It's no secret that the Dallas Stars are one of the top teams in the Western Conference heading into the 2025-26 season. Most of their team is returning, and Glen Gulutzan is ready to unlock their full potential starting in Winnipeg on Thursday night. Today was the day teams had to submit opening night rosters to the league. However, there is one player who might be heading back down to Cedar Park once a move is made. Here's the tentative opening night roster for the Dallas Stars.
Our Opening Night Stars are here 🤩#TexasHockey
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) October 6, 2025
Unfortunately, Jamie Benn is not included on the opening night roster, since he's likely to be headed to the LTIR within the next 48 hours. Harrison Scott is the placeholder for Benn's spot at the moment. Adam Erne did a great job this preseason and will most likely sign a contract once the Stars free up some space on the roster. He played under Gulutzan in Edmonton and was brought into training camp with a PTO contract. He would need to sign an NHL Contract before continuing with the Stars.
Basically, a lot of your favorites made the opening night roster this season. Matt Duchene and Mikko Rantanen return to the team after having great seasons last year. Rantanen is playing in his first full season with the Dallas Stars after they traded for him at the trade deadline last season. Big things are expected from Rantanen moving forward since he's getting $96 million fully guaranteed. He will most likely be paired with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz on Thursday night.
Jason Robertson is coming into a contract year with the Dallas Stars. He will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and Nill has already said he wants to learn more about the market before entering contract talks with him. If Robertson wants nearly 12 million dollars, he's got to play out of his mind this season. However, with the recent signing of Connor McDavid this morning, the Stars may opt for a more team-friendly approach with his next contract.
Over on the defensive side of the ice, Thomas Harley and Miro Heiskanen look to lead the defense back to the Western Conference Finals. Harley is in a contract year along with Robertson. It will be interesting to see what Nill does to keep two of his rising stars in Dallas for the foreseeable future. Trey Taylor is expected to return to the AHL once Lian Bichsel is recalled, following the activation of Benn to the LTIR. The Stars are locked and loaded for opening night in Winnipeg on Thursday night.