- Moving back to the NHL, Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest reports that Dallas Stars defenseman Chris Tanev was a full participant at practice today making his return imminent. Although Tanev did not miss any time, there was some cause for concern as Tanev left the team’s most recent game against the Seattle Kraken early due to an arm injury. Luckily, now that Tanev was a full participant in today’s practice, he should be able to play in the team’s game tomorrow night against the Edmonton Oilers.
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Stars Rumors
Poll: Who’s Going To Win The Presidents’ Trophy?
Nearly half of the current playoff field has clinched postseason berths, so attention is quickly turning to playoff positioning battles and who can finish atop the regular-season standings with just over two weeks left in the campaign. The field is crowded at the top, with seven teams within five points of first place.
The Rangers currently hold the edge as the only 50-win team and 104 points (.703 points percentage), ranking among the top six teams in both goals for and goals against. Leading them across the board offensively is winger Artemi Panarin, who should get some outside Hart Trophy consideration with a career-high 44 goals and 107 points. Season-ending injuries to Filip Chytil and Blake Wheeler have damaged their forward depth, but early returns on their trade deadline replacements, Jack Roslovic and Alexander Wennberg, have been positive. With top-five defenseman Adam Fox leading their blue line and one of the better goalie duos in the league this year with Jonathan Quick and Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers are looking to win the Presidents’ Trophy for only the fourth time in their 98-year history and the first since 2014-15.
Moving over to the crowded Central Division, the Stars are keeping pace at the top of the division with an 8-2-0 record in their last 10. Their 103 points and .687 points percentage are both second in the league, but they’ll need some help to catch the similarly hot Rangers, who’ve played one less game. Fuelled by an incredibly deep forward corps and a breakout season from 22-year-old Thomas Harley alongside Miro Heiskanen on the team’s top defense pair, Dallas is chasing its first division title since 2016, when Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza all had 30-goal years and powered the league’s best offense. After shoring up their blue line with deadline pickup Chris Tanev and boosting their third line with the promotion of rookie Logan Stankoven from the minors, the Stars are hoping to make back-to-back Conference Final appearances for the first time since appearing in three straight from 1998 to 2000.
Hot on Dallas’ tails for guaranteed home-ice advantage through Round Three are the breakout Canucks, whose jump from 24th to fourth in goals against has fuelled their first trip to the postseason (sans the 2020 bubble) in nine years. A franchise record-breaking season from Quinn Hughes on the blue line, plus a rebound from Thatcher Demko in the crease, have created the core for what Vancouver hopes is a lengthy era of contention with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson centering their top two lines. Some view them as the NHL’s flukiest team with a league-high 9.8% shooting percentage and 102.8 PDO at 5-on-5, a narrative they’ll look to dispel by extending their season into May and June.
The new-look Avalanche went big-game hunting at the trade deadline and remain in contention for division and league titles, tied with Vancouver with a .676 points percentage (100 points in 74 games). With new faces Brandon Duhaime, Casey Mittelstadt, Yakov Trenin, and Sean Walker providing reinforcements in the absence of captain Gabriel Landeskog for a second straight season, Colorado will look to stay hot down the stretch and avenge last year’s first-round upset at the hands of the Kraken.
Over in the East, the Bruins, Hurricanes and Panthers remain in the hunt for the regular-season title, but at three or more points behind the Rangers with no games in hand, it seems unlikely with New York on a hot streak. MoneyPuck awards each of them less than a 4% chance at capturing the first-overall crown.
Tell us – who’s your pick to win the Presidents’ Trophy and aim to become the first regular-season champion since 2013 to hoist the Stanley Cup?
Mobile/app users, use this link to vote.
Snapshots: Tanev, Bunting, Butler, Aston-Reese
The Dallas Stars could be without their newest defenseman for an extended time, with Trade Deadline acquisition Chris Tanev leaving the team’s Saturday night game early after taking an elbow to the head from Seattle Kraken Adam Larsson. Larsson received a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit, while Tanev exited after 17 minutes of ice time. Tanev will be re-evaluated on Sunday, with the Stars hoping for an update early this week, per Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning Star (Web link).
Tanev is 12 games into his time with the Stars, recording one goal, two points, and 10 penalty minutes. The Stars sent away prospect Artem Grushnikov, a conditional second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick to land Tanev – and they’re getting their money’s worth, with Tanev stepping into an immediate impact role and averaging over 18 minutes of ice time each game. He’s served as much-needed depth behind star Miro Heiskanen, elevating the impact of depth defenseman Esa Lindell. Dallas would normally turn towards Jani Hakanpaa in the event of Tanev’s absence, though he’s also bearing through a day-to-day injury. The Stars aren’t carrying any other defenders, meaning they’ll need to make a call-up if neither Tanev nor Hakanpaa can go.
