Ranking the Dallas Stars Roster from No. 23 to No. 1

Training camp starts next week, let's take a look at how things stack up before we get there.

The best ideas are stolen, right?

So before the NHL training camps start next week in Dallas and Detroit, I’m stealing an idea from my pal Bob Sturm that does annually for the Dallas Cowboys roster, which he happened to steal from another substack, “The Leap,” which which covers the Green Bay Packers.

2025 Cowboys roster ranking, 10-1

So for the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings, we will rank the rosters before training camp. I’ve reached out to my media friends in both markets for their ballots, which they can reveal or not based on their decisions, tabulated them and also picked a random paid subscriber here at Shap Shots to be the voice of the readers.

Each panelist was asked the same question, “Rank the Stars roster from 23 to 1, with 1 being the best player.”

I intentionally didn’t give a list of names for panelist to rank, because I wanted each panelist to work from what the roster is in their mind, meaning we ended up with 26 players ranked.

The panel was as follows:

Lia Assimakopoulos, Stars beat writer, Dallas Morning News

Taylor Baird, Managing Editor at Defending Big D and NHL.com correspondent

David Castillo, publisher/writer at Stars Stack

Sam Nestler, Stars beat writer, DLLS

Owen Newkirk, host of the DLLS Stars Podcast

Sean Shapiro, myself

Gavin Spittle, host of the Spits & Suds podcast

Bob Sturm, publisher/writer at Sturm Stack

Robert Tiffin, Stars beat writer at Stars Thoughts

And our reader representative was Timothy, who was chosen at random from our readers who expressed interest in helping with a project.

Two players received votes and didn’t reach the top-23, Arttu Hyry, Justin Hryckowian, and Emil Hemming. Consider them our honorable mentions for this project.

23. Vladislav Kolyachonok, LHD

Average ranking: 23.22

Highest rank: 22

Lowest rank: NR

My rank: 23

Acquired in a trade this summer with the Pittsburgh Penguins, which sent Matt Dumba the other way, Vladislav Kolyachonok is a 24-year-old defender who’s been more of a 4-A player in his time in North America. Kolyachonok is a mobile defenseman, but isn’t overly dynamic. He’s likely going to start the season as the No. 8 defender.

22. Alexander Petrovic, RHD

Average ranking: 21.55

Highest rank: 20

Lowest rank: NR

My rank: 22

Petrovic’s past couple seasons look like an error was made on his Elite Prospects profile. How does a player spend that much time in the AHL, in back-to-back seasons, and then end up playing that much in the NHL playoffs?

In the past 24 months, Petrovic has played just six NHL regular season games, but 24 in the NHL playoffs. He’s organizational depth, might start the season on the Dallas roster, but could also end up playing, again, for the Texas Stars. Petrovic’s NHL role will likely be more dependent on how some others seize opportunity that we will talk about soon.

21. Nathan Bastian, RW/C

Average ranking: 20.55

Highest rank: 19

Lowest rank: 23

My rank: 21

Bastian was one of the late additions to the roster, signing as a free agent in August, and his addition closed out some of the realistic opportunities for a player like Justin Hryckowian to make the team out of training camp — remember contracts make jobs, not preseason performance. Bastian is a hammer in a drawer full of scalpels, he’s a blunt, physical player that works well on the forecheck. When Glen Gulutzan talks about amping up physicality, he’s talking about players like Bastian raising that level throughout the regular season.

20. Oskar Bäck, C/LW

Average ranking: 20.33

Highest rank: 16

Lowest rank: 23

My rank: 20

Bäck took a step career wise last season, sticking in the NHL all season and playing 84 combined games between the regular season and playoffs. For Bäck the next step is elevating his game when he gets those opportunities, particularly in the postseason where his body and frame seem purpose-built for the occasion. Bäck is one of the Stars better players at protecting the puck, and that’s an area where I’d like to see him used more cycling possessions.

19. Colin Blackwell, C/W

Average ranking: 19.11

Highest rank: 17

Lowest rank: 21

My rank: 19

Blackwell is a good story, and the type of player the Stars need at $775,000 within their forward depth with such a heavy spend on the top of the roster. He was in-and-out of the playoff lineup for Dallas, but performed admirably, including scoring the biggest goal of his career in overtime against the Colorado Avalanche.

18. Ilya Lyubushkin, RHD

Average ranking: 17.55

Highest rank: 16

Lowest rank: 20

My rank: 17

Because of his handedness, he’s a righty, Lyubushkin is often slotted into top-four mock lineups, often paired with Thomas Harley. And that’s a role that Lyubushkin could play, but ideally he’s more of a third-pairing player, like he was in the playoffs when he was scratched a couple times for Petrovic. The reality is this, Lyubushkin is good for the right role, a third-pairing player, but his usage and the play of others will determine how much fans fret about the Stars defense heading into the playoffs.

