Latest On Roope Hintz
Two welcome additions were on the ice today in Edmonton’s practice, as Leon Draisaitl and Jason Dickinson were full participants, noted by TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. It’s not yet certain, but the news suggests the Oilers could be icing a fully stocked lineup tomorrow night in Game 1 of their first round series against Anaheim.
Draisaitl centered Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen on the second line, two skilled role players who mesh well with the superstar Draisaitl. He’s been unable to play since March 15, missing the club’s last 14 games to wrap up the campaign. Even without him, Edmonton handled business and earned home ice advantage, now on the cusp of adding a massive boost to their lineup. Despite playing in 65 games, his lowest since the shortened 2020-21 season, the 30-year-old still ranked second in team scoring with 97 points.
Meanwhile, Dickinson took the middle between Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic on the third line. With just one goal and four points in 17 games since being acquired from Chicago, he will lean fully into a shutdown role to try and help the Oilers make a third-consecutive deep run. The 30-year-old’s possession metrics at five-on-five with his new team aren’t pretty, under 40% corsi for, but he’s starting over 71% of shifts in the defensive zone, which will continue to be his calling card ahead. Dickinson has missed the team’s last three games with a leg injury and hasn’t found the back of the net in his last 13 contests.
With other teams wrapping up their respective second games around the time the puck finally drops to open the Oilers/Ducks series, the scheduling worked to the benefit of Edmonton, giving them the real possibility of returning to full health.
Elsewhere across the conference:
- Colorado’s Ross Colton is expected to be scratched for Game 1 this afternoon against Los Angeles, reported by Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. The 29-year-old brings championship pedigree within his 64 games of postseason experience, even scoring the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for Tampa Bay’s 2021 title, but he’ll be out of the lineup for the start of a potential run from the Presidents’ Trophy winners. Colton netted nine goals in 73 games, a near 50% drop off from his first two seasons with the Avs, and his ice time has declined, down to 12:31 in 2025-26. Surprisingly, the 29-year-old has actually posted his best even strength possession metrics of his career this year, but it’s in good part thanks to the team’s overall dominance in that area. Colton is not trusted on the penalty kill, a factor in the decision, but it’s likely he’ll get a shot eventually based on how his teammates perform out of the gate.
- Stars head coach Glen Gulatzan told reporters, including Robert Tiffin of Stars Thoughts, that Roope Hintz is still not skating on his own yet. The standout center hasn’t been able to play since March 6 as a result of a lower body injury. Dallas certainly felt the effects of missing such a player in Game 1’s resounding defeat against Minnesota. Based on the word on Hintz, his status for any time in the first round is up in the air, and the club will have to dig deep to get back on track and buy enough time for his return. With 44 points in 53 games this year, it’s clearly a big loss, but Hintz’s elite defensive impact is especially crucial at this time of year.
Dallas Stars Recall Ben Kraws
- Similarly, the Dallas Stars recalled netminder Ben Kraws from the AHL’s Texas Stars to serve as their third-string option through the postseason. Kraws has much less name recognition than Copley and spent most of the 2025-26 campaign with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. However, the Stars don’t have the benefit of higher-end goaltending prospects in the AHL, and are leaving their better options in the AHL for Texas’ playoff hopes.
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NHL Executives Pick Avalanche, Stars As Stanley Cup Favorites
The race to get in final brackets before the start of round one isn’t exclusive to the fans. Some NHL front office staff and executives also have fun with predicting the Stanley Cup Champions recently captured by Harman Dayal and Chris Johnston of The Athletic. They polled nine anonymous NHL front office executives and senior staff to find their playoff favorites. Even when prompted to include three-or-four Stanley Cup favorites, many of the voters had two teams that stood out from the rest – the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars.
The only team to rival Colorado’s season was Dallas. The Stars were the only other Western Conference team to reach 50 wins and finished the year with the second-fewest goals allowed (222). They were well-rounded all year long under the lead of returning head coach Glen Gulutzan and surging forward Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston. Robertson finished the year with 45 goals and 96 points while Johnston had a breakout season with 45 goals and 86 points. The duo dominated momentum when they were on the ice, supported by speedy winger Mavrik Bourque in a top-six role. That was the kind of depth that helped Dallas stand out, with Sam Steel and Justin Hryckowian also offering effective roles throughout the lineup. Starter Jake Oettinger also finished third in the league with 35 wins but coupled it with a .899 save percentage that was closer to league average. With every lineup spot filled and healthy, Dallas could be a dangerous playoff team. Unfortunately, they might also face the toughest path to the Stanley Cup Finals – likely having to go through both the Minnesota Wild and Avalanche to get out of the West.
