DLLS Stars Podcast: First Dominoes Fall As Bourque & Lyubushkin Traded One Hour Before Free Agency

Approximately one hour before 2026 NHL Free Agency opened today, the Dallas Stars traded RFA forward Mavrik Bourque and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to the Nashville Predators for two draft picks (a 2027 2nd round pick and a 2028 3rd round pick). An hour later, the free agency window officially opened and players started signing contracts all over the league. On today’s show, we will discuss the trade and what it means for the Stars going forward. We will also dive into last night’s bombshell reporting that the Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets had verbally agreed to a trade that would have sent reigning Norris Trophy defenseman Zach Werenski to Dallas and Thomas Harley to Columbus. That deal reportedly collapsed when Werenski vetoed the trade; he has a full No Move Clause. If that wasn’t enough to chew on, we will look at the biggest NHL free agent signings that have happened around the league.