As expected, the Dallas Stars have recalled a defenseman to their active roster for tonight’s contest. According to a team announcement, the Stars have recalled defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok from the AHL’s Texas Stars.
Given that Dallas only had five healthy defenseman on the roster before this morning’s move, it’s a guarantee that Kolyachonok will draw into the lineup this evening. Although they haven’t been placed on the team’s injured reserve, the Stars are without Thomas Harley for the next few weeks and Ilya Lyubushkin for the next few days.
Tonight will be Kolyachonok’s first NHL appearance since the end of last season. Dallas acquired the Belarusian this summer in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins that landed Matt Dumba in Pennsylvania. The Penguins acquired him last season on the waiver wire from the then-named Utah Hockey Club. He finished the season with two goals and seven points in 35 games with a -12 rating, averaging 13:01 of ice time per game.
Although he hasn’t been the highest-scoring blueliner for the AHL Stars this season, Kolyachonok has the most NHL experience of any of Dallas’s recall options. He’s registered three assists in 10 games with 10 PIMs.
Regardless of Kolyachonok’s recall, it’ll be interesting to see how the Stars split up their defensive pairings this evening. Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Lian Bichsel are each high-quality defenseman in their own right. However, Dallas will have to fill the remaining gaps with Alexander Petrovic, Kyle Capobianco, and Kolyachonok without any additional help.
Additionally, with Kolyachonok’s recall, the Stars still only have 22 players on the active roster. Factoring in the reports from Sunday indicating that captain Jamie Benn could return within the next few days, Dallas has left a spot on the roster open for him tonight.