The Stars finished second to the Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11) in the Central Division, eight points ahead of the Wild (46-24-12).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Injuries, however, caught up to Dallas and Nill read out the long list of ailments first-year coach Glen Gulutzan had to deal with throughout the regular season and into the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the most impactful was to forward Mikko Rantanen<\/a>, who sustained a knee injury playing for Finland in a 3-2 semifinal loss to Canada at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.<\/p>\n Rantanen missed the Stars’ next 15 games and returned on March 28 to play the final 10 games of the regular season.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMikko had an MCL tear, so a major injury,\u201d Nill said. \u201cHe came back, he was very competitive. He didn\u2019t come back too soon, but it would have been nice to have one or two more weeks to get settled in.<\/p>\n \u201cHe never really got going again, and that\u2019s not an excuse, it\u2019s an injury and he battled to get back as soon as he could. But I never really thought he was himself, not most of the time coming back and to start the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n Rantanen had 77 points (22 goals, 55 assists) in 64 games this season and seven points (one goal, six assists) in six playoff games.<\/p>\n The 29-year-old completed the first season of an eight-year, $96 million contract (average annual value $12 million) signed March 7, 2025, the day he was acquired in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Logan Stankoven<\/a> and four draft picks.<\/p>\n Dallas goes into the offseason with six players eligible to become unrestricted free agents, including 36-year-old captain Jamie Benn<\/a>, who has played his entire 17 seasons with the Stars. Benn has been captain since the 2013-14 season.<\/p>\n \u201cJamie and I have talked just shortly,\u201d Nill said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to give him a couple of weeks, but I want him back. I think he wants to come back, but I\u2019m going to give him that time. He needs to go through this and figure this out. The organization does want him back, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n Benn, who missed the first five weeks of the season because of a collapsed lung sustained during a preseason game, had 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 60 games, and no points in six playoff games. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf any of you guys know Jamie, he\u2019s devastated,\u201d Nill said. \u201cHe takes these losses as hard as anybody. He takes responsibility for it. He just needs to sit down and be a good father, and a good husband right now and just chill a little bit and that\u2019s what he wants to do, so I\u2019m going to give him some time.\u201d<\/p>\n Nill said if Benn does return, he will remain captain.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think if you talk to anyone in the dressing room, he is a leader and he has so much respect,\u201d Nill said. \u201cYou bring players in from other organizations, trades and things we did and stuff, and that\u2019s always the first thing that comes up, is how strong the room is and how much respect there is for the leadership in the room. You\u2019re always trying to figure out if there is a weakness here or there, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a weakness on our team.\u201d<\/p>\n Dallas will also look to sign forward Jason Robertson<\/a>, who is eligible to become a restricted free agent July 1.<\/p>\n