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East Notes: Tuch, Crozier, Othmann

October 16, 2025 at 9:30 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

There was a heavy expectation heading into the 2025-26 season that the Buffalo Sabres would get an extension done with forward Alex Tuch. Before the campaign, there was no agreed-upon extension, and Tuch’s future is more uncertain following a disappointing start by the Sabres. In a recent interview with David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Brian Bartlett, Tuch’s agent, admitted that extension talks had begun to stall.

Bartlett acknowledged that the Sabres wanted to keep Tuch after this season, and Tuch expressed interest in staying as well. However, Bartlett shared further, ” I think we’ve all kind of decided that it’s best to just try to get some wins here. Alex is a leader on that team, both play-wise and kind of, you know, in the room. So he wants to focus on that, not have it a distraction, so we’ve wanted to just kind of let everyone know, like, we’re just gonna put this on the backburner for a little bit – doesn’t mean that we’re closing the door to signing, doesn’t mean anything, just means that, you know, for the time period, he’s gotta try to help the Buffalo Sabres win games.”

Despite earning a win last night, the Sabres haven’t gotten off on the right foot to stave off the 15th year of their playoff drought. If Tuch wants to play on a legitimate contender, few would condemn him for seeking an opportunity outside of Buffalo. Still, there’s plenty of time to correct the disappointing start, and Tuch may feel more inclined to revisit talks if the Sabres can collect more wins.

Additional notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without defenseman Maxwell Crozier for the next few games. After leaving the team’s recent game against the Washington Capitals in the first period, Benjamin Pierce, the team’s manager of media relations, passed along a note from head coach Jon Cooper confirming that he would miss the next few games and potentially the next few weeks. Regardless, the Lightning have a readily available in-house candidate to replace Crozier in Darren Raddysh, who’s scored one goal and three points in two games this year.
  • Earlier, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman asserted that the New York Rangers were listening to offers for forward prospect Brennan Othmann. Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic provided additional context in a new article, indicating that the writing was on the wall during training camp. Mercogliano confirmed that Othmann hasn’t made a formal trade request, but agrees that a fresh start would be best. He noted that the Rangers were wholly underwhelmed by Othmann’s four preseason performances and sent him down nearly one week before the beginning of the season.

Buffalo Sabres| New York Rangers| Tampa Bay Lightning Alex Tuch| Brennan Othmann| Maxwell Crozier

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Sharks Looking To Add Young Defensemen

October 16, 2025 at 8:00 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 4 Comments

Given their collection of forward prospects, it’s unsurprising that David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that the San Jose Sharks are pivoting their attention to their defensive core. San Jose took a step forward in that endeavor today, claiming 22-year-old blueliner Vincent Iorio off waivers from the Washington Capitals.

Still, Iorio won’t be enough to handle the potential mass exodus from the Sharks’ blue line this season. Veterans Nick Leddy, John Klingberg, Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, and Vincent Desharnais are all pending unrestricted free agents, and that’s likely by design. Given that defensemen are typically at a premium throughout the trade deadline season, San Jose could hypothetically get a haul should they make each of them available leading up to March.

Unfortunately, the Sharks, like most teams, lack the necessary depth to sustain the departure of five defensemen from the active roster. If they move each of the pending UFAs, that would leave San Jose with Dmitry Orlov, Sam Dickinson, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Iorio penciled in for the rest of the year.

The Sharks could conceivably recall Lucas Carlsson or Jack Thompson to fill in the depth. Still, the former is already 28 years old and isn’t expected to contribute to the next competitive iteration of the Sharks.

In the short term, it would be in the Sharks’ best interest to stick to the waiver wire for additional reinforcements. The Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Nashville Predators may put some defensemen on the wire in the next few weeks as some of their injured defensemen return to the lineup.

Acquiring a younger defenseman would objectively become easier closer to the deadline. As teams begin to separate from the pack and weaknesses become apparent on contending teams, San Jose will be in a much better position as a rebuilding club to take advantage of a buyer’s desperation.

