Loui Eriksson's first goal of the preseason paced the Stars to a 4-3 win over Florida Tuesday night. The Stars also received goals from Michael Ryder, Toby Peterson and Tomas Vincour while Kari Lehtonen was solid as he blocked 43 of 46 shots in the win. Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Fleischmann and Dmitry Kulikov found the back of the net for the Panthers in the loss. Goaltending duties for Florida were split between Jacob Markstrom, who stopped all 10 shots he faced, and Tyler Plante, who was beaten four times on 16 shots.

Loui Erikkson registed an assist on the Dallas' second goal Saturday night. Without Brad Richards many expect Erikkson's production to decline, especially if he plays on the Stars' second line. However, he is a very skilled player who will want to prove to everyone that he doesn't need Brad Richards to be successful. In fact, he may find the same chemistry with Jamie Benn and/or Mike Ribeiro. Keep him fairly high on your draft day lists.

We should know who the Dallas Stars next owner will be by the end of December. Tom Gaglardi has submitted a bid to buy the Stars. The lenders who currently control the team are expected to file for a prepackaged bankruptcy plan on September 14th as the next step towards Gaglardi or someone else buying the team. Another interested party will have the opportunity to outbid Gaglardi during the process, which would lead to an auction. However, even if the team ends up being auctioned off, there should still be a winner before the start of 2012. We'll keep you posted.

Tom Gaglardi has reportedly negotiated a deal to buy the Dallas Stars, but the process is far from over. The NHL and lenders must review the agreement, which can be a significant process because there are over 40 lenders. "In a traditional sale, you have a seller who is trying to negotiate with a buyer, and you have traditional sale practices. But this isn't a traditional sale," said a Dallas Morning News source. "You have a group of sellers who have different opinions, and that really means you don't have a seller, per se. Into that vacuum has stepped a lot of lawyers, and that has made the process very complicated." We'll keep you posted.

Although Tom Gaglardi is still a favorite to buy the Dallas Stars, his exclusive negotiating window has ended. Gaglardi was given a 30-day period of exclusivity on April 30th, which was extended once before finally being allowed to expire. The Dallas Stars are expected to eventually go through a bankruptcy hearing, which will include an auction for the team, so buying the Stars is a complicated process. Gaglardi or any other potential Stars buyer will want to agree to a price that's high enough to discourage other bidders, but not so high that he overpays for the team. We'll keep you posted.

The Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes have cancelled their planned preseason game in Houston, Texas. The two teams were originally going to play in Reliant Stadium, but the game was cancelled because of how much it would have cost to put ice in the stadium. The game might have attracted attention to Reliant Stadium as a possible site for a future Winter Classic.

Paul Jerrard will serve as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars. "We are very excited to name Paul Jerrard to our coaching staff," said Nieuwendyk. "He has great history with our organization, as well as with Glen Gulutzan while they were both coaching at our AHL franchise in Cedar Park. Paul's professionalism and work ethic will rub off on this organization and our players. He will help the Dallas Stars take the next step in getting back to the playoffs." Gulutzan was recently appointed as the Stars' head coach and it looks like he's going to start his NHL coaching career with someone he's familiar with on his staff.

Tom Gaglardi's negotiations with the lenders that currently control the Dallas Stars are moving forward, but there's not much to report beyond that. Gaglardi's exclusive window for negotiations has already been extended. Even if his offer is eventually approved by the lenders and the NHL, he'll still go through a bankruptcy hearing where others will get the opportunity to attempt to outbid him. It's believed that the bankruptcy process will take up to 90 days. We'll keep you posted.

The Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes plan to play a preseason game in Houston on September 23rd. The game will take place in Reliant Stadium, which seats over 70,000 fans. If the event is successful, it will be interesting to see if Reliant Stadium, which has a retractable roof, is a viable site for a future Winter Classic.

The fact that the Stars new head coach Glen Gulutzan got a short-term contract reflects Dallas' financial situation more than GM Joe Nieuwendyk's confidence in him. The Stars are currently being run by lenders while they work through the process of selling the franchise. As a result, Gulutzan got a two-year deal with an option for a third. "I don't think there's any doubt that Glen is going to be a long-term coach for us, we're just navigating through some circumstances," Nieuwendyk said. "But he is clearly the right man for the job."