Here's What to Know About the Dallas Stars 2023-24 Season

Plenty of experts are picking the Dallas Stars to repeat last year's success. Here's a look at the key players, important games and things that need to go right for the team in 2023–24.

Jason Robertson must continue his high-scoring ways for the Dallas Stars to be competitive in 2023-24.Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Now that the Texas Rangers have made their way into this year’s American League Championship Series, it might be easy to forget that just a few months ago, another local pro franchise had gotten as far as its league’s final four. The Dallas Stars made an impressive run through the Stanley Cup playoffs but fell to the eventual champions, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, in six games.

But, perhaps you hadn’t forgotten about that, because the way in which the local squad was sent on vacation was so unbelievably unceremonious.

On May 29, Vegas simply embarrassed the Stars by a 6–0 score. Somehow, the game didn't feel even that close. Dallas' hopes were high for Game 6, thanks to winning consecutive games to bring the series to 3-2. Team captain Jamie Benn had returned to the team after a two-game suspension for a cheap cross-check in Game 3, but by the time the first period of Game 6 was over, the Stars were down 3-0 and it was more or less all over.

Hey, that was then, right? Let’s talk about now. With a healthy group of grizzled veterans back such as Benn, Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski, it’s a good time to forget about last season and start to look ahead to the 2023–24 Dallas Stars season, which kicks off Thursday against the St. Louis Blues at the American Airlines Center.

Returning Players

In what amounts to a near-miracle in modern pro sports, the Stars are returning almost the entire team from last season. Sure, a slight bit of turnover is apparent, but barely. Defenseman Max Domi, who was acquired late last season, and Luke Glendening are the only departures of note to speak of, but they shouldn’t be missed too much.

What this continuity means is that the team’s stellar core of young talent is a year older, tougher and wiser. For key players such as goalie Jake Oettinger and forwards Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson, having a full year under their belts plus a full off-season together with the team before starting anew is invaluable. It’s also the second year under Pete DeBoer as head coach. In the second season with his previous two teams, the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks, DeBoer led his team to improved point totals over the previous year.

Now on to the real thing ��#TexasHockeypic.twitter.com/Uo5mgcSiqO

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) October 11, 2023

What the Experts Are Saying

It’s fair to say that last season's playoff run made some in the hockey world Stars believers. You’d be hard-pressed to find a serious outlet suggesting the Stars aren’t on the short list of Stanley Cup contenders this season, with most sportsbooks listing Dallas somewhere in the top ten for best odds to hoist the storied trophy next June.

No less an authority than NHL.com says that "[t]he Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season,” according to their experts.

ESPN isn’t quite as high on the Stars, although the sports powerhouse has them ranked as the seventh-best team going into the season, writing that “Replicating the Stars success from last season would further legitimize that the Stars are in a championship window.” ESPN also notes that there will be trouble in Dallas should goalie Oettinger suffer any sort of long-term injury, given how much the team depends on him.

CBS Sports writes that “Dallas will join the list of Western Conference contenders in 2023–24.” Although we like what we hear, it’s a bit odd to suggest a team that finished last season with 108 points and second in the Central Division wasn’t a contender last year, but that’s just us. Regardless, we like this nugget CBS adds in their predictions for the season:

The Stars have been building toward something special for a while now, and this team is in an excellent position heading into the 2023-24 season. Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz are both electrifying talents at the top of the lineup, and they play alongside the ageless Joe Pavelski. This year, the depth is better than ever with Matt Duchene joining a forward group that also has Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Wyatt Johnston and Mason Marchment.

What Must Go Right

To avoid sounding like Captain Obvious, we’ll spare you the observation that for the Stars to be successful this season, last year's prolific scoring line of Robertson, Pavelski and Hintz needs to continue its high-flying ways. Sorry, guess we said it.

So, yes, the offensive weapons must continue to be dangerous, but to add to what ESPN stated, a season in which  Oettinger is injured for a lengthy stretch or in which he simply fails to mature into the Vezina Award candidate we think he can be is likely to be disastrous. Without much of a Plan B in veteran journeyman Scott Wedgewood as a serviceable backup, the Stars must have Oettinger build on the stellar moments from last season’s playoff run and make the games in which he was pulled early after allowing too many goals be a thing of the past.

Key Games

• St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars: Oct. 12 (Home opener)
• Dallas Stars at Las Vegas Golden Knights: Oct. 17 (Western Conference finals rematch)
• Boston Bruins at Dallas Stars: Nov. 6 (Return of former head coach Jim Montgomery, fired in 2020)
• Tampa Bay Lightning at Dallas Stars: Dec. 2 (Rematch of 2020 Stanley Cup Finals, won by Tampa Bay)
• Colorado Avalanche at Dallas Stars: Jan. 4 (Rivalry game against team with two of the league’s top players in Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar)
• St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars: April 17 (Regular season finale against the team the Stars opened the season against)

How To Watch, Attend

Most Dallas Stars matches will be televised locally on Bally’s Sports Southwest. A select number of games will be broadcast on national networks including ESPN, TNT and ABC. For tickets to Dallas Stars home games at the American Airlines Center, visit DallasStars.com or Ticketmaster.com.