San Jose Sharks

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Detroit Red Wings Shopping Defensemen

October 16, 2025 at 7:00 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 3 Comments

David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period reports that the Detroit Red Wings are attempting to resolve their surplus of defensemen through the trade market. Pagnotta specifically mentioned Erik Gustafsson and Travis Hamonic as trade bait moving forward, though Justin Holl could likely be thrown into the mix as well.

Gustafsson would be the least surprising veteran blueliner to move in the next few weeks. Although he technically made the team out of training camp, he was waived before the start of the campaign and was reassigned once the team welcomed James van Riemsdyk to the active roster. Given that he’s only making $2MM this season, Gustafsson would be one of the easiest ones to move.

Still, there’s an argument to be made that Gustafsson is overpaid, even on that reasonable salary. He had a disappointing first year with the Red Wings last season, scoring two goals and 18 points in 60 games despite being marketed as an offensive defenseman. His -19 rating finished as the worst on the team, and his 16:19 ATOI was second to last among defensemen with more than 40 games played.

The latter two would be somewhat trickier to move. Detroit only recently signed Hamonic (August 15th), and has a shortage of depth on the right side. Regardless of his disastrous play during the team’s home opener, it would be relatively uncharacteristic for a team to move on from a free agent signing that quickly.

Meanwhile, Holl would be the most difficult to move given his salary for the rest of the 2025-26 season. In potentially the worst signing for the Red Wings under Steve Yzerman’s stewardship, the team gave Holl a three-year, $10.2MM ($3.4MM AAV) contract in 2023, with a 10-team no-trade list in each year of the deal. Like Gustafsson, Holl was sent through waivers shortly before the start of the regular season. Now playing for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, Holl is unlikely to have much of a market considering 31 teams passed on him via the waiver wire.

Regardless, with the positive play of newcomer Jacob Bernard-Docker and youngster Axel Sandin Pellikka, the trio of veterans is unlikely to get an opportunity with Detroit anytime soon. A hypothetical trade wouldn’t entirely be without precedent, either. After the emergence of Albert Johansson last year, the Red Wings traded Olli Määttä to the Utah Hockey Club for a 2025 third-round pick in late October.

Still, none of this is urgent. The Red Wings have enough cap space to absorb Gustafsson and Holl’s buried contracts, and could do the same with Hamonic if he continues slumping. However, it would be a better service to the players if Detroit could put them in a situation with more opportunities.

Detroit Red Wings Erik Gustafsson| Justin Holl| Travis Hamonic

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Canucks Activate Pierre-Olivier Joseph

October 16, 2025 at 5:46 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Canucks announced that they’ve reinstated defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph from injured reserve. They had an open roster spot after placing Derek Forbort on IR yesterday, so no corresponding transaction is required.

Joseph will be available for tonight’s game against the Stars after sitting out all three games this season with an undisclosed injury. He landed on IR to open the season after an issue arose late in camp, so he hasn’t played since the beginning of the month. He returned to practice in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday, so he’s had a few days of ramp-up.

The 26-year-old lefty will be making his Canucks debut if he enters the lineup tonight, but based on this morning’s line rushes, he’s expected to be a healthy scratch, per Dan Murphy of Sportsnet. He inked a one-year, league-minimum deal with the club in free agency after being non-tendered by the Penguins.

A first-round pick by the Coyotes back in 2017, Joseph is still looking to re-establish himself as an everyday defender. Acquired from Arizona by Pittsburgh in the 2019 Phil Kessel deal, Joseph first broke out as an NHL option in the 2022-23 season, when he made 75 appearances for the Pens and posted five goals and 21 points with a +8 rating. That was good enough to give him a few fringe Calder Trophy votes, but since then, he hasn’t been able to recapture that level of two-way performance.

Joseph only made 52 appearances for Pittsburgh the following year before being non-tendered for the first time. He signed with the Blues on a one-year deal worth $950K for 2024-25, but had two points and a -7 rating in 23 games before they traded him back to the Penguins. His stat line to finish out the year was even more underwhelming – just one assist and a -15 rating in 24 games for a performance that showed out well below replacement value.

