The Dallas Stars had their exit interviews this morning after being eliminated from the Western Conference Finals for a third-straight season in a row. It stings to watch the Edmonton Oilers advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, but they were the better team and made adjustments after every period to slow down the Stars. Dallas has a lot of questions and will address them as a team this offseason. Here are some of the interesting quotes and tidbits from the interviews this morning.
Dallas Stars Exit Interviews: 3. Matt Duchene Stability
If people thought Matt Duchene was going to come back here on a cheap one-year deal next season, think again. One of the interesting quotes from the exit interviews this morning was Duchene wanting stability if he were to remain in Dallas for the foreseeable future. He has the right to ask for stability after asking for two one-year contracts. I know the Stars don't have the flexibility in the Salary Cap this offseason, but it will be a tough decision for Jim Nill and company if they want him to remain in Dallas.
"“As a family, I think my kids are getting to a point where you're looking for some stability, so one-year deals are tough… I've really enjoyed being here. I've gotten great feedback about things, and hopefully, we can continue to move forward.”"Dallas Stars Forward Matt Duchene
After telling the press about wanting to be here in Dallas with an extended contract, he wanted to let the City of Dallas know something. He talked about how even though it didn't look like it on the ice, the Stars tried their hardest to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Oilers. It sometimes doesn't go the way people expect it to. He does have a good point about that. The team might look like a Stanley Cup-winning team on paper, but hungrier teams can knock you out of the playoffs.
Matt Duchene now a UFA on his future:
— Savannah Huemoeller (@sportssavvyy) May 31, 2025
“I want to keep playing.”
“I believe in this group and want to be here.” pic.twitter.com/BoF39105q3
Dallas Stars Exit Interviews: 2. Jamie Benn
With Jamie Benn's future in Dallas uncertain this summer, he told the media this morning he plans to be here next season. He expects to play nowhere other than Dallas, and he will try to work something out with Nill this summer. After having a rough Stanley Cup Playoffs run, he might need to take the veteran minimum to stay here. I don't see where he will earn more than 1 million next season. It's another storyline to follow this summer with the Stars' unrestricted free agents.
Dallas Stars Exit Interviews: 1. Pete DeBoer's comments
It's been a couple of days since DeBoer tried to explain his actions for pulling Jake Oettinger in the first period of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. He began talking about how he's the biggest fan of Jake Oettinger, and hasn't had a chance to speak with Oettinger about why he pulled him yet. I've seen a lot of hockey writers criticize his decision to do that because of how elite Oettinger is as a goaltender. You could tell Oettinger was angry at himself for being pulled in the first period.
Oettinger said he's more focused on becoming the best goaltender and letting his game speak for itself. You could tell he was out of it in Game 4 against the Oilers, and DeBoer confirmed that he was dealing with an upper-respiratory issue and they were considering benching him for that reason. It probably wouldn't have made a difference in the outcome of the Western Conference Finals. The Stars went up against a team wanting revenge against the Panthers. Stay tuned for more offseason stuff from Blackout Dallas next week.