Stars winger Riley Tufte was in the lineup in last night’s victory over Montreal but immediately following the contest, the team announced that Tufte has been sent back to Texas of the AHL.
The 24-year-old played in three games with the big club on this recall, logging just under eight minutes a night in ice time while being held off the scoresheet. Tufte has been productive in the minors though, notching seven goals and nine assists in 21 AHL contests.
As he was recalled after December 11th and is waiver-exempt, Tufte was eligible to be sent back down even though the roster freeze is in effect. It’s likely that he’ll be brought back in advance of their next game on the 27th.
With Dallas projected to finish with less than $300K in cap space per CapFriendly, they’re in a position where any cap savings they can find will be crucial. Tufte carries just a $750K AAV but three days of him being in the minors frees up over $12K in cap room. It’s not much but in their situation, every little bit is going to count.