2026-27<\/p>\n
Upper Limit: $104MM
Current Cap Charge: $105,360,333
Cap Space: -$1,360,333
Potential Bonuses: $1.65MM ($750K a safe bet to be reached; some of the difference is playoff-related)
Dead Cap: $2.08MM (carryover bonus charge)<\/p>\n
There is an in-house pathway to getting into cap compliance at the start of the season.\u00a0 If Dallas drops down to a 21-player roster, that will get them under the cap ceiling.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have to make a trade to free up money if they don\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n
Expiring Contracts (RFA): D Lian Bichsel<\/a> ($918,333 plus $500K in bonuses)<\/p>\n Bichsel is still getting established in the NHL as he has been limited to third-pairing duty through his first two professional seasons.\u00a0 That makes reaching his \u2018A\u2019 bonuses unlikely this year.\u00a0 There haven\u2019t been many RFA contracts in the new cap environment that could serve as viable comparisons but safely pushing past the $2MM mark on a bridge deal should be doable.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): F Oskar Back<\/a> ($825K), F Jamie Benn<\/a> ($850K plus $1.15MM in bonuses), F Colin Blackwell<\/a> ($850K), G Casey DeSmith<\/a> ($1.05MM), F Joel Kiviranta<\/a> ($1MM), D Tyler Myers<\/a> ($1.5MM*), F Jason Robertson<\/a> ($12MM), F Tyler Seguin<\/a> ($9.85MM), F Sam Steel<\/a> ($2.1MM)<\/p>\n *Vancouver is retaining an additional $1.5MM on Myers\u2019 contract.<\/p>\n Robertson is obviously the big one.\u00a0 They settled on this deal to avoid arbitration but the next one is going to cost more.\u00a0 Believed to have turned down around $15MM per year from Seattle in a sign-and-trade proposal, it could cost somewhere around there (if not a bit more) to lock him up long-term.\u00a0 With these other expiring deals, this is something they should be able to afford.<\/p>\n Injuries have been an issue for Seguin the last two years but he has still been productive when he has played.\u00a0 He won\u2019t land near this price point moving forward but a deal in the $5MM range is possible.\u00a0 Alternatively, he\u2019s eligible to sign a one-year deal with incentives moving forward.\u00a0 Steel keeps getting a little more productive each year and has become a capable middle-six piece.\u00a0 The market for those centers has jumped to a price tag around double what he\u2019s making now.<\/p>\n Benn will reach $600K of his bonuses if he plays in 40 games which seems likely while he\u2019ll add $150K if the Stars make the playoffs (which also is a safe bet), plus another $100K for each round won.\u00a0 If he wants to stay in Dallas after this season, it\u2019ll probably need to be another contract like this.<\/p>\n Back is a late bloomer but fared well in a fourth-line role last season.\u00a0 A repeat performance could put him in line to double his current price tag.\u00a0 Kiviranta signed this deal last month and it seems likely he\u2019ll stay around this price point moving forward.\u00a0 The same can be said for Blackwell.<\/p>\n DeSmith has been quite solid in his first two seasons in Dallas which should change his market value.\u00a0 Two years ago, he was more of a low-end backup but now, he has played like an above-average one.\u00a0 With that in mind, he should be able to double this price tag at a minimum while tripling it on a short-term deal isn\u2019t out of the question.<\/p>\n 2027-28<\/p>\n Projected Upper Limit: $113.5MM It\u2019s safe to say that Robertson\u2019s next contract will cover around 35-40% of their cap room but they should be able to afford to keep him around.\u00a0 That will result in them needing to have several low-priced contracts to round out their roster after re-signing Bichsel and a couple of the others but it\u2019s a workable situation for GM Jim Nill<\/a>.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): D Kyle Capobianco<\/a> ($875K), F Radek Faksa<\/a> ($2MM), F Justin Hryckowian<\/a> ($950K), F Arttu Hyry<\/a> ($875K), D Nils Lundkvist<\/a> ($1.75MM)<\/p>\n Faksa\u2019s offensive production has been rather limited for a while now.\u00a0 Although he\u2019s a solid defender, it\u2019s hard to forecast a big raise for him, even with the big jumps coming to the cap.\u00a0 He should be able to stay in this range, however.\u00a0 Hryckowian\u2019s first full NHL season was a solid one, chipping in with 31 points and 119 hits.\u00a0 If he stays around those numbers, a price tag around the $3.5MM mark could be doable as he\u2019s the type of bottom-six player that has been getting bigger paydays in recent years.\u00a0 Hyry, on the other hand, is more of a depth piece who should stay somewhat close to the minimum salary.<\/p>\n Lundkvist hasn\u2019t progressed a lot over his four years in Dallas while injuries have been an issue.