Other notes from around the league:
- Michael Bunting left the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Saturday night game due to illness, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed after the game (Twitter link). Bunting played in nearly 10 minutes of ice time before exiting, with a -1 representing his only stat change. He’s found a strong scoring groove through his first 12 games in Pittsburgh, with three goals and seven points – though he’s still finding where he fits best in the lineup. There’s been no update on Bunting’s availability moving forward, though healthy scratch Emil Bemstrom is available to slot in if needed.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent right-winger Cameron Butler back to the minor leagues, after awarding him with his NHL debut on Saturday (Twitter link). He played in just one shift – staying on the ice for 54 seconds – during the eventual shootout-win. Butler, who is in his first year of pro hockey, will now return to the AHL, where he’s already managed two goals, eight points, and 63 penalty minutes in 46 games. He signed with the Blue Jackets as an undrafted free-agent in March of 2023.
- Zach Aston-Reese has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Detroit Red Wings after being recalled on Friday (Twitter link). Aston-Reese didn’t appear in any NHL action during the call-up, making his sole game in December his only NHL game of the season. He’s managed 13 goals, 28 points, and 47 penalty minutes in 56 AHL games this season – his first year in the league since 2018-19.
Seguin To Sit Tonight
Top Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin will be held out of the team’s Tuesday night game, per an interview between NHL.com’s Mike Heika and head coach Pete DeBoer (Twitter link). DeBoer added that Seguin hasn’t faced a setback and that this move is simply a rest day out of caution. Seguin made his return from an 11-game absence on March 20th, after bearing with a lower-body injury that held him out for a month. He’s scored four points in three games since returning, including a three-point performance on Sunday in 17-and-a-half minutes of ice time – the most he’s played since mid-January. The performance must have taken a toll on Seguin, who will now be held out of the lineup despite 22 goals and 49 points in 61 games this season.
Ty Dellandrea is expected to fill in for Seguin in the Stars lineup, set to play in his 41st game of the season. He has two goals and nine points on the year so far, a big step down from the 28 points he recorded in 82 games last season. This is Dellandrea’s second season in a full-time NHL role, though he’s retreated to being a healthy scratch after playing in every game last season.
Stars Sign Ben Kraws To Entry-Level Deal
2:09 p.m.: Dallas has made Kraws’ signing official in a team release, confirming the deal is for the 2024-25 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.
12:10 p.m.: The Stars are signing college free agent netminder Ben Kraws to a one-year entry-level contract, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports.
Kraws, 23, has spent the last five seasons in college hockey with three different universities. Once a backup/tandem goalie for Miami University and Arizona State, Kraws transferred to St. Lawrence University for his graduate season, where he broke out as the team’s starter and ended up a nominee (but not finalist) for this year’s Hobey Baker Award.
The 6’5″ New Jersey native had a spectacular run to close out the season, recording a SV% north of .920 in seven straight contests as St. Lawrence upset their way through the ECAC conference tournament before losing the final to Cornell last weekend. He played in 37 out of their 39 games on the season, recording a 2.49 GAA, .919 SV%, two shutouts, and a 14-17-6 record behind one of the weaker teams in the conference.
Since it’s a one-year and not a two-year ELC, that suggests the signing age of the contract is 24, meaning the deal goes into effect for the 2024-25 campaign, not immediately – it would be a two-year deal if so. Kraws could join AHL Texas on a tryout for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign, however. He’ll be an RFA in 2025 and is just the third Stars netminder under contract for next season, joining Jake Oettinger and minor-leaguer Rémi Poirier.
Big Hype Prospects: Bourque, Levshunov, Fowler, Koivunen
The hockey season is coming to a close across the world, bringing about the exciting time of year when top prospects are winning awards and loaded teams are winning championships. It’s the perfect time to borrow the Big Hype Prospects series from over at MLB Trade Rumors and break down some of the rising stars across the hockey world – including drafted prospects and U18 players eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft.
