Stars center Roope Hintz has fully recovered from the broken foot he sustained late in the playoffs, relays NHL.com’s Tracey Myers. The injury ultimately didn’t need surgery and he will be ready to take part in training camp next month. Hintz came back for the final two games of the series before Dallas was eliminated by Edmonton but he was clearly not at his best given the injury. He finished fourth on the Stars in scoring last season after putting up 28 goals and 39 assists in 76 games while adding a dozen points in 17 postseason appearances. It was the first time in four years that he didn’t reach the 30-goal mark, something he might have been able to reach had he been fully healthy during the regular season.
More from out West:
- Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press outlines the journey that center Jonathan Toews went through to get back to being ready to give playing in the NHL another opportunity through Ayurvedic and Panchakarma treatments. The 37-year-old had to step away from playing in 2023 due to the lingering effects of long COVID and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. However, he’s ready to give playing another go now after signing a one-year deal with the Jets at the start of free agency. The agreement pays him a base salary of $2MM while he has an additional $5MM in potential performance bonuses ranging from games played to Winnipeg’s playoff success.
- There was a fair bit of interest in Canucks winger Vitali Kravtsov before Vancouver brought him back to North America, reports Thomas Drance of The Athletic (subscription link). With that in mind, the team is thought to have an internal belief that the 25-year-old will be claimed off waivers if Vancouver tries to send him to the minors. Kravtsov is coming off a strong KHL season and signed a one-year, two-way deal earlier this month. He’ll need to get into 16 NHL games this coming season to remain RFA-eligible and based on this, he might have a shot at getting there even if he’s cut from the Canucks in training camp.
Such a dirty play by Nurse to take Hintz out. All he’s good for at this point.