He reunites with president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford in Vancouver, who was the GM of the Penguins when they initially acquired him six years ago. He’ll start by slotting in as the Canucks’ No. 7 while Elias N. Pettersson and Victor Mancini cover bottom-pairing duties for now with Forbort out. Still, he might get a look in the lineup if the “other” Elias continues to struggle as he has through the first three games. He’s been held without a point, is averaging 13:36 per game, and has been caved in for a 34.8 CF% and 32.4 xGF% at even strength.

Transactions| Uncategorized| Vancouver Canucks Pierre-Olivier Joseph

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Sabres Reassign Ryan Johnson, Recall Zach Metsa

October 16, 2025 at 4:55 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

4:55 p.m.: The team later announced that defenseman Zach Metsa, not a forward, is the corresponding recall. It’s now clear that Johnson’s demotion was made purely with the intent of getting him more ice time in Rochester. If Metsa plays, it’ll be his NHL debut. The 5’9″ righty has worked his way up Buffalo’s depth chart since signing there as a free agent in 2023, fresh off captaining Quinnipiac to a national championship. The Wisconsin native broke out to lead Rochester’s defense in scoring last season, finishing third on the team overall with a 7-39–46 line in 69 games.

3:55 p.m.: The Sabres have assigned defenseman Ryan Johnson to AHL Rochester, according to the league’s transactions log. They haven’t made a corresponding transaction yet, but they could be sending the waiver-exempt rearguard down to open space for a forward recall after Justin Danforth left last night’s win over the Senators with a lower-body injury.

Johnson, a first-round pick in 2019, cracked the Sabres out of camp this year for the first time since signing out of college in 2023. He’s been used sparingly, though. He’s suited up in three of Buffalo’s four contests but has averaged just nine minutes of ice time per game, including a career-low 5:12 against Ottawa yesterday. In those minutes, he’s yet to record a point, has an even rating, and has registered four shot attempts with three blocks and two hits. He’s been on the ice for one goal against at even strength and only controlled 40.7% of shot attempts.

The 24-year-old’s development has hit the back burner after what was initially a smooth transition to pro hockey. He made 41 appearances for the Sabres as a rookie in 2023-24, managing a +3 rating with promising possession metrics (52.7 CF%, 52.9 xGF%) in bottom-pairing duties. He only registered eight hits, but the 6’1″ lefty looked on track to be the defensively responsible piece Buffalo drafted him to be and a potential long-term No. 3 on their left side behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

It’s been tough sledding for the California native since then, though. This summer, he signed a three-year deal as a restricted free agent that will only pay him the league minimum NHL salary each season. It starts as a two-way deal this year, paying him $350K in the minors, before becoming a one-way pact for 2026-27 and 2027-28. He had a fine showing in Rochester last year, only recording a 2-11–13 scoring line in 66 games but finishing sixth on the team with a +13 rating.

He’ll now look to get more wide-open minutes in Rochester before getting his next look with the Sabres on the NHL roster. Buffalo is now only carrying six defensemen, including Mattias Samuelsson, who’s missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury but never landed on IR. Johnson’s demotion implies Samuelsson should be good to go for Saturday against the Panthers but the Sabres also have enforcer Mason Geertsen available, who’s mainly a forward but has dressed on defense in the past.

Buffalo Sabres| Transactions Ryan Johnson| Zach Metsa

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Brady Tkachuk Out 6-7 Weeks Following Hand Surgery

October 16, 2025 at 4:16 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 5 Comments

Oct. 16: Tkachuk underwent surgery to repair a ligament issue in his right hand in New York today, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. The procedure extends his return timeline to six to seven weeks and, with the clock resetting to today, won’t be back in the lineup until Thanksgiving at the earliest. That’s a 20-game minimum absence, including last night’s loss to the Sabres.

Oct. 14: Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will miss at least four weeks due to the right wrist injury he sustained in yesterday’s game against the Predators, head coach Travis Green said (via Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia). They’ve yet to decide on whether surgery is required. If so, his return timeline will be extended.

