FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Stars will open their season Friday against the St. Louis Blues after a 155-day offseason, their longest gap between seasons in five years, giving players extra time to rest, recover and prepare.
The Stars finished last season with a first-round playoff elimination at Minnesota on April 30. Dallas had reached the Western Conference Final in each of the previous three seasons, playing 100 games each year and continuing into at least late May.
Captain Jamie Benn said he started feeling ready for a new season about a month before training camp opened.
“A lot of the guys felt the same way,” Benn said. “But with that, we got some rest, more time to prepare for this year and get our bodies right.”
General manager Jim Nill said the extended break helped players recover from the physical and mental demands of several deep playoff runs.
“I think you want to find the positive things you can, and I think this was a big break for the guys,” Nill said. “They’ve played a lot of hockey, a lot of intense hockey, a lot of wear and tear.”
Players used the extended offseason to recover
Several Stars players entered camp healthier after dealing with injuries last season.
Mikko Rantanen returned late in the regular season and during the playoffs after suffering a torn MCL in the Olympics. Roope Hintz missed the rest of the season after tearing his left hamstring March 6.
Tyler Seguin also benefited from the longer break. The 34-year-old center underwent right ACL surgery in December and played just 47 games across the previous two seasons because of injuries. He enters the final season of his eight-year, $78.8 million contract.
“The players that were banged up, they’re healthy now,” Nill said.
The offseason also gave Benn and 35-year-old Matt Duchene additional recovery time as both prepare for their 18th NHL seasons.
Young center Wyatt Johnston also had more time to recover after appearing in all 390 regular-season and playoff games since making his NHL debut four years ago.
“He looks bigger and stronger,” coach Glen Gulutzan said.
Gulutzan also said Benn entered camp in his leanest condition since the coach first worked with him during his initial stint with Dallas from 2011-13.
“He trained like crazy this summer. He is actually really lean,” Gulutzan said. “He did some things differently than he normally did.”
Benn said the NHL continues to get faster, so he spent the offseason preparing to keep pace.
Stars began preparing early
The Stars held a condensed training camp two weeks ago ahead of an expanded 84-game regular season. Nill said some players had already started skating and working out at the team’s facility in July.
Jason Robertson said the longer offseason gave players more time to train and reflect.
“I feel good. I’m sure everyone else feels good,” Robertson said.
Dallas will open its season later than most NHL teams, with the league beginning its schedule Tuesday and 10 teams already set to play multiple games before Friday.
Despite the delay, the Oct. 2 opener marks the Stars’ earliest season start since Oct. 1, 1999, when the team raised its Stanley Cup championship banner after winning the title about 3 1/2 months earlier.
Dallas last reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, when the pandemic delayed the season and created a nearly five-month pause. The Stars then had 116 days between the end of that postseason and the start of a shortened 56-game season in January 2021.
After missing the postseason that year, Dallas had 157 days before the next October opener and then began its current run of five consecutive playoff appearances.