Dallas Stars
· 2026-07-03
The Dallas Stars spent the first day of free agency managing their tight salary cap situation, trading 24-year-old Mavrik Bourque to the Nashville Predators.
The Stars traded Bourque and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to create some cap space, receiving a second and third round draft pick in return.
The team had been in talks to add players via trade before the start of free agency, but those trades didn’t work out.
And as a result, the team needed to trade Bourque or risk losing him to another team’s offer sheet.
The Stars have seven players under contract with average annual values of more than $8 million, including Jason Robertson, who is seeking an eight-year contract extension with an AAV between $12 and $15 million.
General manager Jim Nill said the team is trying to be as competitive as possible, but the salary cap situation is making it difficult.
The Stars are currently 2nd in the Western Conference with a 50-20 record, on a W5 streak, after winning 3-4 at the Buffalo Sabres on 2026-04-15.
The Stars will continue to work on re-signing key players like Robertson and captain Jamie Benn, while also exploring trade options to create more cap space.
Nill has already re-signed Arttu Hyry and Kyle Capobianco to new deals, but the team still has limited space to make any significant additions.
The Stars have a number of high-priced players, including Mikko Rantanen, who signed an eight-year contract extension at $12 million, and Thomas Harley, who signed an eight-year deal at $10.587 million.