Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchment (27) hugs goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) as center Joe Pavelski (16) talks with center Roope Hintz (24) after Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Western Conference finals, Sunday, June 2, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Oilers defeated the Stars 2-1.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)

A promising season for the Dallas Stars came to an end Sunday night in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals in Edmonton, as the Oilers sent the Stars to the offseason with a 2-1 win.

The Stars survived two challenging playoff series against the last two Stanley Cup champions — the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche — before falling in the third round for the second consecutive season.

While Dallas’ season ended in similar fashion as it did last spring, the 2023-24 season featured one of the best regular seasons in Stars history.

The Stars won their division and regular-season conference title for the first time in eight years and collected 113 points in the regular season — the second-most in franchise history, trailing only the 1998-99 Stanley Cup champions (114). They were one point away from winning the President’s Trophy.

The Stars enter the offseason with a number of question marks — from possible retirements to key free agents.

Here are the top storylines to watch for the Stars this offseason:

Has Joe Pavelski played his last game?

After 18 seasons in the NHL, Stars veteran Joe Pavelski may announce his retirement this offseason.

When asked about Pavelski following Sunday night’s loss, a number of Stars players got emotional at the possibility of never playing with Pavelski again, who spent the last five seasons with the Stars.

Pavelski will turn 40 years old next month, and his contract expires this summer, meaning it could be the right time for him to step away.

But if he does, one of the greatest American-born players of his time will walk away without a Stanley Cup title despite coming so close in his career, reaching the conference final seven times and Stanley Cup Final twice.

Pavelski has played in over 1,300 games in his career in 13 seasons with the San Jose Sharks and five with the Stars. He’s recorded 1,068 points (476 goals and 592 assists). He’s played in 201 playoff games, recording 143 points (74 goals and 69 assists). He leads all active players in career playoff goals.

He has also been a key mentor for younger players on the Stars’ roster, both from a hockey standpoint and in opening his home to Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven, allowing them to live with his family early in their careers.

While Pavelski looked timeless throughout his career, his age appeared to catch up to him during the 2024 playoff run where he scored just one goal and recorded three assists in 19 games.

“I don’t know if it’ll be Joe’s last game or not, but it’s an absolute privilege of my coaching career to coach a guy like that,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said after Game 6. “Our young players are all better for having been around a guy like that.”

Will the Stars bring back Chris Tanev and Matt Duchene?

Free-agency acquisition Matt Duchene and trade-deadline acquisition Chris Tanev were two pieces on this year’s Stars team that made the franchise believe it had a chance at winning the Stanley Cup.

Duchene joined the Stars after he was bought out of his contract in Nashville, taking a pay cut and signing a one-year $3 million deal with Dallas.

He immediately fit in with the group, centering a line with Mason Marchment and Tyler Seguin. In the first half of the season, they were Dallas’ best line.

Duchene appeared in 80 games for the Stars in the regular season, recording 65 points (25 goals and 40 assists). He had two goals and four assists in the playoffs, including the series-clinching, double-overtime goal in Game 6 against Colorado.

The 33-year-old has said Dallas has been a great fit for him and his family. After the year he had, it wouldn’t be surprising for the Stars to want to keep him and for Duchene to want to stay, especially with three young children that already moved ahead of last season.

Tanev may be one of the most sought-after unrestrictred free-agent defenseman on the market, just as he was ahead of the trade deadline.

He was Stars GM Jim Nill’s top target heading into the trade deadline, and Nill made a blockbuster deal for the Stars, acquiring Tanev without giving up any current players, first-round draft picks or top prospects while having 75% of his salary retained by New Jersey and Calgary.

Tanev made an immediate impact, bolstering Dallas’ blue line. He played over 22 minutes a night in the playoffs and was plus-seven despite recording just two assists in 19 postseason games. He also played through injuries, especially in the last two games against Edmonton.

The salary cap will be the biggest hurdle for the Stars in re-signing Tanev. Dallas only had to pay a quarter of his $4.5 million cap hit this year. The team’s ability to keep him will depend on what it does with its other unrestricted free agents.

What’s in store for next year’s possible rookies?

Over the last two years, Dallas has gotten key contributions from its youngest players.

Last year, Wyatt Johnston had a standout rookie season and built upon that in his 2023-24 campaign, leading Dallas in goals at just 20 years old.

Thomas Harley played his first full season in Dallas after spending most of last year in the AHL. He scored 15 goals and recorded 47 points this year, proving to be one of the rising stars at his position in the league.

Midway through the season, the Stars recalled Logan Stankoven, who was the AHL’s leading scorer at the time. He earned his spot on the roster at just 21 years old, recording 14 points in 24 regular-season games. He also had three goals and five assists in the playoffs.

Stankoven will still be a rookie next year and have a chance to win the Calder Trophy awarded to the league’s rookie of the year. However, he could face some internal competition if any of his former AHL teammates make the opening-night roster.

Mavrik Bourque, who was the AHL MVP and scoring champion this year, played in two games for Dallas this year — one in the regular season and one in the playoffs in Game 6 against Edmonton. The 2020 first-round draft pick would likely be the next prospect to join the NHL roster.

Defensively, Lian Bichsel will be a player to watch. The 19-year-old opted to spend most of the season in Sweden, but when he returned to the United States, he joined the Texas Stars for their playoff run and was called up to Dallas as a Black Ace during the Colorado series.

Bichsel is the top defensive prospect in the Stars’ system. He nearly played in a playoff game when Chris Tanev was battling injury. If Dallas needs size and depth on its blue line, Bichsel could be an option the team turns to.

Lastly, Alexander Petrovic wouldn’t be a rookie, but he’s another player from the Texas Stars that could spend some more time in Dallas next season. Petrovic was called up during the playoff run and appeared in seven playoff games for Dallas when the Stars needed a steady, physical defenseman. The 32-year-old could be another promising option for next fall.

Can Stars continue success in the 2024 NHL draft?

The 2024 NHL draft will be held June 28-29 at Sphere in Las Vegas.

The draft has been a key piece in building a Stars roster that reached the Western Conference final in back-to-back years for just the second time in team history.

Players like Jamie Benn (2007), Esa Lindell (2012), Radek Faksa (2012), Roope Hintz (2015), Miro Heiskanen (2017), Jason Robertson (2017), Jake Oettinger (2017), Thomas Harley (2019), Wyatt Johnston (2021) and Logan Stankoven (2021) all came to Dallas via the draft.

Jim Nill and his staff have had immense success in the draft, which was proven in this year’s playoffs when Johnston became one of the best players in the postseason. Dallas drafted him after only getting to see him in a handful of games during his draft-eligible year once his OHL season was canceled due to COVID-19. The Stars even traded down to get him.

This draft, the Stars have just three picks, but one is a first-round pick. Dallas was without a first-round pick last year for the first time since 2008, as the Stars traded it away to the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Nils Lundkvist.

The Stars have had success in the first round in recent years, selecting players like Bichsel, Johnston, Bourque, Harley, Ty Dellandrea, Heiskanen and Oettinger in the last decade alone.

Dallas will also pick in the fifth and seventh rounds.