17. Radek Faksa, C

Average ranking: 17.11

Highest rank: 14

Lowest rank: 19

My rank: 14

I was higher on Faksa than any of the other panelists, slotting him at 14 while no one else had him ranked higher than 16. So While it’s not egregious, I think I should defend my thinking here. The Stars were missing Faksa when he went to St. Louis, not his cap hit, which is why the Stars had traded him away, but his playoff style of hockey and size down the middle, particularly around the front of the net — on both ends. Faksa is back in Dallas at $2 million per season, a number that better fits his offensive expectations, and is going to have a better fit with Gulutzan than he did with Pete DeBoer.

16. Nils Lundkvist, RHD

Average ranking: 15.66

Highest rank: 12

Lowest rank: 18

My rank: 16

Lundkvist, in my view, was starting to put it together last season before his campaign was ended by injury. He’s now free of playing for DeBoer, who really didn’t like the player much, and has an opportunity to potentially be the second-pairing right-side defender riding shotgun with Harley. If Lundkvist takes a step this season and remains healthy, the Stars defense looks much better. He really is one of the biggest wild card or “what ifs” on this roster.

15. Casey DeSmith, G

Average rank: 14.88

Highest Rank: 13

Lowest Rank: 18

My rank: 18

DeSmith is a very good backup goalie, last season he delivered a 14-8-2 record and .915 save percentage in 27 games. Truthfully, he probably should have played more and if the Stars are smart, with an Olympic year and Oettinger’s playoff struggles in the Western Conference Final, he should play more this season.

14. Sam Steel, C/LW

Average rank: 14.22

Highest Rank: 11

Lowest rank: 18

My rank: 13

Steel is a bit of a Swiss Army knife for the Stars forward group. He can play a reliable fourth-line role, but also has some of that skill that, in spurts, could be used to fill in on a top-six role when injury or poor play by others necessitates it. Steel also has bet big on the Stars, taking a more team-friendly deal to stay in Dallas when he probably could have gotten at least another $1 million elsewhere by heading to free agency. When players like Sam Steel are in the discussion for 13th to 15th best player on your roster, you probably have a pretty good team.

13. Mavrik Bourque, C/W

Average Rank: 12.88

Highest Rank: 11

Lowest Rank: 15

My Rank: 12

Bourque has played primarily center in his career, but also worked along the right wing in the NHL. Personally, I’d like to see him given a chance on the left as well, because I view him as a highly versatile player, that with some time could be a real game-changer. Bourque showed flashes of that NHL impact last season, but struggled with some consistency and adjusting to a depth role. That’s the challenge for him, I think on a lesser team, without much depth, he’d already have popped off at the NHL level because he thrives in the 18-minute a night range. But part of proving yourself as an NHL is finding a way to make that impact when you are only getting 10 or 12.

12. Jamie Benn, LW

Average Rank: 12.55

Highest Rank: 8

Lowest Rank: 16

My Rank: 15

Big, wide range on Benn’s ranking here, which is understandable for a player that has meant so much to the franchise, and still is the leader in the locker room, but has aged into more of a depth-checking role, which honestly fits really well for his game. I’ve been pretty vocal about the complicated part of this era for Benn: as a hockey player, he’s doing everything anyone needs, but when it comes to a succession plan, it’s probably time for the Stars, in my view, to move on so others can fill the void.

I wrote about it at length here back in March, it’s complicated, but it’s true.

Jamie Benn’s Legacy Is Secure — But Maybe His Future in Dallas Shouldn’t Be

But thoughts about whether it’s best for the Stars to have Benn or not on the team right now, from a team-building perspective, he’s still a viable and valuable NHL player.

11. Lian Bichsel, LHD

Average Rank: 11.55

Highest Rank: 10

Lowest Rank: 13

My Rank: 10

Bichsel is fascinating, honestly, someday I hope someone writes an entire book about his career and his decisions, because between his play and path he’s taken off the ice in relation to both the Stars and Swiss Ice Hockey federation, there might not be a more fascinating player on this team. He’s also unlike any other player on the Stars, a physical player that hits and skates well, at the same time, and imposes in the emotional part of the game. To me, and I think to Gulutzan, Bichsel is a breakout player in-waiting, and if he wasn’t left-handed he’d already be locked into the top-four on most mock depth charts.

On Lian Bichsel, violence, and his future under Glen Gulutzan

10. Tyler Seguin, C

Average Rank: 10.44

Highest Rank: 9

Lowest Rank: 14

My Rank: 11

Seguin says he’s healthy this season, and if that’s the case, and if he’s able to play at a level that he started at next season, before having surgery, he could be even higher on this list. I think there was still some playoff rust compounded by injuries, which Seguin has spoken about. When healthy, though, Seguin has proven he’s a top-six center still in the NHL, one that relies more on his creativity and playmaking that the physical tools, which dominated the earlier part of his career.

9. Esa Lindell, LHD

Average Rank: 8.66

Highest Rank: 8

Lowest Rank: 10

All 10 panelists agreed that Lindell sits in this range. And that’s kind of fitting, because Lindell represents consistency on the ice, and he’s been able to pretty gracefully drop back into the No. 3 defender role behind Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley. Lindell is still one of the NHL’s best penalty-killing defenders, and since Harley’s emergence, he’s become better deployed since he’s always with another blue liner that wants to carry the puck.

