The Dallas Stars have officially parted ways with head coach Pete DeBoer after three seasons marked by consistent deep playoff runs but ultimately falling short of the Stanley Cup Final. The announcement came on Friday, June 6, 2025, just over a week after Dallas suffered a 6-3 defeat at home to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, ending the Stars’ season.
DeBoer, 56, leaves the Stars with a strong regular-season record of 149-68-29 and a playoff mark of 29-27. Despite guiding Dallas to the Western Conference Final in each of his three campaigns, the team failed to break through to the Stanley Cup Final, with the last two eliminations coming at the hands of the Oilers. General Manager Jim Nill explained the decision to move on from the veteran coach, stating, “After careful consideration, we believe that a new voice is needed in our locker room to push us closer to our goal of winning the Stanley Cup. We’d like to thank Pete for everything that he has helped our organization achieve over the past three seasons and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
DeBoer’s tenure with the Stars was highlighted by impressive consistency in the postseason, but also by moments of controversy. The most notable was his decision to pull star goaltender Jake Oettinger early in the decisive Game 5 against Edmonton after the netminder allowed two goals on two shots within the first 7 minutes and 9 seconds. This move sparked widespread criticism and reportedly contributed to tension within the locker room.
In the days following the loss, DeBoer defended his decision, saying, “No one’s a bigger fan of Jake Oettinger than me, as a person or a goalie. There’s one motive, and that’s how do we survive this and get it to a Game 6? And I have to live with those consequences. If it works, great, we’re in Edmonton tonight and you guys are telling me how awesome a move it was. And when it doesn’t, I’ve got to stand up here and do this, and I understand.”
Oettinger, 26, who faced a league-high 503 shots in 18 playoff games this season and posted a .909 save percentage in the regular season, responded candidly about the situation: “The reality is if I make one or two of those saves, then I’m still playing in the game. The way I’m looking at it is, how can I get better from that? How can I make those saves that I made all playoffs?” Despite the public downplaying of any rift between coach and goalie, reports surfaced of player dissatisfaction directed at DeBoer during exit interviews.
Jim Nill acknowledged that the Oettinger incident was a component of the decision to fire DeBoer, but not the sole factor. “The events that took place, that’s a component of it. But there’s other things that take place also. My job is to analyze everything, where are things at, even the prior years. It was a component of it, but it wasn’t the final decision,” Nill said. He also reflected on the difficulty of the choice: “This was very hard. You’ve been to the third round, three years in a row, and to sit up here, and have to make this decision. In the end, I know what I have to do for the organization. And that’s not disrespecting Pete. Pete’s a great coach, great coach. He’s a good man. I respect him so much.”
DeBoer’s coaching career spans 17 NHL seasons, including stops with the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars. He holds an overall record of 662-447-152 and has made 10 postseason appearances with a 97-82 record. Notably, he has taken teams to the Stanley Cup Final twice, leading the Devils in 2012 and the Sharks in 2016, and has reached the Western Conference Final six times in the last eight seasons with three different teams.
Despite his success, DeBoer has a history of relatively short tenures, having been fired five times previously but remaining a consistent presence in the NHL coaching ranks since 2008-09. His tenure with Dallas was no exception, lasting three seasons and ending with the Stars holding the best regular-season record in the league over that span, with a .665 points percentage.
The 2024-25 season saw the Stars add offensive firepower by acquiring Mikko Rantanen in a blockbuster trade with Carolina, immediately signing him to a $96 million, eight-year contract extension. Alongside Rantanen, Dallas boasts a young core featuring forwards Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, defenseman Miro Heiskanen, and goaltender Jake Oettinger, who is under a $66 million, eight-year contract.
However, the Stars struggled offensively in the playoffs, averaging just 2.5 goals per game and suffering four shutout losses, including two in their second-round series win over the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets. The team also endured a franchise-record scoreless streak of 178 minutes and 57 seconds on the road across the Winnipeg and Edmonton series. Defensive lapses were evident as Dallas gave up the first goal in 15 of their 18 playoff games this season.
DeBoer’s handling of the Game 5 goaltender pull evoked memories of his previous rift with Vegas goaltender Marc-André Fleury, which had become a notorious episode in his career. Oettinger himself described being pulled as “embarrassing,” a sentiment that underscored the tension surrounding the decision.
Looking ahead, the Stars are now searching for a new head coach to take the talented roster deeper into the playoffs and hopefully break the cycle of falling short in the Western Conference Final. With a core locked into long-term contracts and a recent history of success, expectations remain high.
Jim Nill cautioned about the challenges ahead, stating, “It’s a pretty good team, let’s be careful. Because you can go backwards awful quick in this business. You gotta be real careful.”
DeBoer’s departure is part of a wider coaching shuffle in the NHL this offseason, with teams like the Rangers, Flyers, Kraken, Bruins, Blackhawks, Penguins, and Ducks all having found new bench bosses. The coaching carousel continues to spin, and Dallas will be eager to find a leader who can finally deliver the Stanley Cup glory that has eluded them for over two decades.
As the Stars embark on this new chapter, the pressure to capitalize on their young talent and recent playoff experience will be enormous. The question remains: who will be the voice to push this team over the top?
