The Dallas Stars signed forward Lauri Korpikoski to a one-year, $1MM deal. The signing was first rumored by reports from the Dallas Morning New’s Mike Heika. Korpikoski signed a PTO with the Calgary Flames earlier this pre-season, but was released yesterday to pursue other professional opportunities.
Korpikoski spent most of his NHL career with the Arizona Coyotes, scoring 78G and 103A in 540 NHL games. Last season he played with the Edmonton Oilers where he racked up 10G and 12A in 71 games. It was a disappointing campaign for the speedy winger and former first round draft pick.
Dallas has just under $5MM in cap space after signing Korpikoski, and will probably fit him in on third-line duties with the potential to jump up in case of injury. He’s a speedy forward brought in to a speedy team, and could provide valuable depth for an aging top-6 forward corps. Jason Spezza, Jiri Hudler, Ales Hemsky, and Patrick Sharp are all over 32 years old and would be expected to miss games for various ailments. The Stars are already feeling the injury crunch from the World Cup of Hockey as Hemsky is nursing a groin injury and Tyler Seguin recovers from a hairline fracture in his heel.