Based on their roster in recent games, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) speculates that Stars center Gemel Smith could be heading for the waiver wire in the near future. Justin Dowling appears to have moved ahead of Smith on the depth chart while it’s telling that the team opted to play seven defensemen over using Smith recently. It wouldn’t be the first time that the 24-year-old has been on waivers as he was placed there in the summer in advance of his arbitration hearing, one that saw him get awarded a $720K salary. Smith has shown that he can be a capable fourth liner in the past but hasn’t fared particularly well in his two games so far this season and if Dallas needs to make a roster move, he could very well become the one leaving to make room for him.
Elsewhere out West:
- While there is no firm timetable for his return, Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo is not expected to need surgery on his lower-body injury, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The team will give him a couple of weeks to rest and then re-evaluate his situation at that time. While St. Louis is down another blueliner for now, they should get Carl Gunnarsson back in the lineup at some point next week once he finishes up his rehab assignment with AHL San Antonio.
- Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard is quickly approaching the games played threshold where a decision will need to be made regarding whether or not to keep him up. Based on his performance thus far and the current state of Edmonton’s back end, Postmedia’s Derek Van Diest suggests that it’s likely that the 19-year-old will stick around past the ten-game mark, officially burning the first year of his entry-level contract. Bouchard has a goal in seven games so far this season while averaging a little over 12 minutes per night of ice time. If he does stick around, the next key threshold will come a couple of months from now when he approaches 40 games on the active roster as reaching that will accrue a season towards UFA eligibility.