Expectations for 2026-27: This might be the perfect opportunity forKiviranta. He’s coming off a rough season in Colorado due largely to injuries, and he’s looking for an opportunity to bounce back as he enters his eighth NHL season. Dallas seems like a pretty good place to do that. He is already close with a lot of the Finnish players on the Stars roster, and he will be supported very well by his teammates. He played four seasons with the organization and was responsible for one of the top moments in franchise history with a hat trick to beat Colorado in Game 7 of the Second Round in 2020 that eventually helped Dallas reach the Stanley Cup Final. As it was in Colorado, Kiviranta’s time in Dallas was inconsistent, and that led to his eventual departure. But he is coming back at a time when the Stars really need some inexpensive depth players, and that really could benefit a guy who already knows his teammates. While on the smaller side, Kiviranta is familiar with Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen, Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen. He can play off of those players and make smart plays while adding some physicality, and that could be just what Glen Gulutzan and his staff need. Dallas is on a tight budget next season, and that means that players like Kiviranta, Sam Steel and Justin Hryckowian will have a chance to play up the lineup. And even if they don’t get time with Hintz or Wyatt Johnston on the top two lines, they should be in good shape on a fourth line with the likes of Oskar Bäck, Radek Faksa or Colin Blackwell. Bottom line, if you stay healthy, you are going to get a chance to impact the game on a nightly basis for a pretty good team. Whether a player like Kiviranta steps up or not, that’s still a place that most NHL players would love to be.
