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Welcome to DLLS Dallas Stars weekly! Every week, I will recap news, rumors, notes, and articles from the previous seven days.
Let’s get into it.
A trade, you say?!
The Stars made a trade! Well, sort of.
Yes, it was a trade, and a hockey one at that, when Dallas sent Matt Dumba and a 2028 second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok. But the move was less to improve the current roster and far more to relieve their previously negative salary cap space.
The trade moved out Dumba’s $3.75 million cap hit in exchange for Kolyachonok’s league-minimum $775k, pushing the Stars from nearly $2 million above the cap to $1.955 million below it. That gives Dallas the space to sign or call up a forward or two (they currently have 12 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goalies on their roster).
That active roster includes Kolyachonok. The 24-year-old left-handed defenseman has four goals and 14 points in 74 NHL games. The 2019 second-round pick for the Florida Panthers played 35 games for the Penguins last season and split the early part of his career between the Arizona Coyotes and Utah Hockey Club.
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He is a good skater, jumps into the rush well, and has excellent vision to find passing lanes in the offensive zone.
Whether the defenseman from Belarus will actually play for Dallas is unknown. Kolyachonok has bounced between the NHL and AHL quite a bit, and the Stars don’t really have a need for unproven and smaller lefty defenders at the moment. In other words, he doesn’t move the needle of the left-wing, power forward, or right-handed top-four defenseman Dallas is likely in the market for.
That doesn’t mean it absolutely won’t happen. But if the Stars opt to send him down to Cedar Park, he will have to clear waivers first. I’m not so sure 31 teams would pass on this guy at the league minimum.
Dumba was a miss for three-time GM of the Year winner Jim Nill.
Nill and the Stars believed that Dumba could bring some much-needed physicality to the Dallas roster after proving his body-checking ability and nasty play throughout his career. But another aspect Nill had hoped for was Dumba re-finding some of his offense from the blue line.
Dumba hit double digits in goals four straight years with the Minnesota Wild, but has yet to reach eight since. Nill told me he believed Dumba still had that ability, and Pete DeBoer and the Stars tried to use him to finally move Miro Heiskanen back to his strong side.
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Instead, the 30-year-old was injured multiple times, played in 63 games, was scratched throughout the entire playoff run, and finished with one goal, 10 points, and a minus-5. Add to that the ominous facial injury that we never learned any more about, and the whole experiment was simply put, unsuccessful. Nill righted his wrong with the trade, leaving Dallas in a far better place than it would be if they had to keep or buy out Dumba.
Glen Gulutzan’s staff
The final piece of new Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan’s staff has been set. On Friday, the Stars hired former Edmonton Oilers skating coach David Pelletier for the final assistant coach spot.
Pelletier spent the past 11 seasons with Edmonton, transitioning from a skating coach to the Oilers trusted “eye in the sky” at all home games. While his background is in skating, Pelletier has earned more responsibility and praise for his understanding of the game and its top players.
In Dallas, Pelletier will continue that “eye in the sky” role, this time in a full-time capacity. He will help identify trends during games, letting the coaches on the bench know how an opposing team is matching lines, changing forechecks, or trying to shut off a certain player or play design. According to team sources, Pelletier will use a general checklist to go through his duties, but will then have the freedom to communicate any tendencies or observations from above.
Pelletier is well known for his understanding and handling of superstar players. Most notably, he worked with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl since they came into the league, and had a hand in establishing them as two of the best in the world. The Stars hope he can have the same effect and understanding of guys like Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen, and Matt Duchene.
For more on Pelletier’s incredible skating background, here is a direct quote from the Stars website:
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Prior to working with the Oilers, Pelletier had a highly decorated career in figure skating. He is a three-time Canadian champion, world champion and a Grand-Prix Final champion. Pelletier captured an Olympic gold medal in figure skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, earning Canada’s first gold medal in pairs figure skating in 42 years. Additionally, he is a member of the Skate Canada Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy in 2001, which is given to outstanding Canadian athletes.
AND he can golf!
Joe Pavelski feels like one of those athletes that kids hated to be around. Not because they are bad people. Joe is one of the best around. Not because they are selfish. Joe is the opposite. And not because they steal the spotlight. Joe was a true leader and team-first guy. But because they are good at absolutely everything.
Remember the days when you spent hours learning a new skateboard trick or riff on a guitar, or even how to make a certain shot in basketball? Then that super athlete came over and did it on his first try? That feels like Joe Pavelski.
Not only did he have an incredible, decorated hockey career that will land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But he is also a top-tier golfer. So good that Jake Oettinger believed he would split his future career, spending half of his time as a GM of a hockey team and the other as a pro golfer.
Well, he hasn’t taken on any hockey ops jobs yet, but he is coaching. And now, he is a first-time champion golfer at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship.
And he crushed the field! Pavelski was always referred to as the best golfer in the Stars room, but this is next level.
And what was Pavelski best known for on the ice? Standing out in the biggest moments. His late tying goal to keep Dallas from dropping into a 3-1 series hole against Calgary in 2020. His four-goal night returning from a nasty concussion after a hit from Dumba (full circle). And of course, the many, many elite deflections that beat NHL goaltenders in the playoffs.
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So, it’s only fitting that his win came on the heels of a beautiful putt to eagle the final hole of the tournament.
The Stars have to get this guy on their staff. DLLS has to get this guy on our show (it’s in the works). Congratulations, Joe!
Finally, the Stars released their 2025-26 preseason schedule, beginning in 68 days on Sept. 20. The NHL also announced a triple header on opening night, Oct. 7, with the complete regular-season schedule to be released on Wednesday.
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