talk is making me jealous and itching to watch some meaningful games on the ice.
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Season previews for the Dallas Stars will be coming throughout September, but there’s a little bit of news to tie us over until then.
The Dallas Stars’ National Schedule Is a Beauty
The Stars will have 16 games on national television in the U.S., starting with their home opener against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 14 – the first of four national broadcasts in the opening month of the season. For the other three, the Stars will host the L.A. Kings (Oct. 28) and the Washington Capitals (Oct. 28), and will wrap up the month against the Lightning (Oct. 30) in Tampa Bay.
For the rest of 2025, the Stars have two national games. The first is a Western Conference Final rematch against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 4. The second game is their last game before Christmas on Dec. 23, on the road against the Detroit Red Wings.
January will see one national broadcast a week for the Stars, and two in the final week. They will play the Capitals at home (Jan. 7), the Anaheim Ducks on the road (Jan. 13), the Boston Bruins at home (Jan. 20), and the St. Louis Blues (Jan. 27) and the Vegas Golden Knights (Jan. 29), with both of those games being on the road.
Their lone game on national TV in February is on Feb. 4 in St. Louis.
The Stars will play three of their remaining four national games on the road, with the only home game against the Colorado Avalanche on April 18. To wrap up the season on national airwaves, the Stars will play the Oilers in Edmonton (March 12), the Avalanche (March 18), and it will come full circle on April 9 as their final appearance will be against the Wild, who they played to open up this 16-game schedule.
It’s obvious that the national networks want the best games possible, and when it comes to the Stars’ national schedule, that’s exactly what they have. The Bruins most likely won’t be world beaters this season, but that’s still a classic Original Six franchise.
The Ducks are in the final year or two of a rebuild, but are loaded with both veteran and young talent, including former Star Mikael Granlund. The Red Wings are also hoping to make a playoff push, and while the game before Christmas might be the worst on the schedule, a winter game in Detroit a couple of days before Santa comes is always a party.
Jason Robertson’s Name Can’t Stay Out of the Headlines
It seemed like Jason Robertson was traded 12 times this summer, and if he wasn’t, he’ll be traded in the future to make way for Thomas Harley’s new, and inevitably expensive, contract. I have never believed that general manager Jim Nill would trade Robertson, at least not this summer. But that doesn’t mean that there won’t be some drama throughout the season, and as we head into next summer.
Robertson will become a restricted free agent (RFA) next offseason and is eligible for an extension as of right now. We know he will receive a significant raise from the $7.75 million he’s making this season, but just how significant is the question.
On the DLLS Stars Podcast last week, Jeff Marek hinted that the Stars have an internal cap that will not allow Robertson to go above the $12 million per season mark that Mikko Rantanen earns. He also hinted that if a deal can’t be reached during the season, there is a chance he could be dealt.
“I don’t think Jim Nill is going to put the Stars in a situation where they get ‘Marner’d’ where Robertson players this year out and walks,” Marek said, referring to Mitch Marner’s situation with the Toronto Maple Leafs. As an RFA, Robertson can’t just walk, but the return would certainly be higher if he’s moved during the season, rather than handcuffing the Stars this summer.
Harley is the biggest factor in all of this. He is a terrific defenseman, and I would choose him over Robertson right now, given the team’s roster. Harley will make $4 million this season and is also a pending RFA.
The salary cap will jump from $95.5 million this season, to $104 million next season, to $113.5 million in 27-28, and is predicted to jump up to as high as $120 million in the years that follow. There is a world where both Harley and Robertson can fit under the Stars’ cap, but Robertson’s future in Dallas is far from set in stone.
Dallas sports fans have lost Luka and Parsons in 2025. I hope for the sanity of all fans that the Stars find a way to keep Robertson where he belongs.
Joe Pavelski Honored by USA Hockey
USA Hockey announced on Wednesday that Joe Pavelski will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as a part of the Class of 2025. Bruce Bennett, Scott Gomez, Zach Parise, and Tara Mounsey will join Pavelski in this honor.
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Pavelski played 18 seasons in the NHL, including the final five seasons of his career with the Stars. In 1,332 regular-season games, he scored 476 goals and 1,068 points. In 201 playoff games, he had 74 goals and 143 points. In Dallas, Pavelski had 121 goals and 307 points, including 27 goals and 67 points in his final season, making Stars fans wish he laced up for at least one more campaign. In the playoffs, he scored 26 goals and 43 points in Victory Green.
