Jeremy Roenick is all in on the Dallas Stars: ‘I have Dallas winning the Cup.’

Handicapping the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs has become almost as difficult as doing the same for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but we found someone brave enough to give this a shot.

Leave it to one of hockey’s all-time great talkers to bravely put his name (not sure about his money) on a prediction.

“My prediction is Dallas and Boston in the Final,” Roenick said in a phone interview last week, “and I have Dallas winning the Cup.”

With the Mavericks gearing up for the preseason, the Texas Rangers in the first of a 13-month regular season, the Dallas Cowboys preparing for the NFL Draft, a Stars’ postseason run is most welcome.

Roenick is coming to town to play the Invited Celebrity Classic golf tournament this week in Irving. He played 20 NHL seasons, from 1988 and 2009, and he was a staple for Team USA in international play.

“I say the Stars for a lot of reasons. I’ve watched them play all year. They’re big, they’re fast and they can play any type of game,” Roenick said. “They’re strong defensively. They have the goal tending. Jamie Benn is having a great year. Tyler Seguin is coming around.

“They are built for any seven-game series.”

The Stars play the Minnesota Wild in the first round, which begins with Game 1 at 8:30 p.m. on Monday at the American Airlines Center. Can’t be said enough that the NHL’s postseason remains the standard for America playoffs.

Do not miss one of the bigger reasons why the Stars should be considered a legit contender to win the Stanley Cup: a player who should be in the conversation as one of the top American-born hockey players ever. A man who should be considered one of the top free agent additions we have seen in these parts, for any team.

Stars center Joe Pavelski wears the invisible C on his sweater, and he deserves far more recognition than he receives.

Pavelski’s name should be in the same sentence as LaFontaine, Kane, Guerin, Leetch, Chelios, Broten, Weight, Richter, and, yes, Modano. Those are the top American-born hockey players, and Pavelski needs to be in there.

(Fun fact: The GM of the Minnesota Wild is former Dallas Stars winger Bill Guerin, and one of his assistants is Mike Modano. Still doesn’t sound right that Mike Modano works with the Minnesota Wild, but life comes at you fast).

When Stars GM Jim Nill signed Pavelski to a three-year, $21 million contract there were equal parts concern and optimism. He had been an All-Star in his 13-year career with the San Jose Sharks, but he was also 35.

How a hockey player ages after 35 is spotty. Nill’s track record of signing veteran free agents was also spotty.

This felt like a three-year marriage during which the player would contribute one solid year and then fall into the pool of overpaid veterans living the good life on a fat contract.

Pavelski has been Nill’s best veteran free agent add. Pavelski is a major reason why the Stars reached the Cup Final in 2000, in the bubble.

He might be more of a captain than the team’s actual captain, Jamie Benn.

Even this season, at the age of 38, Pavelski contributed like he was 28. For the second consecutive season he played all 82 games, and he scored 77 points.

No one thought anything of it in January when Nill gave Pavelski a one-year extension for the 2023-2024 season. Whatever else Pavelski does, he’s been worth it yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

“When you think about American-born players, you don’t think about Joe because he’s not flashy. He’s not graced with speed. He’s not some flamboyant type that most people would tend to watch, or talk about,” Roenick said. “Joe is the absolute model of consistency, and the model of what a good hockey players does.

“He’s a tremendous leader. Unbelievable character. You can play him in any situation. He knows where everyone is. Tremendous hockey IQ. His eye-hand coordination is amazing. He goes to the hard areas on the ice. He’s not going to embarrass you with fancy moves but he will hurt you will his consistency and effectiveness, and that’s what makes him one of the most reliable players in the NHL.”

Roenick calls Pavelski a friend, so maybe there is some bias here. That doesn’t mean JR is wrong.

Amid a host of qualified candidates, the Stars are a logical pick to win the Stanley Cup for a host of qualified reasons.

Pavelski is one of those reasons, but he’s probably overlooked.