\u00a0 He\u2019s more of a number six option in an ideal world and will need to stay healthy at a minimum if he wants a shot at getting the bigger money that third-pairing blueliners are starting to get.\u00a0 Capobianco has bounced between being a depth piece and AHL depth in recent years which should keep him around the minimum salary as well.<\/p>\n 2028-29<\/p>\n Forecasted Upper Limit: $123MM With no significant contracts to deal with from their 2028 free agent class, this is a window for the Stars to look to add to their group after what\u2019s likely to be a lean 2027 offseason once they re-sign their players.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): F Matt Duchene<\/a> ($4.5MM), D Miro Heiskanen<\/a> ($8.45MM)<\/p>\n Duchene left some money on the table to get a four-year deal from Dallas, one that ultimately might be his final contract as he\u2019ll be 38 before the deal ends.\u00a0 If not, he\u2019s another candidate to go one year at a time from there.\u00a0 If he intends to keep playing, his market value might still be a little higher than this, even if his production starts to tick down.<\/p>\n 2029-30<\/p>\n Forecasted Upper Limit: $133.5MM (8.5% increase) Basically, a new deal for Heiskanen will cover most, if not all of the projected cap increase.\u00a0 Barring other moves, of course, this is an offseason where they\u2019ll be looking to keep the status quo over being able to afford another addition.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): F Wyatt Johnston<\/a> ($8.4MM), D Esa Lindell<\/a> ($5.25MM)<\/p>\n Johnston has shown steady improvement and produced like a top-line center last season.\u00a0 Still just 23, there\u2019s room for improvement as well.\u00a0 He should be hitting UFA eligibility in his prime and with the cap being much higher then than it is now, it\u2019s certainly possible that he can double his current price tag on his next contract as well.<\/p>\n Lindell, meanwhile, will be 36 when this contract expires.\u00a0 While he\u2019s a big minute-eater now, will that still be the case in 2030?\u00a0 If so, a short-term deal could come in several million higher than this.\u00a0 If not, however, and he\u2019s more of a fourth option, he could still get a modest raise but at that point, term might be more important than anything else.\u00a0 Lindell is a valuable player but his limited production offensively doesn\u2019t give him as much earning potential as others.<\/p>\n Signed For 2030-31 And Beyond<\/p>\n For that season, there will be a new CBA in place so trying to forecast the cap and cap space basically becomes a guessing game.\u00a0 Accordingly, we\u2019ll go back to the old Deep Dive format for players signed beyond the 2030-31 campaign.<\/p>\n D Thomas Harley<\/a> ($10.587MM through 2033-34) Rantanen couldn\u2019t agree to terms on a new deal in Colorado and didn\u2019t want to in Carolina but he quickly did with the Stars.\u00a0 Recent movement market-wise will have this deal more on the team-friendly side before long as long as he keeps producing like a top liner as he should for several more years.\u00a0 Hintz, when healthy, is a solid second center but lacks the production to be a top-line pivot.\u00a0 Even so, he should be well-positioned to add several million per season to his current price tag when his deal is up.<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $72.337MM (13 players signed)
Cap Space: $41.163MM
Potential Bonuses: None
Dead Cap: None yet but likely to be a carryover penalty from 2026-27<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $65.887MM (8 players signed)
Cap Space: $57.113MM
Potential Bonuses: None
Dead Cap: None<\/p>\n![\"Heiskanen\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/USATSI_25204331-1-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Heiskanen, on the other hand, is going to be a big one to contend with when his deal is up for renewal.\u00a0 An all-situations top-pairing player, he\u2019s already quite a bargain on their books.\u00a0 The veteran will be 30 at the end of this contract.\u00a0 Given where the market appears to be heading, it\u2019s quite possible that Heiskanen could command a max-term agreement (which will be seven years at this point instead of the current eight) at double his current price tag.\u00a0 A shorter-term pact could even run a little higher than that.\u00a0 At this point, Heiskanen will quite likely become the highest-paid player on the Stars should he ultimately sign another contract with them, beating out whatever Robertson\u2019s next deal will be.<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $52.937MM (6 players signed)
Cap Space: $80.563MM
Potential Bonuses: None
Dead Cap: None<\/p>\n
F Roope Hintz<\/a> ($8.45MM through 2030-31)
G Jake Oettinger<\/a> ($8.25MM through 2032-33)
F Mikko Rantanen<\/a> ($12MM through 2032-33)<\/p>\n