At Least Eight Teams To Carry Overage Penalty Into 2026-27
The NHL adds contract performance bonuses to the salary cap hit of each team at the end of the season. Any price over the salary cap is carried over to the team’s cap hit in the following season. Performance bonuses are broken up into two categories. A-level bonuses are paid out for reaching set numbers of goals, assists, points, plus-minus, or time on ice per-game. End-of-season accolades, such as an All-Star or All-Team nomination, are also A-level bonuses. B-level bonuses are worth up to $2MM and can include leaderboard rankings, minimum stats reached, or award wins. More details about performance bonuses can be found on PuckPedia.
At least NHL teams will carry an overage penalty into the 2026-27 season per PuckPedia. That number is down from 11 in the 2025-26 season and 15, an NHL record, in the 2024-25 season. This year’s list includes:
New York Islanders: $3.5MM
The Islanders paid out every last bit of rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer‘s potential $3.5MM performance bonus. He was awarded $1MM for his per-game scoring and ice time, then earned an additional $2.5MM by finishing in the top-10 of defensemen scoring. The Islanders utilized long-term injured reserve to exceed the salary cap at the end of the season. That will leave all of Schaefer’s performance bonus as overage headed into next season.
Colorado Avalanche: $2.29MM
Colorado lands an overage penalty thanks to Brent Burns‘ performance on an age-35+ contract. Burns had a potential for $4MM in performance bonuses on his deal and earned $3MM of that by playing in 10 games this season. Colorado utilized LTIR earlier in the year but finished the season with a little more than $700K in cap space. That space will help offset the cost of Burns’ bonuses just a bit, though Colorado will still carry a penalty into 2026-27.
Dallas Stars: $2.08-$3.08MM
The Dallas Stars paid out $80K in bonus to Justin Hryckowian for reaching 70 games this season. Captain Jamie Benn also earned $2MM of a potential $3MM in bonuses for playing in 50 games. That includes appearing in the season finale, which netted him $500K on its own. Benn has the potential to earn an additional $1MM in bonus – $500K each if Dallas wins the Western Conference Finals and Stanley Cup. That will sit the Stars with just over $2MM in overage currently and the potential for $3MM if they win it all.
Montreal Canadiens: $1.93-2.07MM
The Montreal Canadiens finished the year with less than $50K in cap space, in part thanks to their mid-season acquisition of Phillip Danault. Rookie Ivan Demidov landed $1MM in bonuses, of a potential $2MM, for his per-game scoring and ice time totals. Oliver Kapanen also earned $250K in bonuses for his per-game totals. He could earn an additional $137.5K if he is named to the NHL All-Rookie Team – a feat that seems unlikely with rookie forwards like Demidov, Beckett Sennecke, Benjamin Kindel, and Jimmy Snuggerud also in the running. Montreal also paid out $400K in bonuses to star defenseman Lane Hutson for a variety of reasons and $80K to rookie goalie Jacob Fowler for reaching 10 games. They will sit just shy of $2MM in overage penalty and could crest that mark if Kapanen earns all-team honors.
Ottawa Senators: $0-1.41MM
The Ottawa Senators will have to sign some big checks if they go on a playoff run. They have already paid out $1MM to Claude Giroux, and $750K to Lars Eller, for playing in 60 games and reaching the postseason. Giroux will earn an additional $500K if Ottawa wins in the first round – a cost that would be absorbed by their end-of-year cap space. But Giroux and Eller will also be eligible for $250K in bonuses if Ottawa wins the second round, and Giroux can net an additional $500K for wins in each of the Eastern Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals. That will leave Ottawa with four potential outcomes: no overage penalty, $414K in overage penalty (third-round loss), $914K in overage penalty (Stanley Cup Final loss), or $1.414MM in overage penalty (Stanley Cup win).
New Jersey Devils: $1.25MM
The Devils paid out two bonuses that pushed them into the red. Young defenseman Simon Nemec earned $750K in bonuses for his scoring, plus-minus, and ice time per-game totals. Winger Evgenii Dadonov landed $500K for scoring at least one point, $250K for playing in 10 games, and an additional $250K for reaching 20 games. He did not play in his 20th game of the season until March 29th, earning the 37 year old a late-season chip. Now, the Devils will carry more than $1MM in overage penalty into next season.