8. Matt Duchene, C

Average Rank: 8.22

Highest Rank: 5

Lowest Rank: 10

My Rank: 9

There were many teams hoping Duchene would go to market, looking to capitalize on a his success in Dallas the past couple seasons, and potentially sign a larger deal. Instead Duchene signed for a team-friendly $4.5 million, which is really good value for a player that will either be your second or third-line center depending on the matchups that evening. Duchene’s game has aged gracefully and he’s become a key cog for the Stars larger culture, something that he’s admitted came with maturity after early stops in his career.

7. Wyatt Johnston, C

Average Rank: 5.77

Highest Rank: 1

Lowest Rank: 7

My Rank: 5

Most panelists has Johnston in the four through six range, while one had him at No. 1. And that’s not the craziest thought, when you consider Johnston’s age and career arc, even if he had a difficult postseason by his lofty standards. Johnston thinks the game at a higher level, he’s one of the smartest players with his timing and routes, and, personally, I think the the playoff wall might not have been the worst thing for his long-term growth.

6. Roope Hintz, C

Average Rank: 5.55

Highest Rank: 3

Lowest Rank: 8

My Rank: 4

I really struggled with where to put Hintz on my own list, because when he’s healthy and buzzing, he’s one of the most exciting players on the planet. But there are also long stretches, in seasons and in games, where Hintz is just a passenger and doesn’t seem to have that same buzz or pop. I also don’t think the consistency will ever arrive for Hintz, I think this is who he is, and it becomes more of a question of treated him like a coin flip, is he going to dominate tonight or is he going to be a spectator? But, damn, when the coin flips the right way, it’s fun.

5. Jason Robertson, LW

Average Rank: 5

Highest Rank: 3

Lowest Rank: 7

My Rank: 6

One of the elite goal scorers on planet earth. That’s a true statement, if you simply look at the data and the numbers, very few humans in the past couple years have been able to score goals the way Jason Robertson does. He also has struggled in the playoffs, seems to become more one-dimensional in the spring, and is now in the outside drama — not by his doing, mind you — about what will or won’t happen with his next contract. Robertson is like a quieter, nerdier version of what Brett Hull was for the Stars in 1999. He may seem aloof at times, but he is always a threat to impact the game in the most important way.

4. Thomas Harley, LHD

Average Rank: 4.77

Highest Rank: 3

Lowest Rank: 7

My Rank: 3

Sometimes I have to check myself, because I get worried that I’m buying too much into the Thomas Harley hype train. Harley, in my view, has Norris Trophy-level talent and will be one of the top-10 defenders on the planet by the end of this season — even though he’ll never win the Norris because of where he plays and he’s not as good as Miro Heiskanen. Try this exercise with me, how many NHL teams would trade their No. 1 defender straight up for Thomas Harley? I would argue close to 20 would make that trade in a heart beat.

3. Jake Oettinger, G

Average Rank: 4

Highest Rank: 1

Lowest Rank: 7

My Rank: 7

There was a wide range on Oettinger when it came to this exercise, and while I used the word “best” when talking to panelists, I’m certain his position — the most valuable position — came into play for some other panelists. Oettinger is a top-10 goalie on the planet, and in the regular season he’s been a top-five goalie in the world. I also have to judge goalies off the postseason, because while it’s not all their fault one way or the other, Oettinger’s play in net has been pretty concerning in three straight Western Conference Finals. You can win a Stanley Cup with Jake Oettinger, I think anyone who says otherwise is crazy — Adin Hill recently won a cup, remember? — but I think he’s moved into that Connor Hellebuyck territory of judgment, where we grade with an incredibly harsh scale.

2. Mikko Rantanen, RW

Average Rank: 1.88

Highest Rank: 1

Lowest Rank: 2

My Rank: 2

Of the 10 panelists, nine had Rantanen as the second-best player on the Stars, including myself. For me, there’s a two-horse race for the Stars best player between Rantanen and Miro Heiskanen and isn’t really close. Rantanen is one of the five best wingers on the planet and his offensive impact, and showmanship, are something the Stars haven’t had in one player, well, ever.

1. Miro Heiskanen, LHD

Average Rank: 1.44

Highest Rank: 1

Lowest Rank: 4

My Rank: 1

Heiskanen was the top choice of seven of the 10 ballots. In my view, he’s one of the top three defenders on the planet, and in a draft he’d go third behind Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. Based purely on defending, Heiskanen is probably the best player on the planet when it comes to disrupting and defusing plays with his skating and his stick. To steal a football cliche, Heiskanen controls a game the way an elite No. 1 corner back does in the NFL — other teams just avoid him as much as possible. Personally, I think a lot of views of how good Heiskanen is will change at the Olympics when many in the hockey world see what he brings to Finland after they desperately missed him at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

---

And that’s our list! I won’t reveal individual panelists lists, I’ll leave that up to them since they were so kind to help with this project, they should get to control whether that’s shared or not.

Let me know your thoughts/complaints/etc…