SAD NEWS FOR THE DALLAS STAR: HE IS BACK...

The head coach of the Stars clarifies that the Dallas-Vegas Conference Final is not focused on seeking revenge.

He didn’t remain a free agent for long, as Dallas quickly acquired him after parting ways with Rick Bowness. Under DeBoer’s guidance, the Stars achieved a 47-21-14 record and secured second place in the Central Division this season. This performance marked the team’s highest number of single-season victories and its best divisional finish since clinching the Central title in the 2015-16 season.

DeBoer has now guided the Stars to a conference final, adding them to the list of teams he has led in this stage alongside the Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks, and New Jersey Devils (the latter two he steered to a Stanley Cup Final). Remarkably, he becomes the first coach in NHL history to lead four teams to a conference final in his inaugural season with each team.