Four Big Hype Prospects
Mavrik Bourque, C, Dallas Stars (Texas Stars, AHL)
60 GP – 23 G – 44 A – 67 TP – 18 PIM – 0 +/-
Dallas Stars fans are currently relishing in the success of first-year-pro Logan Stankoven, who has a dazzling six goals and 10 points through the first 12 games of his NHL career. But the best is still yet to come, with Stankoven currently separated from his partner in crime – Mavrik Bourque. The two formed an unstoppable pair in the AHL, battling each other for the league’s scoring title all season long. They simply played faster than anyone else, zipping around defensemen and creating plays in the blink of an eye. And Bourque has done plenty to show his capabilities in Stankoven’s absence, with 14 points in 14 games and a confident 12-point lead on the league’s scoring title. He can still look undersized amid a scrum and will certainly need to adjust to the NHL’s physicality before he’s able to bring his full tempo. But it’s just a matter of time before Bourque receives the first in-season call-up of his career and Stars fans should be eager to see if he and Stankoven can pick up where they left off when it finally comes.
Artyom Levshunov, RHD, 2024 NHL Draft (Michigan State University, NCAA Big Ten)
35 GP – 9 G – 23 A – 32 TP – 42 PIM – +25
Artyom Levshunov is living large right now – clinching a spot in the Big Ten Championship, the Big Ten Rookie of the Year Award, and the Big Ten Defenseman of the Year Award all in one week. And while the season isn’t over just yet, he’s already done more than enough to prove his draft value. Levshunov joined the Spartans late in the summer, announcing his departure from the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers just five weeks before the league’s pre-season. It was a well-choreographed surprise that paired Levshunov with second-year head coach Adam Nightingale. And it was a big adjustment – especially considering this is just the second season that Levshunov has played in North America. There were certainly growing pains, with the Belarusian defenseman showing an overeagerness to leave his position in favor of chasing the puck or joining the offensive rush. But Nightingale was able to reel in his protege quickly, helping Levshunov better wield his aggression and building his confidence in leading the offense. The mentorship gelled well with Levshunov’s eagerness to take on more and more responsibility, ultimately averaging 22:33 in ice time and scoring at a near-point-per-game rate. It’s been an impressive season that came from a surprise commitment – and Levshunov’s ability to make flashy plays in all three zones certainly has the attention of NHL execs. He’s expected to be one of the first names called in the looming 2024 NHL Draft, and he could continue to build acclaim with hot performances in the Big Ten Championship or the Frozen Four!
Jacob Fowler, G, Montreal Canadiens (Boston College, NCAA Hockey East)
34 GP – 28 Wins – .924 Save Percentage – 2.19 Goals-Against-Average
Jacob Fowler is running out of room in his trophy closet quickly, a finalist for Hockey East’s Goaltender of the Year award and competing for the Hockey East championship after winning the same award, and a league championship, in the USHL last season. He has made himself a focal piece of every team he’s played for, setting the record for save percentage as both a 17-year-old and 18-year-old across his two seasons in the USHL and now saving the highest percentage of shots for Boston College since Spencer Knight in 2020. It’s clear to see why Fowler is so effective when watching him play. He’s a powerful skater, keeping a wide frame and moving across the crease quickly. And he carries plenty of bravado, showing clear confidence in facing down opponents and staying locked in through the entirety of plays. As any fan of Jon Gillies will attest, a high save percentage and a stocked trophy cabinet aren’t always indicative of future stardom. But Fowler’s continued dominance certainly elicits plenty of excitement.
Ville Koivunen, LW/C, Pittsburgh Penguins (Kärpät, Liiga)
59 GP – 22 G – 34 A – 56 TP – 26 PIM – +7
The Pittsburgh Penguins moved on from a franchise staple at the Trade Deadline, sending Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a huge change, breaking up a Penguins top-line that’s been together for the better part of seven seasons. And while there’s no good way to rebound from a move that grand, Ville Koivunen represents a great consolation prize. The 20-year-old winger has been fantastic in Finland’s top league, the Liiga, this season – showing a great ability to read the ice and work with his teammates. He’s a smooth-moving forward that’s very tough to knock off the puck, thanks to beautifully-smooth puckhandling. And while he needs space to use it, Koivunen’s shot can be fantastic. He’s emerged as one of Kärpät’s key players this season, averaging nearly 18 minutes of ice time each game and ranked second on the team in scoring. Moving to North American pros poses a unique challenge, something Koivunen learned when he managed just one goal in 12 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last season. But he’s found a new groove in his return to Finland. Koivunen has the wind behind his sails, a new NHL organization to embrace, and an open role to eye after Guentzel’s departure – making his return to the United States highly anticipated.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Hakanpaa Not Skating, Out Longer Than Day To Day
Originally, Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa was listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. However, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters yesterday including Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News that the blueliner isn’t skating and won’t be available in the near future as he has been undergoing tests to determine his status. It’s the second time that the 31-year-old has been injured this season as he had an upper-body issue last month. Hakanpaa doesn’t put up many points as he has just 12 in 64 games but leads the team in hits (196) with nearly twice as many as Mason Marchment who sits second (100) while he’s second on the team in blocks with 123 behind only Esa Lindell (133).
