Stat Hockey’s Dallas Stars 2023-24 Line Projections

This is a look at the Dallas Stars 2023-24 line projections. It will cover all forward lines, defense pairings, goaltenders, and scratches.

Projected Lineup

F

Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Joe Pavelski

Jamie Benn – Wyatt Johnston – Evgenii Dadonov

Mason Marchment – Tyler Seguin – Matt Duchene

Sam Steel – Radek Faksa – Ty Dellandrea

S- Craig Smith, Riley Damiani

D

Ryan Suter – Miro Heiskanen

Esa Lindell – Nils Lundkvist

Thomas Harley – Jani Hakanpaa

S- Joel Hanley

G

Jake Oettinger

Scott Wedgewood

Forwards

The Stars’ first line needs to and will remain together from last season. All three players once again played very well and led this team. Robertson was one of the league leaders in goals and points and is only getting better. Pavelski isn’t slowing down at his age which is amazing for the Stars. Hintz is a great two-way player who can also put the puck in the back of the net.

The secondary scoring just keeps getting better for the Stars as some new names were added. This team looks to have two second lines that distribute the scoring equally. On one of the lines is Dadonov who stuck around after being a successful trade deadline addition last season. A ton won’t be expected of him, but he is still capable of putting up points. Johnston and Benn were a great combo, so they should continue to play together on the same line.

The other second line, or some may call it the third line, is very good. While Marchment has proven to be a streaky player, Seguin and Duchene are looking for bounce-back seasons and to prove themselves. There is a lot of skill on this line and they should outmatch most.

The fourth line is also one of the better ones in the league. Faksa is strong defensively and is paid like he should be playing higher up. Dellandrea is a talented young player that should be the first moved up if there’s an injury. Unfortunately he’s stuck behind a lot of good and experienced players. As for Smith, he was productive not too long ago. He didn’t have the best year in 2022-23, but is looking for a fresh start with less responsibility. He should be in and out of the lineup with Steel, who is a younger and versatile option for the Stars.

Defense

The defense of the Stars has remained intact from last season for the most part. Only Colin Miller has moved on. The top pairing likely won’t be touched as Heiskanen is an elite talent and Suter works just fine beside him. Heiskanen will lead the charge once again on the back-end.

The second pairing should look a little different. I think this is the year Lundkvist overtakes Hakanpaa for the second RD spot. He’s young and will eventually get there, so why not now? Lindell is the perfect defensive defenseman to help Lundkvist along and negate too many bad sequences if there’s struggles.

Related: Stat Hockey’s Columbus Blue Jackets 2023-24 Line Projections

As for the third pairing, this is also the season I think Harley gets a full time role. All he has to do is outplay 32-year-old Hanley, which he can do. It makes little sense for the Stars to keep Harley in the NHL if he doesn’t play a lot more than last season. This means Hakanpaa, another defensively responsible and physical player, will be his partner. This might be an underrated duo for the Stars.

Goaltending

Goaltending should once again be elite. The Stars are strong defensively and Oettinger is one of the league’s best. He will likely be right in the Vezina Trophy conversation this season and have help behind him. Wedgewood put up very solid numbers, but he doesn’t get a ton of games. Oettinger can hold down the net for 60 games while Wedgewood cleans up the other games with relative ease.