The Dallas Stars have a lot of young talent on their roster and it's time for them to step up after the offseason moves that the Stars made this summer. Players like Nils Lundkvist, Sam Steel and Mavrik Bourque are players the stars are hoping make the next step in their careers and fill the scoring loss from players like Mason Machment and Mikael Granlund. Here are the three players that need to step up in order for the Stars to be better this season.
Young Stars Improving: 3. Nils Lundkvist
The season ended abruptly for Nils Lundkvist in 2024-2025. A shoulder injury derailed his year, which ultimately required the Stars to pursue the rental of Cody Ceci. After being acquired from the New York Rangers for a first-round pick, Nils has spent the last three seasons in Dallas.
He saw a +18 jump in +/- from year one to year two with the Stars. However, last year's injury prevented us from seeing consistency. This year, Nils Lundkvist signed a one-year deal worth $1.25 million to stay in Dallas. With the Stars' current depth, a healthy Nils can make a splash paired with anyone.
What growth must be seen for Nils to play every day under Glen Gulutzan. The puck-moving tendencies of Lundkvist have helped him gain +/- over his career. The two categories the Stars will need in 2025 from Nils are scoring and physicality. Nils' career high in goals of 6 was in the 2022-2023 season. For the Stars to be successful, Nils needs to be in the 8-12 range this season.
You can see him jumping in the play, but he has not been burying those opportunities the last two seasons. If multiple goals go in each month, the Stars will be able to replace the missing goals from Marchment and Dadonov through committee. Nils can combat physical players in a different way than most. Lundkvist's goal is to get the puck out of the zone before the forecheck reaches him. Quick breakout passes will showcase what Nils can offer.
Young Stars Improving: 2. Mavrik Bourque
The 2024 AHL MVP is coming off his first full season in Dallas. Mavrik Bourque finished the season with 11G/14A/25P. He spent most of the season jumping between lines wherever he was wanted that night. While the 2024-2025 Stars needed this role, it was not a great way to observe his growth and development.
Confidence seems to be a significant part of Mavrik's game. In some parts of the season, he would look to pass on Grade A chances. Other weeks, he would have three goals. Consistency is arguably the most challenging part of hockey. Mavrik needs to form some line chemistry this year to blossom in the scoring department. Luckily, it looks like he will spend any time on the fourth line this season, which does not fit his role well. He should be playing with a consistent line against some of the lesser D pairs in the league, which should result in an uptick of goals.
Young Stars Improving: 1. Sam Steel
Sam Steel hass had an interesting path to the Dallas Stars. He ended up in Dallas in 2023 as a depth piece. After signing a 2-year, $2.1 million AAV contract this season, Sam has some much-needed security for the first time in years. He has been a decent fourth-line option for the Stars over the past two seasons. However, the clutch goals he scored in the 2025 playoffs changed that. He showed how he can impact a team in gritty moments, which is something we have seen on the penalty kill for two seasons.
The play of Sam Steel may have more of an impact on the season than any other Dallas Star. If Johnston, Duchene, and Hintz all play center, Steel could slot into the top six. However, the third line seems more likely at the moment. Sam's role will change depending on whether he is playing wing or center. Jumping up and down and from left to right in the lineup can be extremely difficult to manage. Steel will have to show individual growth in the changing lineup. His playoff performance showed he can handle this better than anyone in the bottom six of the Dallas Stars.