The Matt Duchene Buyout Was A Win-Win
A year ago, the 2024 free agent class had the potential to be one of the most star-studded in a long time, especially compared to 2023’s unusually weak class that allowed players like Alex Killorn and Dmitry Orlov to receive well above standard market value. While superstars like Auston Matthews and William Nylander have signed extensions and are off the market, there are still multiple impact forwards with point-per-game upside slated to be available, namely longtime Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and Panthers breakout performer Sam Reinhart. The defense market is significantly less appealing, although Noah Hanifin will get a payday somewhere if he doesn’t extend with the Golden Knights, although Vegas will surely attempt to lock in the blue-liner after making a splash for him at the trade deadline.
However, Stars forward Matt Duchene is also quietly producing among the top echelon of pending UFAs. Sitting in the top six in points-per-game alongside Reinhart, Stamkos, Jake Guentzel, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Marchessault, the 33-year-old has proved to be the best value pickup of last season’s UFA period after the Predators executed a surprising last-minute buyout of the final three seasons of his seven-year, $56MM contract. The one-year, $3MM pact he signed to continue his NHL career in Texas was a mid-tier contract compared to others handed out on July 1. Yet, he’s second among all 2023 UFA signees in scoring, trailing Nashville’s Gustav Nyquist.
It’s been a remarkable return to form over the past few years for a player who, shortly after signing his big payday with the Preds in free agency in 2019, looked to be on one of the worst contracts in the league. An injury-plagued and COVID-laced 2020-21 campaign was easily Duchene’s most disappointing outing in just the second year of his megadeal, missing significant time with lower-body issues and recording career-lows across the board with six goals, seven assists and 13 points while averaging 15:50 per game over 34 contests. In 2019-20, the first season of his contract, he scored only 13 goals in 66 games after crossing the 30-goal mark with Ottawa and Columbus the year prior.
The next two seasons were much more fruitful for the 2009 third-overall pick, who broke out for a career-high 43 goals the following season and put up 142 points in 149 games between 2021 and 2023 while returning to first-line minutes. The stink of the first few seasons of Duchene’s deal had soured the reputation of his contract, though, and with incoming GM Barry Trotz looking to infuse a youth movement into a squad that was stuck in wild-card territory, the team unexpectedly made him one of the top UFAs on the market the day before free agency opened.
Despite Duchene’s success with a divisional rival this year, it’s hard to criticize the decision from Nashville’s perspective. They’ve replaced his production with a cheaper UFA pickup in Nyquist, and freeing up his roster spot has allowed players like Luke Evangelista and Thomas Novak to make more of an impact. That, plus a rebounding Juuse Saros after an unusually slow start, has the Predators cooking with a 14-0-2 record in their last 16 games and the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference all but guaranteed. Much-improved depth scoring has been the Predators’ calling card this year, something that decidedly wouldn’t have occurred without the Duchene buyout.
The buyout will carry some short-term pain, though. Duchene’s cap penalty is a reasonable $2.6MM this season, but it jumps to $5.6MM in 2024-25 and $6.6MM in 2025-26. It’ll coast at $1.6MM from 2026 to 2029, though, almost a non-factor with the salary cap’s projected increase over that period. A retooled prospect pool should allow the Preds to staff some important roles with entry-level contracts over the next few years, however, so the buyout shouldn’t be too severe of an obstacle.
In any event, the Preds are rolling into the playoffs at an incredible pace that routinely proves advantageous to wild-card or lower-seeded teams’ chances of a first-round upset (or further, if you ask last year’s Panthers). No regrets in Smashville, at least not yet.
And the Stars, a potential first-round opponent for the Predators, are thrilled Duchene fell into their lap. With the 15-year veteran set to earn a significant amount of money from his buyout as well, he was more incentivized to settle for a bargain deal on a contender. He’s played a crucial part in Dallas having one of the deepest forward groups in the league, flip-flopping between first- and second-line duties. He’s posted 23 goals and 59 points in 68 games, slightly up from last season’s pace in Nashville despite averaging almost 90 fewer seconds per game. His presence has also helped revitalize Mason Marchment, who, alongside Duchene, has rebounded for a career-high 19 goals and 50 points after a tough first season in the Lone Star State last year.
