- Greg Wyshynski calls the “Stars had a disaster offseason” take an overreaction
- Dallas still rolls out Mikko Rantanen, Miro Heiskanen and Jake Oettinger after a third-place finish
- Read below for the Robertson mess, the Werenski veto and what Wyshynski said about Jim Nill
Plenty of people have already stamped the Dallas Stars as a free agency loser this summer. Greg Wyshynski isn’t buying it.
In his ESPN column judging the offseason’s biggest overreactions, Wyshynski dropped the “disastrous Dallas summer” narrative squarely in the misguided pile. His verdict on the panic was one word: overreaction.
He pointed straight at the roster. “The Stars’ roster remains loaded with talent from the teams that made those runs to the conference finals, from Mikko Rantanen to Miro Heiskanen to Jake Oettinger,” Wyshynski wrote. Dallas finished third in the entire NHL last season.
That doesn’t mean the summer went smoothly. The Jason Robertson saga hangs over everything.
Dallas thought it had a sign-and-trade lined up to send the restricted free agent to Seattle for the No. 7 pick, but Robertson wouldn’t commit to a long-term deal with the Kraken despite a reported $120 million offer over eight years. He filed for arbitration instead, which wipes out any offer sheet threat and could leave him an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Penguins have already come sniffing around.
Players saying no became a theme. The Stars had a deal in place for Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski, reportedly a one-for-one swap for Thomas Harley, until Werenski used his no-movement clause to kill it. Dallas then had to smooth things over with Harley.
A cap crunch cost them another young piece, too. The Stars shipped 24-year-old center Mavrik Bourque to Nashville just to clear room.
Wyshynski didn’t let general manager Jim Nill off the hook either, writing that Nill “clearly misplayed his hand with Robertson,” a 96-point, 45-goal winger who has been in the rumor mill for a year.
Even so, the core is intact. Dallas brought captain Jamie Benn back for an 18th season, and the top of the lineup still looks like a contender’s.
Frustrating and a little embarrassing? Wyshynski will grant you that. A disaster is a different word, and he thinks the vibes are running way ahead of the reality in Dallas.
