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Stargazing, A Dallas Stars Puckcast – Episode 320: Dropping Lines

Wes and Mark talk about a Stars team in search of a second line – and rank a few players on their enhanced xRawr chart.

Defending Big D's Stargazing podcast logo, featuring a Dallas Stars Victory Green cassette tape with tearaway jersey texture and nets over the sprocket holes, designed by Jason Lara
Logo design: Jason Lara | @NHLMaps

The Dallas Stars have visibly struggled with late-season injuries in the past couple of weeks. And nowhere has this been more apparent than in the depleted forward corps. How do you rotate lines when the second line is missing?

In this episode, Wes and Mark talk about this in depth. They discuss whether Michael Bunting needs to play on the first line, the possibility that Tyler Myers has a Jordie Benn problem, the state of the defense, how the Stars’ run-up to the Stanley Cup Playoffs is panning out, and – of course – who falls where on the Expected Rawr (xRawr) chart, now enhanced with up to 37 percent more made-up stats.

This is a hand-drawn black-and-white depiction of Wes Lawrence and Mark Zimmerman's enhanced Expected Rawr chart. The axis points are, clockwise from top, Him, Dawg, Passenger, and Poodle. The quadrants are, clockwise from top right, Beast, Grinder, Pylon, and Showboat.

You take two of your best players off the roster, and all of a sudden forward depth is an issue. We’re Stargazing, and we get it. We really do.

Which Stars are in which xRawr quadrant? So far, Wes and Mark have calculated rankings for the following players, current and historic:

  • Sam Steel
  • Jason Spezza
  • Alex Radulov

(Yes, we are this committed to the bit. Get on board now, or risk an injury when you try to jump this train during the playoffs.)

Let’s talk more in the comments. And don’t forget to give us a rate, review, or share wherever you get your podcasts. That’s, like, our whole thing right now.

Welcome to Stargazing. We love you.

The Dallas Stars always knew they had a lot of work to get done in the 2026 NHL offseason. We fans always knew GM Jim Nill had a plan, and it surely involved re-signing both Jason Robertson and Mavrik Bourque. So do we panic now that Plan A is dusted? Or is a Jim Nill Plan B good enough to keep the Stars rolling? In this episode of Stargazing, Wes and Mark discuss the battle to keep Robo (and who has a legitimate chance of taking him away), Jamie Benn's new deal, a show-me season for Thomas Harley, what the team needs from Mikko Rantanen, separating fact from fiction in the Stars' salary cap situation…and ever so much more. So is Joel Kiviranta the good-luck charm we all need to ensure everything will be OK? We're Stargazing, and we're not dismissing the prospect out of hand. Bonus question: Who are you watching among the Stars' new NHL Draft picks? Let's talk about it at Defending Big D. And please give us a rate, review, or share wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Stargazing. We love you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  1. Plan A and Plan B
  2. Golfing Season
  3. Round 1, Game 4 Reactions
  4. Round 1, Game 3 Reactions
  5. Round 1, Game 2 Reactions

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