They’re not in yet, but Dallas Stars making postseason plans that include a full arena

The Dallas Stars are not quite in a position to return to the Stanley Cup Final, but they are making plans to have a full arena in case they make the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Stars have notified season ticket holders they intend to open the American Airlines Center to full capacity for the postseason, should they make the playoffs.

One tiny problem.

They’re not quite in the playoffs.

But in case they squeeze in, the Stars would be the first team in the NHL or NBA to play to a full capacity arena since the COVID pandemic forced arena restrictions in North America.

The Stars currently lead the NHL in home attendance at 4,237 per game.

To go to full capacity the Stars would need approval from the NHL. The Stars will need to install additional air filtration systems in the AAC, which they plan to complete.

As of Wednesday, the Stars are 19-14-12 in the NHL’s shortened 56-game regular season schedule. If the playoffs started today, they’d miss the cut.

On April 6, the club was one game under .500 and the playoffs looked dead. The team has since won six of their last eight games, and four straight.

The Stars now trail Nashville for fourth place by one point for what would be the last playoff spot in the Discover Division.

The NHL’s playoff format will be different from previous years. There will be no wild card teams as the top four teams in each of the league’s four divisions qualify for the postseason.

The first two rounds of the playoffs will be played within the division; that means the Stars’ first-round opponent could be a rematch of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.

In this format, the Stars could play Tampa Bay in the first round. Right now, the 1 vs. 4 matchup in this division would be the Carolina Hurricanes vs. the Stars.

Of all of the positive developments for the Stars last spring in their run to the Stanley Cup Final, the only disappointment was that they were unable to host games at American Airlines Center.

The NHL postseason was held in bubble cities in Edmonton and Toronto to empty arenas.

Playoff runs are where fan bases expand, and season ticket sales and merchandise sales spike. The Stars enjoyed their journey to the Finals, but they were unable to capitalize on the success in the traditional ways.

The Stars hosted watching parties at the AAC, and ... they’re not the same.

The Stars have 11 games remaining before the regular season ends on May 8.

Just in case they make it back to the playoffs, they are doing everything possible to make sure they can have a full barn.