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Stargazing, A Dallas Stars Puckcast – Episode 316: Olympic Break Score Sheet

Jake Oettinger may not be perfect, but is he perfect for the Stars? It’s just one question Wes and Mark suddenly have time to contemplate.

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

There’s very little like three straight victories over the St. Louis Blues to get Dallas Stars fans buzzing. So how do we talk about this team now that the mood of the Victory Green faithful has swung back from “Will they ever win again?” to “Let’s start the Stanley Cup Playoffs right now!”?

Fortunately, there’s very little like a Winter Olympics break to facilitate some midseason gab – and here at Stargazing, “gab” is our middle name. (It’s in there. The B is silent.) In this episode, Wes and Mark discuss the factors contributing to the Stars’ blown leads, the turtling tendencies that change but never seem to go away, the worst thing about a great power play, the one player who might have been worth going for at the trade deadline, and so much more.

Are you task-oriented or think-oriented? We’re Stargazing, and we need the answer right now. Or not. At any rate, share your answer in the comments. Let’s talk about it.

And please, give us a rate, review, or share wherever you get your podcasts. 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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