One degree: How Gulutzan’s mindset is being adopted by Stars this season

Glen Gulutzan isn’t asking for much.

And yet, he could end up getting quite a bit.

The new Stars bench boss has the slogan “One Degree” hanging above the door in the dressing room, and it says a lot about the 2025-26 season ahead. After getting to three consecutive Western Conference Finals, Dallas decided to part ways with head coach Pete DeBoer and inserted Gulutzan as the new leader. Now, the former Oilers assistant coach has the task of helping this talented group to be one degree smarter, one degree tougher, one degree better in its quest for the Stanley Cup.

That’s both scary and electrifying, as Gulutzan walks into a situation where he hasn’t been a head coach for seven years but has a real chance to win the Stanley Cup.

“He’s not going to come in and all of a sudden change everything that’s going on,” Stars GM Nill said. “He knows he’s got a good team, but he’s going to put his stamp on it.”

Truth be told, DeBoer and his staff did a good job coaching this team. In his three seasons, Dallas had the best points percentage in the regular season at .665, ranked third in scoring (3.46 goals per game) and fifth in goals against (2.72). The Stars went three rounds deep all three years, beating the likes of Colorado (twice), Winnipeg, Minnesota, Seattle and Vegas along the way.

“The team had over 100 points,” Gulutzan said. “You’re not going to come in here and reinvent the wheel. But if we can push this thing in certain areas by one degree, I think that’s going to be our biggest challenge as a coaching staff.”

It already started in preseason, as the team went 5-1-0 and looked good defensively. Gulutzan has targeted opposition rushes and really wants his team to be dialed in to prevent breakdowns. They did that against varied lineups in exhibition play, but now they jump in on the road against Winnipeg and Colorado to start the year, so there’s really no better time to test his theories.

“It’s going to get tested right away because you’re playing two teams in Winnipeg and Colorado that are among the league’s best, and you have to have that area tidied up,” Gulutzan said.

But the Stars also are ranked highly. The group on defense includes Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell, and adds a healthy Nils Lundkvist, who returns after suffering a season-ending injury last January. Up front, Jason Robertson had a healthy offseason after battling injury last summer, and Mikko Rantanen gets to settle in after playing for three different coaching staffs last season.

The fact that Gulutzan is now his fourth isn’t lost on the veteran winger.

“Yeah, it’s different,” Rantanen said. “But it’s good, too. It’s a fresh start and we all know what we need to do.”

While Gulutzan started the “one degree” talk in his introductory press conference when answering a question about how the team could be more physical, the heart of the statement goes much deeper. By focusing on the details of the game, the big picture becomes a little more repeatable.

“It’s stuff that maybe doesn’t show up on a scoresheet but at the end of a game or the end of a series, it adds up,” said Harley. “It’s finishing your check, rubbing a guy out on a rush, staying above a guy on a backcheck, it’s the little things that maybe you don’t notice, but they are key to winning.”

Veteran Matt Duchene said each player will know what one percent means.

“I think it’s different for every guy,” Duchene said. “I think it’s a big part of how close we are and how one percent improvement is what could get us over the top. We’ll know what that one percent is as we go, and it’s going to be different things throughout the year.”

Many of the players have said they understand the special opportunity they have, and because it has been a big subject of discussion, the pressure already seems dialed up.

“It’s the same as the last three years,” Harley said when asked about being in this situation. “I’m not taking it for granted. You only get so many chances, and I know we really want to break through this year.”

One way to do that, possibly, maybe, is to focus on these details. Will that mean a better regular-season record? Will it make a difference in the playoffs? Will it help you if you have to go seven games against Colorado or Winnipeg or Vegas?

We’ll see. For now, it’s the right plan for this group with the regular season on the horizon.

“No coach is going to make a team 25 percent better,” Gulutzan said. “But one percent better each game adds up.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.