First Shift 🏒
The Stars will jump right into the deep end of the pool on Thursday, playing the defending Presidents’ Trophy champions in Winnipeg to open the 2025-26 regular season.
The Jets went 56-22-4 last year, good for 116 points. Dallas finished fifth in the NHL at 50-26-6 with 106 points. That said, the Stars beat Winnipeg in six games in the Second Round of the playoffs, so that’s a pretty good memory to carry into this matchup.
“We know who the top teams are,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “I like it right now, we’ve got to get war tested.”
Gulutzan will be returning to head coaching after seven years as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers. He said he’s excited about the prospect of running the bench again.
“I feel good, I’m excited to get going,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been back there calling the shots, but I enjoy having this roster and the skillset of the players.”
The 54-year-old bench boss was 146-125-23 in four combined seasons with Dallas (2011-13) and Calgary (2016-18), so he definitely has head coaching experience. Plus, he has been running the Stars through the 2025 preseason and has a 5-1-0 record to show for it.
The Stars have new assistant coaches in Neil Graham and David Pelletier, and that group has been working through training camp to get both themselves and the players on the same page. While much of the roster is holding over from last season, players said they have to adjust to what the new coaching staff wants.
“We’ve got the game reps in and we’ve shook off that rust,” said Robertson. “We’re trying to progress throughout the season and minimize our mistakes and grow throughout the year. We’ll just keep learning throughout the year.”
The Stars will start the campaign without Benn (surgery to repair collapsed lung) and forward Oskar Bäck (lower body), both of whom are on IR. That opens the door for newly signed free agent Adam Erne and top prospect Justin Hryckowian as forwards who could get a shot to enter the lineup. The two were alternating on the fourth line at practice on Wednesday, while Gulutzan was shuffling the top three lines.
Sam Steel was on the left wing with Roope Hintz and Rantanen, Colin Blackwell was on the left wing with Duchene and Seguin, and Robertson was on the left wing with Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque.
“You want them to do some of the dirty work,” Gulutzan said of putting players like Steel and Blackwell with top skill guys. “Get pucks back, get to the net, be a bit of a retriever, keep things alive, and bring energy. But you have to have enough skill to do that in those top lines, and they both do.”
And doing that in a key Central Division matchup to start the season should be educational, for sure.
“It’s good to get right on the horse and play the Presidents’ Trophy winner in their building,” Robertson said. “It should be a good test.”
