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Stargazing, A Dallas Stars Puckcast – Episode 294: Cut Short

The conversation on how the season ended is really three different conversations. Wes and Mark decided to take on all of them.

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’ season is over, and we’re all left to contemplate what happened to their Stanley Cup hopes. Was this an Edmonton Oilers problem, or a symptom of something bigger that an occasional explosion of elite talent could only hide for so long?

Wes and Mark sat down after the end (and before the news of Pete DeBoer’s departure) to examine the strategy…and why we might have seen this coming. In this edition, they discuss how slow starts seem to doom the Stars’ chances, the eerie silence of their vaunted scoring depth, and why their four (4) deliberate moves on defense didn’t work.

They also discuss how much of the Stars’ downfall may have been down to being out-coached – and what the team needs to do to clear the next hurdle.

We’re Stargazing, and we think Neil Graham might want to keep his cell phone charged. Possibly. Maybe. What’s your take? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

And please give the cast a rate, review or share while you’re at it. We love you. Thanks in advance.

Well, the Dallas Stars exited the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs sooner than anyone wanted. It's going to be a long summer for all of us. What now? In this episode of Stargazing, Wes and Mark examined the takeaways from the Stars' all-too-short run. And along with the obvious issues (injuries, penalties, name it), they found some surprisingly positive evidence for the future (and you may or may not be surprised at how much of it probably ties into the promotion of Neil Graham). So are you rooting for the asteroid, or the giant truck? We're Stargazing, and we're keeping our options open. Bonus question: What will you look for in the next NHL Draft? 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.
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