NHL Preview 2024-25 47 SportsForecaster.com

Forwards

Jamie Benn [LW/RW]

  • Age: 35
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 206
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 82 21 39 60 8 41 0.73
Career 1203 403 562 965 87 887 0.80
Forecast 82 27 31 58 - - 0.71

Now 35, Benn has seen his offensive numbers rebound in the past two campaigns; his overall play has also become more reliable. Benn has never been the swiftest skater, but he plays a skilled, heavy game in the offensive zone and is hard to bump off the puck. He has also won more than 55 percent of his face-offs five seasons in a row.

Colin Blackwell [LW/RW]

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 5-8
  • Wt: 190
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Chi 44 8 4 12 -2 10 0.27
Career 327 43 54 97 -4 85 0.30
Forecast 68 4 9 13 - - 0.19

The Stars hope journeyman Blackwell can provide some tenacity and energy from the fourth line, especially after trading away Ty Dellandrea and letting Craig Smith walk via unrestricted free agency. The 31-year-old Blackwell is not much of an offensive producer (35 goals in 235 NHL games), but his wheels and work ethic are infectious.

Mavrik Bourque [RW/C]

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 181
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Career 104 15 19 34 0 12 0.33
Forecast 80 14 25 39 - - 0.49

The 22-year-old led the AHL in points in '23-24 and also made two NHL appearances–the second coming in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final. He has supreme vision and playmaking instincts, manages the puck well and plays fast (despite not being an especially great skater). He lacks a dominant trait, but there is a lot to like here.

Evgenii Dadonov [LW/RW]

  • Age: 35
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 188
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 51 12 11 23 -6 8 0.45
Career 622 163 198 361 -27 100 0.58
Forecast 71 10 19 29 - - 0.41

A late-season lower-body injury cost Dadonov 29 games last season, though he returned for the playoffs. The 35-year-old has been a streaky scorer for much of his career; when he gets into scoring areas, he has the ability to create offense quickly. He can be an option on the power play, does not kill penalties and rarely hits anyone.

Matt Duchene [C/RW]

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 212
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 80 25 40 65 15 20 0.81
Career 1143 372 521 893 -65 298 0.78
Forecast 81 24 34 58 - - 0.72

A change of scenery helped perk up Duchene's offensive totals last campaign. The 33-year-old still has some of the speed that made him the No. 3 pick in the 2009 draft. He is quick off the rush and excels at playing chip and chase. His plus-15 rating in 2023-24 was a career best, and he continues to be a force in the face-off circle.

Roope Hintz [C]

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 213
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 80 30 35 65 26 22 0.81
Career 493 183 219 402 107 162 0.82
Forecast 79 31 49 80 - - 1.01

He is looking for his fourth straight 30-goal season in 2024-25. The Finnish center is big, fast and smart. Hintz is a tremendous two-way player and penalty killer who can be used in any situation. He drives play off the rush and is quick in transition; the puck is on and off his stick in a flash. There are no real holes in his game.

Wyatt Johnston [C/RW]

  • Age: 21
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 185
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 82 32 33 65 14 38 0.79
Career 276 105 106 211 21 80 0.76
Forecast 82 40 38 78 - - 0.95

The 21-year-old has already played two full seasons in the NHL, and he topped the 30-goal and 60-point marks in year 2. The Stars' first-rounder in '21 plays quickly, is relentless up and down the ice, and is one of those players who always seem to be around the puck. He scored as many shorthanded goals as power-play goals in '23-24.

Mason Marchment [LW]

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 6-5
  • Wt: 212
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 81 22 31 53 22 54 0.65
Career 326 78 122 200 64 276 0.61
Forecast 78 20 28 48 - - 0.62

The 29-year-old is a big power forward who will try to build on his first 20-goal, 50-point season. Marchment competes in the dirty areas, will sacrifice his body, steps up to challenges and shows occasional offensive creativity. He put up his best offensive numbers in 2023-24, despite averaging 15:04 of ice time. Can he do it again?

Jason Robertson [LW]

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 207
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 82 29 51 80 19 22 0.98
Career 404 186 246 432 112 100 1.07
Forecast 81 36 58 94 - - 1.16

Although Robertson remains a high-end offensive talent, his goals and points dropped sharply last season–after he was an NHL First All-Star Team winger in '22-23. He did tie for the Dallas lead in playoff scoring, though. He has a high hockey IQ and excels at finding dead spots in the defense. His playmaking complements his shooting.

Tyler Seguin [RW/C]

  • Age: 32
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 201
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 68 25 27 52 10 26 0.76
Career 1016 367 459 826 99 309 0.81
Forecast 74 24 28 52 - - 0.70

The No. 2 overall pick in 2010 has revived his career after losing nearly the entire '20-21 campaign to a hip injury. He has broken the 20-goal mark in each of the last three seasons and topped 50 points in the past two. He plays with pace and is quick off the rush. His defensive play has improved, and he is usable in all situations.