Tkachuk sustained the injury early in the game. While on the power play, he took a cross-check from Nashville captain Roman Josi near the goal line that carried enough force to cause Tkachuk to fall forward into the boards, bending his right wrist awkwardly in the process. He didn’t immediately leave the game but ended up taking his last shift midway through the third period. Green said immediately after the match that Tkachuk was going for evaluation and that his absence wasn’t precautionary.

This will stand as Tkachuk’s largest absence to date. While he’s missed games due to injury in four of his seven full NHL seasons, none of them were serious enough to warrant lengthy recovery times. The most time he ever missed was nine games due to a leg injury early in his rookie season. His four-week minimum means his earliest return is Nov. 11 against the Stars, meaning at least a 13-game absence for the star winger.

Thankfully for Ottawa, they have a relatively easy stretch of games ahead. Only three of those 13 contests are against teams that made the playoffs last season. They’ve gotten off to a tough start, though, especially defensively. They’re 1-2-0 through their first three contests and have yet to give up fewer than four goals, averaging a 4.67 GA/GP mark that ranks 31st in the league. While their 26.0 shots against per game figure is sixth-best in the NHL, their 64.3% success rate on the penalty kill – fifth-worst in the league – hasn’t helped matters. Linus Ullmark has also allowed a league-worst 5.4 goals above expected in his three starts, per MoneyPuck. Tkachuk doesn’t factor in shorthanded, so in that sense, his absence won’t mean much as Ottawa looks to address its biggest early-season weaknesses.

His missing offense and intangibles will, though. Tkachuk had three assists and a +1 rating through his first three outings and, although his 29-26–55 scoring line in 72 games last year was underwhelming by his standards, he received Hart Trophy consideration for the first time as he captained Ottawa to its first playoff berth since 2017. Despite missing a good portion of yesterday’s contest, he still ranks third on the team so far with 10 hits, is tied for the team lead with 21 shot attempts, and has controlled possession well with a 56.5 CF% at even strength.

Now, it’ll be mid-November until he’s consistently in the mix this season. The Senators can place him on injured reserve whenever they need a roster spot. That will likely come in conjunction with activating Drake Batherson, who is expected to come off IR before tomorrow’s game, according to Garrioch. Tkachuk is eligible for long-term injured reserve as well and can yield up to $3.82MM in cap relief, but with the Sens already banking over $2.45MM in space, that won’t be necessary, at least for now.

Luckily for the Sens, they don’t have any mounting injuries behind their leader. They have all available options, including Batherson, to elevate into top-line duties alongside Tim Stützle and Fabian Zetterlund in his absence.

Injury| Newsstand| Ottawa Senators Brady Tkachuk| Drake Batherson

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Predators Reassign Joakim Kemell

October 16, 2025 at 4:13 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Predators announced that they’ve assigned winger Joakim Kemell to AHL Milwaukee. They now carry an open roster spot into tonight’s game against the Canadiens, although it doesn’t appear they plan on filling it for now.

It’s a prudent move to get their 2022 first-round choice some playing time. Kemell cracked Nashville’s opening night roster for the first time this year but has been in and out of the lineup, sitting as a healthy scratch twice through their first four games. He didn’t record a point in either of his outings and averaged 11:04 of ice time per game, but did manage five shot attempts and four hits. Nashville did lose the possession battle with Kemell on the ice at even strength, logging a 45.5 CF%, but that’s not bad considering it’s better than how the team fared without him and he started two-thirds of his shifts in the defensive end.

If they weren’t going to be consistently using him, though, it does very little for his development to sit in the Preds’ press box. The 17th overall pick three years ago is kicking off the second year of his entry-level contract and has done well in AHL minutes so far, although the Preds would like to see him flirt more with the point-per-game threshold in the minors. He has a 41-53–94 scoring line in 146 appearances for Milwaukee since arriving there late in the 2022-23 campaign from his native Finland.

