The Stars will remain without first-line center Roope Hintz as they kick off the Western Conference Final against the Oilers tonight, head coach Peter DeBoer said (via Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). He remains day-to-day and is an option to return for Game 2 on Saturday.
Hintz sustained an upper-body injury in Game 4 of the second round against the Avalanche and hasn’t played since. The Finnish pivot had struggled to produce up to expectations with two goals and six points in 11 games, but the re-emergence of 21-year-old Wyatt Johnston as a post-season x-factor has canceled that out.
Just capping off his sixth NHL season, Hintz had 65 points in 80 regular season contests. Matt Duchene takes his place on the top line between Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski, while Johnston and Logan Stankoven form a formidable depth attack alongside veteran Jamie Benn. Dallas has gotten scoring from everywhere – Craig Smith is their only forward without a goal thus far – a trend that will need to continue to offset Edmonton’s superior star power.
Elsewhere out West:
- Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland would like to bring back pending unrestricted free agent winger Jonathan Drouin, saying during today’s end-of-season media availability that, as of today, it won’t be a challenge with their offseason cap cushion (via Meghan Angley of DNVR Sports). However, it would be extremely difficult to fit him in if he signed at market value once Gabriel Landeskog comes off long-term injured reserve and Valeri Nichushkin is activated from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, both of which are expected to happen at some point in the 2024-25 season. Evolving Hockey pegs a Drouin extension in Colorado to come in at $4.75MM annually for four seasons. Playing a significant chunk of the season alongside former major junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon, Drouin had a career-high 37 assists and 56 points in 79 games.
- Professional hockey may stay in Tempe’s Mullett Arena next season, at least on a temporary basis. The AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, the former affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes, are filing a proposal to split their 2024-25 home games between Mullett and the Tucson Convention Center, reports Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. The Roadrunners are expected to re-affiliate with the NHL Utah franchise next season after they purchased the Coyotes’ hockey operations, moving them to Salt Lake City after a nearly three-decade stint in the desert. Coyotes/Roadrunners owner Alex Meruelo, who still owns the branding and naming rights to the club and can re-activate the franchise with a new arena built within five years, previously said it was a priority to have the AHL club maintain a connection to the Phoenix metro area by playing games at Mullett. The AHL’s Board of Governors will vote to approve the plan next Thursday, Morgan said.
Craig Smith is still bangin hard out there. I love that 4th line. My preseason prediction of Dallas having 0% chance of winning the cup is looking more and more likely each week!