Multiple Dallas officials have spoken out in support of keeping the Dallas Stars in the city amid rumors that the team could relocate to a suburb within the next six years.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Stars are considering relocating from the American Airlines Center once their lease expires in 2031, with the team already evaluating various options for that time.
Possible destinations reportedly include suburban areas such as Plano, Frisco, and The Colony. However, the franchise is still expected to spend considerable time determining which area would be best suited to host the NHL team.
Despite the rumors, City Manager Kim Tolbert said on Wednesday that the City of Dallas is “fully committed” to the franchise and would prefer the team renew its lease inside the city.
“The city of Dallas has worked in good faith for over a year to secure the AAC as the long-term home for the Dallas Stars beyond the current lease expiration in 2031,” she said, according to NBC 5 DFW.
Similarly, City Council Member Chad West, who chairs the council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Sports Recruitment and Retention, said the city needs to do everything possible to keep the team in Dallas.
“Frankly, it’s up to Dallas to come to the table and make sure we keep our hometown team here,” he added, as reported by NBC 5 DFW.
“I think it would be a miss to assume that we can’t find what the Stars need somewhere within the city of Dallas.”
Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts said the team still has to determine the best fit, though he did confirm that there are multiple options on the board for the franchise.
“We’ve gotta decide — are we staying, or are we going to build somewhere? Certainly Plano is part of that, but we haven’t decided. We are going through due diligence to make sure that if we are going to leave, we have the right spot,” he explained, as reported by DX.
Dallas is now poised to enter a pivotal season for the franchise, with many expecting the team to make another deep playoff run and finally reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Stars have struggled in recent seasons to advance past the Western Conference Finals, losing in three straight seasons in the same playoff round.
However, Dallas has made multiple bold moves over the past calendar year in an attempt to improve their odds of winning the championship, including the decision to move on from long-time head coach Pete DeBoer and trade for forward Miko Rantanen.
Entering this season, many are expecting these risky moves to pay off, as the Stars currently hold the fourth-highest odds of any team in the league to win the Stanley Cup at +900.
Although Dallas is widely expected to compete for a championship this season, the team must first endure a grueling regular season, which is set to begin on the road Thursday at 7 p.m. against the Winnipeg Jets.
The Stars will follow this matchup with another road game against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday before heading back home for two home matches next week.