While the Preds leaned into a youth movement with their initial roster submission, they haven’t embraced it in their lineup construction so far. This year’s No. 5 overall pick, Brady Martin, got a brief look on the top line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly but, like Kemell, has averaged under 12 minutes per game and has been a healthy scratch twice. 23-year-old Ozzy Wiesblatt was a healthy scratch for three straight to begin the year but had two assists in 9:30 of ice time in his season debut against Toronto earlier this week. Even 22-year-old Fedor Svechkov, technically the Preds’ second-line center, has had his minutes relatively limited for his role at 13:02 per game.

That doesn’t necessarily bode well for Kemell’s chances for a recall later in the season, but he’ll look to force their hand anyway with a strong minor-league performance. His power-play performance in the AHL could be something to watch. The Preds are just 1-for-17 to begin the season with the man advantage.

Nashville Predators| Transactions Joakim Kemell

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Wild Reassign David Jiricek

October 16, 2025 at 3:05 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

The Wild have reassigned David Jiricek to AHL Iowa, according to a team announcement. There’s no corresponding transaction yet for the roster spot that their No. 2 prospect is vacating.

Today marks a week since opening night for the Wild, which was Jiricek’s only appearance out of the club’s first four games. That’s despite the 21-year-old having a strong showing in what was his first outing for the club since January of last season. He only saw 14 minutes of ice time and didn’t record a point, but had a +3 rating in their 5-0 win over the Blues. He won his minutes possession-wise with a 53.3 CF% at even strength.

Then, Jonas Brodin returned to the lineup after missing the first game while recovering from offseason upper-body surgery. That pushed Jiricek out of the picture, with Minnesota opting for a more veteran lineup on the right side of their defense, with Zach Bogosian slotting in behind top-four staples Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon. It’s hard at the moment for head coach John Hynes to justify scratching Bogosian to get Jiricek another look. The 35-year-old has also done well in his limited minutes, recording a +3 rating with seven blocks and four hits in four appearances while averaging 14:19 per game. He’s trusted on the penalty kill and has yet to be on the ice for a goal against at even strength.

Minnesota wants its promising young righty playing, and that isn’t happening on the NHL roster right now. As such, they’ll take advantage of his continued waiver-exempt status and return to Iowa, where he spent most of last season after the Wild acquired him from the Blue Jackets in November. The only player Minnesota surrendered in that deal, Daemon Hunt, is now back with the organization after being claimed off waivers from Columbus and will serve as their lone healthy extra for the time being, with Jiricek down.

It’s an inauspicious sign amid a tough couple of years for the 2022 No. 6 overall pick. After the former AHL All-Star looked like he was on the verge of capturing a regular role with Columbus after making 43 appearances for them in 2023-24, he was a frequent scratch to begin last season, leading to his trade out of town. Yet even amid mounting injuries on the Wild’s blue line last year, Jiricek, included in those troubles amid a ruptured spleen, didn’t get much of a chance and only made six NHL appearances after the swap. In 27 appearances with Iowa, he only mustered seven assists and a -1 rating.

He’ll be destined for as many minutes as he can handle now in the minors as he looks to get consistent playing time and fuel some long-awaited forward progress in his development. For now, Minnesota will be operating with an open roster spot to fill as necessary if more injuries pop up.

AHL| Minnesota Wild| Newsstand| Transactions David Jiricek

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Jets Reassign Kale Clague

October 16, 2025 at 2:56 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Jets announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Kale Clague to AHL Manitoba. He doesn’t need waivers because he’s been on the Jets’ active roster for fewer than 30 days since last clearing them, which happened back on Oct. 2.

Clague, 27, was up with Winnipeg for just one game and didn’t draw into the lineup. He came up earlier in the week after fellow rearguard Haydn Fleury took a shot off the kneecap and was rendered unavailable for Monday’s game against the Islanders. Fleury’s absence is already behind him, though, as the team’s Mitchell Clinton reflects he’s expected back in third-pairing duties with Luke Schenn tonight against the Flyers.

