Stars hire DeBoer as coach, sign forward Marchment

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2022-23 regular season, which starts Oct. 7. Today, the Dallas Stars:

2021-22 season: 46-30-6, fourth in Central Division; lost in first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key arrivals

Mason Marchment, F:The 27-year-old signed a four-year contract July 13. He had NHL career highs in goals (18), assists (29) and points (47) in 54 regular-season games with the Florida Panthers last season and had one point, an assist, in four Stanley Cup Playoff games. … Colin Miller, D: The 29-year-old signed a two-year contract July 13. He had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 38 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season. …Peter DeBoer, coach:Hired on June 21 to replace Rick Bowness, the 54-year-old coached the previous three seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights before being fired May 16. Vegas was 98-50-12 under DeBoer, advancing to the playoffs his first two seasons before not qualifying last season.

Key departures

John Klingberg, D:Signed a one-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks on July 29. The defenseman, who turns 30 on Aug. 14, has 374 points (71 goals, 303 assists) in 552 NHL games, all with the Stars. He had 47 points (six goals, 41 assists) in 74 games last season and one assist in seven playoff games. … Braden Holtby, G: The unrestricted free agent was 10-10-1 with a 2.78 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and one shutout in 24 games (22 starts). He last played March 4 before missing the remainder of the season with a lower-body injury. … Vladislav Namestnikov, F:Signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 13. He had 30 points (16 goals, 14 assists) in 75 regular-season games with the Red Wings and Stars last season and had a goal and an assist in seven playoff games. ... Michael Raffl, F: The unrestricted free agent had 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 76 regular-season games and three points (two goals, one assist) in seven playoff games. … Alexander Radulov, F:Signed a two-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League on July 14. He had 22 points (four goals, 18 assists) in 71 games and did not have a point in three postseason games. … Blake Comeau, F: The UFA had one goal in six regular-season games. … Andrej Sekera, D:Retired from the NHL on July 18 after 16 seasons. He had four points (one goal, three assists) in 32 games last season. … Rick Bowness, coach: Resigned on May 20 after three seasons. The Stars were 89-62-25 and went to the playoffs two of his three seasons, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, when they lost to the Lightning in six games. Bowness was hired as Winnipeg Jets coach July 3.

On the cusp

Marián Studenič, F:The 23-year-old, claimed off waivers from the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 24, had four points (two goals, two assists) in 33 regular-season games last season. He had three points (one goal, two assists) in 16 regular-season games for the Stars and no points in four playoff games. … Thomas Harley, D:The 20-year-old had four points (one goal, three assists) in 34 regular-season games with Dallas and 11 assists in 27 games with Texas of the American Hockey League.

What they still need

To sign restricted free agents Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger. Robertson, a forward who turned 23 on July 22, had 79 points (41 goals, 38 assists) in 74 games last season, second to forward Joe Pavelski with 81 points (27 goals, 54 assists) in 82 games. Oettinger, a 23-year-old goalie, was 30-15-1 with a 2.53 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and one shutout in 48 games (46 starts). He was outstanding in the playoffs, going 3-4-0 with a 1.81 GAA, .954 save percentage and one shutout against the Calgary Flames.

They said it

"Mason checked a lot of boxes in terms of what we felt our needs were up front as a group. He's big (6-foot-4, 209 pounds), he can skate, he produced on a good team, a lot of 5-on-5 time as well that way in his production. We think there's plenty of ceiling there; kind of a late bloomer. He had a great year, and it was a competitive market for him. But we feel we've upgraded our group up front." -- assistant general manager Scott White

Fantasy focus

Marchment had an NHL career-high in points last season and was one of the most productive third-liners in the League. The Stars' elite top unit of forwards Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski is solidified, so Marchment could earn a second-line spot with exposure to forward Tyler Seguin but goes from the NHL's highest-scoring team in the Panthers (4.11 goals per game last season) to the Stars, who ranked 21st (2.84). That said, Marchment, entering his prime at 27 years old, still has untapped fantasy potential and is worth targeting in the late rounds, especially with strong coverage of hits (2.11 per game last season). -- Pete Jensen

Projected lineup

Jason Robertson -- Roope Hintz -- Joe Pavelski
Mason Marchment -- Jamie Benn -- Tyler Seguin
Marian Studenic -- Radek Faksa -- Luke Glendening
Joel Kiviranta -- Jacob Peterson -- Denis Gurianov
Esa Lindell -- Miro Heiskanen
Ryan Suter -- Jani Hakanpää
Thomas Harley -- Joel Hanley
Jake Oettinger
Scott Wedgewood