Jason Robertson returns after missing preseason

The success of the Stars’ preseason has been tempered by a few absences, but maybe that’s a good thing.

Leading scorer Jason Robertson missed all of the exhibition games following foot surgery to remove a cyst, head coach Pete DeBoer missed five of the six exhibition games following surgery to remove his appendix, and forward Wyatt Johnston played in only two exhibition games and missed a bunch of practices as he received maintenance days during the final weeks of camp.

So as Dallas gets ready for the season opener on Thursday at Nashville, there is a chance there could be some rust to knock off in a lot of different ways. However, all of the principles seemed confident this week that everything would work out well.

“I feel great,” said Robertson, who had the foot surgery in July and was skating this past week with his teammates. “I’m happy to be with the guys and not by myself.”

The 25-year-old left wing has been the driving force in the team’s offense for the past three seasons. He was second in points with 79 in 2021-22 and led the team with 41 goals. In 2022-23, he had the second-best season in franchise history with 109 points (46 goals, 63 assists) and last year led the team with 80 points (29 goals, 51 assists). While Robertson missed the entire preseason in a contract dispute before his 46-goal season, he said this one will be a bit more challenging as the surgery affected his workouts while the contract dispute did not.

“I think there’s confidence knowing I have done it, but this is a little different,” Robertson said. “It’s one of the first times in my career where I didn’t have a summer to get going. I think mentally it’s good. Physically, we’ll see how it is.”

Another challenge will be the fact that Robertson’s linemate Joe Pavelski retired after last season and will be replaced on the top line by Johnston. That line, centered by Roope Hintz, is the tip of the spear for the Stars, but has not been able to work out as a trio very much.

“With guys like that, it’s pretty easy,” Johnston said. “They’re so smart. You noticed that the first time I played with them. They’re always in the right spot, and they’re always making plays. It’s on a guy like me to be able to play off them and help make them better.”

Johnston, 21, led the Stars in goal scoring last season with 32 among 65 points and then led Dallas in playoff scoring with 10 goals among 16 points. He is seen as an emerging star in the league, and there is a real belief that he can click with his new linemates.

“He’s a special, special hockey player and he has the potential to be one of the most elite players in the entire world,” said Stars assistant coach Misha Donskov. “He’s got a great brain, he’s really, really competitive. He’s one of those guys who makes other players better every time he jumps the boards. He’s versatile, he plays in every situation, he’s an outstanding teammate.”

Johnston lived with Pavelski for the first two years of his career and soaked up a lot of knowledge. He’s on his own this year, but Robertson said he feels the line has a head start despite the rocky training camp.

“My whole career I’ve played with Roope, so I know what he’s going to do,” Robertson said. “Obviously, with Pav’s departure, that’s a lot of chemistry we’re going to miss, but we’ve got Little Pav coming in. Johnny is a quick learner.”

“It’s a recipe for success and I’m looking forward to seeing it and being a part of it,” Robertson added.

Combine that line with the returning second unit of Matt Duchene, Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment, and there is some offensive excitement brewing. While rookie Mavrik Bourque will miss the season opener and be replaced on the third line by Sam Steel (with Jamie Benn and Logan Stankoven), there is a feeling that the success of the 5-0-1 preseason record can portend positive things.

“You look around the league and there are guys going down with significant injuries missing significant time,” DeBoer said. “We would love to have our lines in place the entire camp, play everybody and everybody be ready to go game one. That’s a luxury that not many teams get. There might be a little rust on a few guys because of that early in the season, but it’s better than the alternative of dealing with long-term stuff.”

As for the coaching staff, DeBoer said it was good to have a little adversity. He was out for two weeks, so assistants Steve Spott, Alain Nasreddine and Donskov took additional responsibilities and alternated talking to the media. DeBoer said he’s feeling great now and is thankful that his crew was able to perform so well.

“You never want to be a distraction to the group, and I thought those guys handled it exceptionally well,” DeBoer said. “With the great staff we have, everything was seamless.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @MikeHeika.