Winnipeg is Clague’s fourth NHL organization. He was a second-round pick by the Kings back in 2016. After failing to advance past a fringe NHL role with the club, he was claimed off waivers by the Canadiens during the 2021-22 season. He finished out the year before being non-tendered by Montreal and signing with the Sabres in free agency. Clague went on to sign three straight one-year, two-way deals with the Sabres before reaching unrestricted free agency last summer. He was a Day 2 signing by the Jets, who matched his two most recent deals with Buffalo that carried a league-minimum NHL salary and a $475K AHL salary.

The 6’0″ lefty has 94 games of NHL experience and will continue to be one of the Jets’ primary recall options in case of short-term injuries like Fleury’s. The Regina, Saskatchewan native had a career high of 39 points in 69 games with AHL Rochester last year. He was held without a point and had an even rating in his Manitoba debut last week before getting recalled.

With Clague down, Winnipeg has an open roster spot. They started the year with 14 forwards and seven defensemen, but went to 13 and eight with Fleury’s short-term absence, sending Brad Lambert down earlier this week to accommodate Clague’s recall. None of their players on injured reserve – Adam Lowry, Cole Perfetti, or Dylan Samberg – are close to a return. It’s unclear if they plan to operate with an open spot for a while or if they’ll bring someone else up from the minors in the coming days.

Transactions| Winnipeg Jets Haydn Fleury| Kale Clague

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Summer Synopsis: Dallas Stars

October 16, 2025 at 1:56 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski Leave a Comment

With the regular season now upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team accomplished over the offseason.  Next up is a look at the Dallas Stars.

The Stars have been knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup Finals for a few years now, but haven’t managed to get there since the 2020 playoffs, which were played in a pandemic bubble. While the team has made some decent playoff runs, it hasn’t lived up to expectations so far and is approaching the later stages of its competitive window. Now, there’s no doubt they remain a Stanley Cup contender with such a highly talented roster, but with a couple of expensive extensions coming up, there’s a good chance that their depth could start to weaken as more of their star players cash in.

Draft

3-94 – RW Cameron Schmidt, Vancouver (WHL)
4-126 – LW Brandon Gorzynski, Calgary (WHL)
5-146 – C Atte Joki, Lukko U20 (U20 SM-sarja).
5-158 – G Måns Goos, Färjestad BK J20 (J20 Nationell)
6-190 – RW Dawson Sharkey, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)
7-222 – RW Charlie Paquette, Guelph (OHL)

The Stars didn’t pick until the third round this past off-season, and with their first selection, they chose a highly talented but undersized forward from the WHL. Schmidt has an incredible release on his shot and is accurate whether he’s in motion or working off the rush. Despite his size, he’s very capable of creating open space for himself to set up one-timers or catch passes and release them quickly. Schmidt would likely have been drafted higher if not for his 5’8”, 161 lb frame, and he could be a steal for Dallas, whether he adds more size or not.

Gorzynski is a high-energy forward who moves quickly on the ice and plays a very north/south style. He doesn’t shy away from physical play and seems to enjoy any chance to engage physically with opponents. He creates space for his linemates both on the rush and in the offensive zone, which should make him popular among his teammates.

Joki probably won’t be a regular scorer in the NHL, but not everyone who makes it does, and that doesn’t mean he’s not valuable. His off-the-puck effort is outstanding, even if his puck handling is simple. He’s not much of a playmaker or passer and won’t be leading the Stars’ transition game anytime soon, but he can shoot accurately if given the chance to finish plays.

In the fifth round, the Stars picked a goaltender named Goos, who is 6’5” tall and weighs 198 lbs, giving him a solid NHL-sized frame. Goos doesn’t shrink in the net like some other bigger goaltenders; he makes himself appear larger through good technical positioning. His main weakness is rebound control, and he also struggles with in-zone plays and puck tracking. If he can improve in these areas, there’s a real chance he could develop into an NHL netminder.

Trade Acquisitions

D Vladislav Kolyachonok (from Pittsburgh)

Kolynachonok’s acquisition through trade was more about moving on from veteran defender Matt Dumba’s contract than gaining a young defenseman. Dumba was a healthy scratch in the playoffs and couldn’t fit under the salary cap in Dallas, which led the Stars to trade him along with a second-round pick in exchange for Kolyachonok.

