FRISCO, Texas (AP) — After three seasons leading the Dallas Stars, manager Pete DeBoer was let go on Friday. Despite reaching the Western Conference Finals in each of those seasons, he was unable to advance beyond that point in pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
This decision came just eight days after the Stars concluded their season with a 6-3 defeat at home against Edmonton in Game 5 of the Western Final.
DeBoer made a surprising and contentious choice to bench Jake Ottinger after the star goalie allowed two goals on the first two shots within just 7:09. The coach later confessed he had not yet discussed the decision with Ottinger.
Dallas stands behind players on the bench in the second period of the fifth period of the Western Conference Finals, held in Dallas on Thursday, May 29, 2025, in the playoffs of the NHL Hockey Stanley Cup against the Edmonton Oilers. (AP Photo/Gales Patterson)
General Manager Jim Nill stated there was no issue with DeBoer’s decision to pull Oettinger, nor did he find it concerning that the two did not speak immediately following such a significant move.
Nill and the current coach concluded that DeBoer could have handled post-game comments better. DeBoer explained that the Oilers entered the game after a season-ending loss, while his goalie had struggled, losing six out of his last seven.
Reports surfaced indicating some players expressed concerns about DeBoer during exit interviews. However, Nill noted that player input and the aftermath of Oettinger’s decisions weren’t the sole reasons behind this decision.
“It’s the events that took place, that’s a factor,” Nill mentioned during a press conference shortly after the announcement. “But there are additional factors as well. My role is to assess everything, considering even past years. This played a part, but it wasn’t the deciding factor.”
The Oilers managed to win four straight games in the series following the Stars’ five-goal outburst in the third period of Game 1, which ended with a 6-3 scoreline.
Having reached the conference finals for three consecutive seasons, Dallas became the first team to do so without securing at least one cup since the playoff format began in 1994, failing to even give the team a chance to compete.
“This was a very tough decision,” Nill remarked. “To sit here for the third time in a row and make this choice… ultimately, I must do what’s best for the organization. This isn’t a reflection on Pete; he is an excellent coach.”
At 57, DeBoer finished with a 149-68-29 record in regular-season matches and 29-27 in the playoffs with the Stars. His overall record over 17 seasons coaching in Dallas, New Jersey, Florida, Vegas, and San Jose stands at 662-447-152, with a 97-82 postseason record.
Star owner Tom Gaglardi noted after the season’s end that DeBoer was among the league’s top 3 to top 5 coaches, admitting he did not foresee this shift.
However, circumstances have clearly changed, leading to DeBoer’s dismissal despite one year remaining on his contract.
“We are having discussions and working to address the situation,” Nill replied when questioned about the change following Gaglardi’s comments. “This is a competitive business. Reaching the third round feels like missing the playoffs five years in a row. That’s a strange mentality, but that’s the reality we face today.”
This marks DeBoer’s sixth team change in seven seasons, and he has consistently brought teams to the brink of the Stanley Cup finals. This includes the 2021 playoffs, which were conducted without a traditional playoff format due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
DeBoer has reached the Cup finals twice: first in 2012 with New Jersey and again in 2016 with San Jose.
“He’ll be just fine,” commented Florida coach Paul Maurice. “He’s an adept coach. You have to put in tremendous effort to reach that level. Sometimes, it’s best to step back and reevaluate your position during the summer.”
The Stars made it to the 2020 Stanley Cup final, playing in a playoff setting in Canada due to the pandemic. They triumphed over the West Finals under Coach DeBoer, defeating the competition in five games. Dallas originally was coached by Rick Bowness, who took over after Jim Montgomery was dismissed mid-season. After parting ways with Bowness, the Stars hired DeBoer.
This season, the Stars conceded the first goal in 15 of their 18 playoff games.
Dallas finished third in the NHL during the regular season, netting an average of 3.35 goals per game and registering a solitary shutout over the course of 82 games. In playoffs, the Stars averaged 2.5 goals per match, suffering four shutout losses, including both defeats in the second series against top-seeded Winnipeg, though they claimed back-to-back wins against the Jets.
The team’s 178:57 scoreless streak against Winnipeg and Edmonton is the longest in the franchise’s playoff history. The Stars only netted two goals in their next three games after their lackluster opening against the Oilers.
Mikko Rantanen, who joined the team just before the March trade deadline and promptly signed an eight-year, $96 million extension, leads the relatively young core alongside Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, and defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
Oettinger has also signed a long-term deal, recently beginning an eight-year contract worth $66 million. This suggests that there may not be significant roster changes in the near future. The most notable unrestricted free agent is forward Matt Duchene, who has tallied three goals and nine assists across 37 playoff games with the Stars over the past two seasons.
Even with roster adjustments, new leadership will need to maintain high expectations for deep playoff runs.
“This is a solid team. We’ll need to tread carefully,” Nill noted. “In this industry, it’s easy to push for rapid changes. We must proceed with caution.”
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Associated Press hockey writer Stephen Whyno from Edmonton, Alberta, contributed to this report.
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Source: apnews.com