The Dallas Stars have had a slower start than many fans wanted this season. Yet the team is still one point out of the Central Division's top three, which also means they're four points from the top of the league in general. Is the roster working as designed, despite new systems and old injuries? And is their progress sustainable through a playoffs run, or next year...or five years from now?

For the latest edition of Stargazing, we followed the money. Friend of DBD Juraj Kralik joins Wes and Mark, and he needs you to stop thinking as if the NHL is still in a flat-cap era. They discuss how the salary cap is poised to take off, why NHL needle-movers aren't making it to free agency, new possibilities for the Jason Robertson re-signing, and the ways in which Thomas Harley's blockbuster extension will benefit the Stars in general and Miro Heiskanen in particular.

Do you really think we'd do an entire episode about the Dallas Stars and their financial flexes without figuring in Jamie Benn's potential bonuses? Get in, losers, we're going Stargazing.

What's your take on what the Stars should do next? Let's talk about it at Defending Big D. And please, throw us a rate, review or share wherever you listen. Enjoy.

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