Kolyachonok might not be part of the Stars’ plans for the future, but that doesn’t mean they should completely close the door on him. The 24-year-old posted decent underlying numbers in Utah but didn’t fit well with the Penguins and struggled to finish the year. He has the potential to develop into a sixth- or seventh defenseman if given the opportunity, which would be a bonus for Dallas, since they acquired him primarily to facilitate the trade.

UFA Signings

RW Nathan Bastian (one year, $775K)
F Adam Erne (one year, $775K)*
C Radek Faksa (three years, $6MM)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Stars didn’t have much extra cash this summer and had to take a cautious approach to free agency. They brought back a familiar face, Faksa, a defensive center who doesn’t contribute much offensively. The 31-year-old spent the first nine years of his NHL career in Dallas before being traded to St. Louis in July 2024. He spent just under a year with St. Louis before signing with Dallas on July 1, 2025, as an unrestricted free agent. His return gives the Stars a player who is very limited offensively but strong defensively. Faksa hasn’t exceeded 30 points since 2018-19 and has only surpassed 20 points in two of the six seasons since 2019.

The Stars also signed Bastian to a one-year deal at the NHL minimum. The 27-year-old provides good size and physicality to Dallas and should see some time in the team’s bottom six, likely in a limited fourth-line role. Bastian won’t score much and isn’t the best skater, but he is a solid defensive player and can contribute on the penalty kill, winning puck battles in the corners and in front of the net.

RFA Re-Signings

C Mavrik Bourque (one year, $950K)
G Benjamin Kraws (one year, $775K)*
D Nils Lundkvist (one year, $1.25MM)
G Remi Poirier (two years, $1.55MM)*
LW Antonio Stranges (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract

The Stars likely preferred a longer-term deal with Bourque, but due to salary cap constraints, they chose a low-cost, one-year agreement. In the short term, this should work well for the Stars, but if Bourque makes a significant leap this season, a longer-term contract could become more costly. Bourque didn’t impress many during his rookie year, tallying just 11 goals and 14 assists in 73 games. However, he achieved this while playing only 12:43 per game and starting nearly 60% of his shifts in the defensive zone. If he gains better offensive opportunities, there’s a strong chance his scoring will increase noticeably.

The Stars took a short-term gamble with defenseman Lundkvist, who remains somewhat of a mystery despite being several seasons into his time with the team. There have been glimpses of the talent that convinced Dallas to trade a first-round pick for the 24-year-old, but between those glimpses, he’s had stretches where he takes too many penalties, gets caught out of position, or turns the puck over. He might never reach his full potential, but for now, Lundkvist seems to have an opportunity to prove to the Stars that he can become a top-four defenseman, which is what they hoped for when they made the trade for him.

Departures

F Matej Blumel (signed with Boston, one year $875K)
D Cody Ceci (signed with Los Angeles, four years $18MM)
F Evgenii Dadonov (signed with New Jersey, one year $1MM)
D Matt Dumba (traded to Pittsburgh)
F Mikael Granlund (signed with Anaheim, three years $21MM)
G Magnus Hellberg (signed in Sweden)
F Mason Marchment (traded to Seattle)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (signed in Sweden)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Stars experienced several significant departures this past summer, and while a few of them created gaps in their lineup, most of the players who left were overpaid and either shipped out of town or signed elsewhere for better deals.

The Granlund contract surprised many this summer after he signed for $7MM annually on a three-year deal. Granlund is a reliable offensive player, but beyond his passing and playmaking, there isn’t much else. Some may forget, but two years ago, when Kyle Dubas was hired in Pittsburgh to fix Ron Hextall’s mistakes, he traded Granlund to the San Jose Sharks as part of a salary dump during the Erik Karlsson trade. Granlund performed well in San Jose, netting 105 points in 121 games on some bad Sharks teams, but he still demonstrated slow skating and weak defensive play. In Dallas, he was a valuable depth scorer, but with the Stars already at the cap, there was no way they could come close to matching the deal Granlund signed with the Ducks.

