FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Wednesday that Mikko Rantanen and Tyler Seguin could each spend time with Jason Robertson this season. Dallas traded Mavrik Bourque in July.
Dallas sent Bourque and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to the Nashville Predators on July 1 for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick. Bourque, who shoots right, had 20 goals, 21 assists, and 41 points in 82 games.
Glen Gulutzan On Jason Robertson’s Linemates
In Gulutzan’s experience, a combination that worked one season does not always carry over to the next.
“We’re not married to lines right now, and I’ve found that over the years, you can go back and look who played good with who together, and we do, we have those numbers, but also it’s a different year, and I’ve seen those things change too from year to year, just as players mature and different combinations and different chemistries just work out,” Gulutzan said. “So if you answer that question, maybe I’m going to play at some points Robo with Rants, but at some points maybe it’s going to be Seggy.”
“We’ve got Sam Steel and Ritzy, and they’re going to have to play roles in the top nine like they did last year, just exactly like they did last year,” Gulutzan continued. “So missing that right shot certainly hurts, but when you look at it, what we had in the playoffs without Seggy, you kind of get Seggy back, so we can kind of mix and match from there. So it’s going to be community coverage.”
Robertson led Dallas with 45 goals, 51 assists, and 96 points in 82 games, and in June he was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team. He signed a one-year, $12 million contract on July 21. Against the Minnesota Wild in the first round, he had 5 goals, 3 assists, and 8 points in six games.
Mikko Rantanen, Tyler Seguin, And Dallas Stars Forward Depth
Rantanen had 22 goals, 55 assists, and 77 points in 64 games. In the playoffs, he had 1 goal, 6 assists, and 7 points.
Seguin had ACL surgery in December after he was hurt on Dec. 2. Before the injury, he had 7 goals, 10 assists, and 17 points in 27 games. Earlier Wednesday, Stars general manager Jim Nill said Seguin has been cleared by his surgeon for contact.
Sam Steel had 12 goals, 21 assists, and 33 points in 73 games. Joel Kiviranta returned to Dallas on a one-year, $1 million contract on July 1. With Colorado last season, he had 3 goals, 6 assists, and 9 points in 51 games.
By Gulutzan’s count, Dallas was second in the league in expected goals against last season.
“No, no, no. Just in one little area,” Gulutzan explained. “We’re going to look at our neutral zone and how we play it both ways. Just through those two blue lines, offensively and defensively, we want to play a little bit different.”
Camp opens Thursday at Comerica Center. The preseason opens Saturday, Sept. 19, at the St. Louis Blues, with puck drop at 6 p.m. CT.