He’s also straight-up Dallas’ second-leading scorer, ranking second on the team in points per game at 0.87 behind the point-per-game Jason Robertson. After the induction of rookie Logan Stankoven into the major league ranks over the past few weeks, every player in the Stars’ top nine has produced over 0.65 points per game this season. Only one player – captain Jamie Benn – has produced under 0.70.
The only two teams that have scored more per game this season than the Stars are the Avalanche and Maple Leafs. Both have been buoyed by MVP-level seasons from their star first-line centers. Their depth attacks simply don’t compare – Colorado only has one player producing over half a point per game in its entire bottom six (Ross Colton), while the Maple Leafs have none.
With $18.3MM in projected cap space with a roster size of only 12 next season, per CapFriendly, it’s unlikely the Stars will be able to bring Duchene back without him taking a significant discount. Otherwise, Duchene is poised to be the third major beneficiary of the Predators’ decision to buy him out by landing a lucrative short-term deal on the open market this summer. This season, however, he’s helped give Dallas their best chance at a Stanley Cup since 1999’s victory.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Stars Reassign Matt Murray
Mar. 21: Dallas returned Murray to AHL Texas on Thursday, per a team announcement. He did not play in yesterday’s 5-2 win over the Coyotes.
Mar. 20: The Stars have recalled goaltender Matt Murray from AHL Texas ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Coyotes, according to a team announcement. Per Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest, backup Scott Wedgewood will miss the contest while on paternity leave, so Murray will be the secondary option to starter Jake Oettinger. The recall comes under emergency conditions, per CapFriendly, so it won’t count against the Stars’ four post-trade deadline standard recalls.
Dallas signed Murray, 26, to an entry-level deal in October 2022 after beginning the season on a minor-league contract with Texas. An ever-consistent starter throughout five seasons at UMass Amherst, posting a SV% north of .910 every year, Murray has now taken a sizable step back from what was a strong rookie showing last year in the minors.
Last year’s strong transition signaled he may be an everyday NHL backup in a few years. The Alberta native clutched the starting role in Texas from NHL veteran Anton Khudobin, posting a .911 SV% and 18-10-5 record in 34 games, along with three shutouts and a .909 SV% in eight postseason appearances.
That showing solidified Murray as the third-string option behind Oettinger and Wedgewood on the depth chart heading into 2023-24. Nearing the end of the season, however, he’s started fewer games than his tandem partner, 22-year-old Rémi Poirier, and his numbers have dipped to a .895 SV% and 13-13-2 record for a Texas team that’s hovered around the .500 mark for most of the campaign. His smaller frame (6-foot-1, 196 lbs) was a concern for NHL clubs when he hit free agency two years ago, and it may now be inhibiting him as he tries to solidify his role in the professional ranks.
Murray is still waivers-exempt, although that will drop next season. He’ll be an RFA this summer with arbitration rights upon completing the one-year, two-way ($775K/$110K/$137.5K) extension he signed to remain with the Stars last offseason.
Stars Sign Justin Hryckowian To Entry-Level Deal
The Stars have signed undrafted free agent center Justin Hryckowian to a two-year, entry-level contract, per a team announcement. While the team did not disclose financial details, they did confirm the deal begins in the 2024-25 season. With his collegiate season over, Hryckowian could sign a tryout with their AHL affiliate in Texas down the stretch.
Hryckowian, 23, turns pro after a three-year collegiate career at Northeastern. The 5-foot-10, 194-lb center had a magnificent end to his season, recording six straight multi-point outings, but it wasn’t enough to keep his Huskies from getting eliminated at the hands of Boston University in the Hockey East playoffs.
Initially eligible for the 2019 NHL draft, Hryckowian was passed over out of high school and again after graduating to major junior hockey with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Sioux City Musketeers. That didn’t stop him from seamlessly transitioning to collegiate play during his freshman year at Northeastern in 2021-22, when he finished fourth on the team in scoring with 22 points in 27 games. He tallied well over a point per game over the following two years, bringing his career totals at Northeastern up to 35 goals and 101 points in 94 contests. He closed out his junior year with a team-leading 43 points and a +24 rating in 32 contests, including five goals and 13 points in the last six games of the season.
A two-way threat, Hryckowian won back-to-back Best Defensive Forward honors from the Hockey East conference and was a nominee for this year’s Hobey Baker Award, although he wasn’t named to the group of 10 finalists. The L’Île-Bizard, Québec, native now looks to make another smooth jump between levels and be a solid top-nine contributor to AHL Texas next year in hopes of earning an NHL recall before his ELC expires. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency upon expiry in 2026.