Logan Stankoven [C/RW]

  • Age: 21
  • Ht: 5-8
  • Wt: 165
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 24 6 8 14 10 4 0.58
Career 130 25 39 64 10 37 0.49
Forecast 82 24 34 58 - - 0.71

The energetic 21-year-old went from leading the AHL in points at midseason to playing as a top-six forward in the 2024 Western Conference Final. He is a relentless competitor who is both quick and fast, so he is difficult to defend. Stankoven mixes grit and fearlessness with excellent hands, creativity and a knack for finding spaces.

Sam Steel [LW/C]

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 189
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 77 9 15 24 0 29 0.31
Career 448 53 99 152 -33 144 0.34
Forecast 80 11 14 25 - - 0.31

Once upon a time, Steel was a first-round pick in '16 (Anaheim). Today he is a decent fourth-liner who contributes adequate offensive production for his role–while logging 13-14 minutes per game. He plays with energy on every shift but is not physical. His offensive totals are not helped by the fact he sees almost no power-play time.

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Lian Bichsel

  • Age: 20
  • Ht: 6-7
  • Wt: 231
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
SHL 29 2 2 4 0 28 0.14
Career - - - - - - -
Forecast 20 1 4 5 - - 0.25

The 20-year-old Bichsel split last campaign between the AHL and the SHL in Sweden. The towering Swiss rearguard (6'6'', 233 pounds) defends well–his in-zone strength should be his best asset–but he is not always comfortable when the pace of play speeds up. However, Bichsel should get comfortable in the smaller rinks of North America.

Mathew Dumba

  • Age: 30
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 185
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ari/TB 76 4 8 12 -18 88 0.16
Career 748 85 176 261 1 558 0.35
Forecast 77 3 12 15 - - 0.19

Since a serious midseason injury in 2018-19, Dumba has never been the same offensively. But he remains a reliable right-shooting minute muncher who skates well, kills penalties and provides physicality (202 hits, 108 blocks in '23-24) and a bit of offense. Dumba is no longer a first-pairing defenseman but can be a great depth option.

Thomas Harley

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 211
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 79 15 32 47 28 18 0.59
Career 215 33 80 113 54 50 0.53
Forecast 81 12 33 45 - - 0.56

Talk about a breakout season: Harley went from an injury call-up in 2022-23 to the Stars’ best goal-scoring defenseman in 2023-24–despite getting just one on the power play. Harley tied for the NHL lead with three overtime winners, led the team with a plus-28 rating and placed second on the Stars with 135 blocked shots. More to come.

Miro Heiskanen

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 197
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 71 9 45 54 8 36 0.76
Career 505 64 245 309 26 152 0.61
Forecast 78 13 53 66 - - 0.85

He is among the NHL's silkiest-skating defensemen. Heiskanen excels in transition, can run the power play, knows how to use his reach to break up plays in his own zone and has averaged more than 24 minutes of ice time in his six NHL seasons. The 25-year-old can lead the rush or join in. He is elite in almost every aspect of the game.

Esa Lindell

  • Age: 30
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 217
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Dal 82 5 21 26 17 12 0.32
Career 714 57 170 227 154 164 0.32
Forecast 82 4 21 25 - - 0.30

He makes life tough for attackers because of his size (6'3'', 216 pounds) and long reach. Lindell blocks shots (a team-high 162 in 2023-24), is outstanding on the penalty kill and can match up against opponents' top forwards. His average ice time has been down a bit in the past couple of seasons to about 20 minutes, which is perfect.

Ilya Lyubushkin

  • Age: 30
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 200
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ana/Tor 74 0 8 8 -11 57 0.11
Career 454 6 60 66 -28 238 0.15
Forecast 76 1 10 11 - - 0.14

The 30-year-old Lyubushkin is a right-shooting defenseman who contributes almost nothing offensively but can defend effectively (176 hits, 168 blocked shots in 2023-24). He is also useful on the penalty kill. Lyubushkin is an OK skater but does not handle the puck especially well, so he does his best work when he keeps things simple.

Casey DeSmith

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 180
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
Van 29 12 9 6 1 2.89 0.895
Career 200 90 62 26 13 2.76 0.911
Forecast 26 14 - - 1 2.78 0.902

He is a professional backup 'keeper who is capable of carrying the load for brief stretches. However, DeSmith's totals start to decline, often sharply, if he plays anything more than 25-30 games per season. He has also been hampered by injuries, most recently in the '24 playoffs. Last season's save percentage (.896) was a career low.

Jake Oettinger

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-6
  • Wt: 224
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
Dal 54 35 14 4 3 2.72 0.905
Career 271 163 70 29 14 2.52 0.912
Forecast 59 38 - - 4 2.49 0.915

The 25-year-old Oettinger hit his stride late in '23-24 (19-5-2, 2.39 GAA, .911 Sv%) after struggling with inconsistency and a groin injury during the first four months. He is a huge body (6'6'', 224 pounds) who tracks pucks well, stays calm in the crease area, has an excellent glove hand and deals with net-front traffic rather well.