Ceci was another player who was heavily overpaid in free agency, and considering his playoff run last year in Dallas, it doesn’t seem like the Sharks will miss him. However, they might need to rely on Alex Petrovic on the right side of their defense quite often. Ceci was arguably the biggest overpay in free agency and could end up being a contract that the Kings regret or be forced to buy out later.

Dumba was another right-shot defender who had a turbulent time with the Stars. The 31-year-old is now on his fourth team in two years and could be traded again before the end of this season, depending on how his year unfolds. A former seventh overall pick, it wasn’t that long ago that Dumba looked like a genuine top-tier right-shot defenseman. However, in recent seasons, that shine has faded, and Dumba has become more of a depth defenseman than a top-tier one. Dumba is still a valuable NHL player, but with him earning $3.75MM this season, the Stars were forced to move his contract, and the Penguins were more than happy to acquire it along with a second-round pick.

The Marchment trade to Seattle was mainly about dollars going out for the Stars, who likely understood Marchment for what he is—a solid offensive contributor with valuable skills. The Stars probably wanted to keep him, but given his salary, age, and closeness to free agency, they clearly thought it was best to move on. Marchment remains a handy player capable of producing offense and playing a physical game, but he tends to turn the puck over and is not a playmaker.

Lastly, Dadonov was an interesting case because he scored 20 goals and 20 assists the previous season and seemed like an excellent fit for the Stars. He left to sign a $1MM deal with the Devils that also includes another $2.25MM in potential bonuses. His departure was surprising because he can still produce, and for the price tag, he should outperform his contract. It’s easy to speculate about what could have happened. Still, Dallas and Dadonov both likely expected he would do better financially this summer and might have parted ways before the financial realities set in. In any event, the Stars will miss the offensive depth Dadonov provided last year, but they should have some younger players who can step in and replace some of that missing offense.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Stars faced a significant cap crunch this past summer. They will need to navigate additional salary cap challenges throughout the season, as they currently have only $341K in cap space. Injuries and call-ups will be challenging to manage with such limited flexibility, and adding depth won’t be easy. Currently, any in-season move by the Stars would have to be dollar-for-dollar, or they could attempt to dump salary on teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have already taken on bad contracts from the Stars and other clubs.

Key Questions

How will Jake Oettinger respond after the end of last season?

Oettinger’s season ended about as badly as it could last year when he gave up two goals on two shots in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final before former Stars head coach Pete DeBoer pulled him. They were the only two shots he faced in the game, and much was made in the media about DeBoer’s decision to pull Oettinger, as well as his comments after the game, where he said he was hoping a goalie switch would spark the Stars and that Oettinger had lost six of seven games against Edmonton. From a development perspective, there are two ways that Oettinger can respond. One way would be to let the comments rattle him and affect his game, while the other would be to let them motivate him going forward, and hopefully something he can look back on as a learning experience. How he responds is up to him, but so far this season, he appears to be responding well.

Is the championship window shrinking?

The Stars have several of their top players locked up long-term. Still, with Thomas Harley and Jason Robertson expecting significant raises next summer, it’s fair to wonder how much longer they can keep the band together, especially if this year ends in another playoff disappointment. The Stars are built with a ton of offensive talent and wouldn’t be the first powerhouse team to have a terrific decade of success without any Stanley Cups to show for it. They are probably a few years away from that reality, but time moves fast, and every season without a title is one year closer to the competitive window slamming shut.

Will Robertson re-sign in Dallas?

The Stars will have some time to decide Robertson’s future as he is an RFA for one more year after this season, meaning Dallas doesn’t have to sign the forward until next summer. It appears that both sides are comfortable waiting until the summer to decide the long-term plan, which allows Robertson to put up elite numbers one more time before he heads back to the negotiating table. He is currently earning $7.75MM, and while that figure is healthy, he will certainly exceed it on his next long-term deal. How much of a raise he gets will depend on his production this year, and it’s up to the Stars to decide if they give him that raise or if he finds it elsewhere.

Photo by Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Dallas Stars| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals| Summer Synopsis 2025

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