The New York Rangers have been linked to Dallas Stars center Mavrik Bourque as a possible trade target this offseason, a sign that Dallas’s cap squeeze could start forcing difficult decisions. Bourque, 24, finished a one-year, $950,000 contract and posted a career-high 41 points, but his name has now entered the conversation as a player the Stars may have to move to stay flexible.

The Rangers have roster holes to fill and, unlike many teams chasing answers in July, they also have a workable path to do it. They hold two first-round picks and just over $26.5 million in cap space, which gives them room to explore deals if a young center becomes available. That is why Bourque, a first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has become part of the discussion.

Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic identified Bourque as a possible trade target and said he would “register as less of a splash,” while also describing the 24-year-old center as another possible cap casualty in Dallas. The fit is easy to see from New York’s side. Bourque scored 20 goals and added 21 assists last season, production that would appeal to a team looking for affordable depth with room to grow.

Dallas, though, is the reason the story has traction now. The Stars are projected to have only $10.14 million in cap space, the third least in the NHL, and retaining Jason Robertson is their No. 1 priority. Robertson is regarded as the best restricted free agent on the market this summer, which means the Stars may have to create room somewhere else if they want to keep their core intact.

That is the part that complicates Bourque’s future. He is in position to more than double his salary for the 2026-27 campaign, and a player who just completed a low-cost deal after a career year is exactly the kind of asset a tight team might move before the bill comes due. For now, the Rangers are only a possible landing spot, not a confirmed one, but Dallas’s cap math is the kind that can turn a promising young center into trade bait quickly.