The Dallas Stars are officially being courted by Plano, escalating the battle over where the Stanley Cup champions will play once their lease at American Airlines Center expires - and putting new pressure on the City of Dallas to keep the team downtown.
Dallas City Council Member Chad West revealed that Plano has formally delivered a letter of intent to the NHL franchise, outlining its offer to bring the Stars to Collin County, even as Dallas continues its own negotiations to keep the team at American Airlines Center beyond its 2031 lease expiration.
Plano officials have reportedly pitched a new arena at the Shops at Willow Bend - a struggling mall site at the Tollway and Park Boulevard - as the proposed home for the franchise. The Stars' ownership would need to contribute an estimated $400 million to $500 million toward what could be a $1 billion arena redevelopment on roughly 75 acres at the Willow Bend property. Analysts expect a decision could come by mid-2026, allowing a new arena to be ready for the 2031-32 NHL season.
"The Stars are the popular kid getting asked to the dance right now," West said. "Everybody in the region knows their contract is expiring in 2031." He added that Dallas intends to bring its best offer to the table — including talks about converting American Airlines Center into a hockey-specific venue.
The Stars' future home has been further complicated by an ongoing legal battle with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks filed a 253-page lawsuit in Texas Business Court in October accusing the Stars of violating their arena partnership agreement, claiming the Stars forfeited their ownership rights in the arena's operating entities when they moved their corporate offices to Frisco in 2003 - breaching a clause requiring both teams to keep headquarters in Dallas.
Plano Mayor John Muns told "Inside Texas Politics" in December that attracting the Stars was one of the city's top priorities in 2026, and that Plano had already made an offer to the franchise. Plano's aggressive pursuit comes as the city prepares for AT&T's global headquarters relocation there, further cementing its status as a major corporate destination in North Texas.
No decisions have been made, and it remains unclear how long Plano's offer stands. The Stars have not publicly commented on the Plano pitch.
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