San Jose Sharks: $918.7K
The San Jose Sharks finished the year with $4.8MM in cap space but still land on the list of overage penalties. Much of that is thanks to their young stars. Macklin Celebrini earned every bit of his $3.5MM in potential bonuses with his franchise record-setting scoring. Will Smith earned $1MM, and William Eklund earned $450K, in bonuses for their scoring and ice time per-game. Those marks also earned Sam Dickinson $250K and Collin Graf reached his contract cap of $500K in bonuses. That amounts to $5.425MM, pushing the Sharks into the red for next season.
Edmonton Oilers: $250K
The Edmonton Oilers will face their second-straight season with $250K in overage penalty next year. This time, it is a result of rookie Matthew Savoie, who earned $250K with his ice time per-game. Edmonton finished the year utilizing LTIR to exceed the salary cap.
Florida Panthers: $150K
Defenseman Jeff Petry earned $150K in bonuses for reaching 50 games played with the Florida Panthers before the Trade Deadline. He earned an additional $60K for reaching 60 games, though that bonus came after his trade to the Minnesota Wild.
Photo courtesy of Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Stars Sign Nils Lundkvist To Two-Year Extension
The Stars announced that they’ve signed defenseman Nils Lundkvist to a two-year extension worth $1.75MM annually. That’s a total value of $3.5MM for the righty, who could have gone to arbitration this summer.
Lundkvist, 25, just wrapped up his fourth regular season in Dallas. The offensive-minded Swede was the 28th overall pick by the Rangers back in 2018. After finally coming over from Luleå in the Swedish Hockey League three years later, he had a rocky first season in New York that saw him split time between the NHL and AHL without having great results in either. Without a clear path to a full-time NHL job, Lundkvist quickly requested a trade and ended up in Dallas for his second NHL season.
Lundkvist got his wish and has remained in the Stars’ NHL rotation ever since, albeit in a depth role. His development has been a slow burn, routinely getting long looks in regular-season action before falling out of the picture come playoff time. While Dallas has now made the playoffs all four seasons during Lundkvist’s tenure, he didn’t log a single appearance for them in either the 2023 or 2025 postseason, although the latter was due to shoulder surgery.
However, as team radio analyst Bruce LeVine relays, the organization is extremely pleased with Lundkvist’s work this season. He hasn’t been a healthy scratch at any point – his 52 games played on the year were the result of missing time with a lower-body injury early in the season – and put up 11 points with a +12 rating while averaging a career-high 16:29 per game. He’s far from a physical threat and doesn’t factor in on either special teams unit, but he’s used his great skating acumen to work his way up the even-strength depth chart.
Lundkvist actually spent most of this season on the club’s second pairing with Thomas Harley, playing as their #2 right-side D-man with Miro Heiskanen on his offside on the top pairing. Trade deadline pickup Tyler Myers has slotted in behind Lundkvist at even strength. In over 500 minutes together, Harley and Lundkvist controlled 52.9% of expected goals and outscored opponents 27-17. Among pairings with at least 500 minutes together, Harley and Lundkvist ranked fifth in 5-on-5 goal share at 61.4%, per MoneyPuck.
Even if the Stars aren’t getting much point production out of him due to a lack of power-play time, he’s proven to be a valuable complement at even strength to help advance the play to their forwards. At a sub-$2MM cap hit, they’ll be getting spectacular value out of Lundkvist for the next two seasons if he can keep that up.
That’s important, as the Stars’ cap situation is in a tough spot for the second offseason in a row. With Lundkvist’s deal registered, they’re down to $13.19MM in projected space with four roster spots to fill, per PuckPedia. Virtually all of that will need to go to pending RFA and leading scorer Jason Robertson, who’s projected to cost nearly $12MM annually on an eight-year extension, according to AFP Analytics.
That’ll leave space for just one more contract as things stand – likely a bridge deal for Mavrik Bourque. However, he’s arbitration-eligible, so lowballing him from the jump comes with significant risk. Even still, that leaves Dallas with next to no flexibility to start the season, and they wouldn’t be able to carry a full roster. It’s likely that at least one cap-clearing move – likely ridding themselves of #7 defender Ilya Lyubushkin‘s $3.25MM cap charge – will be incoming.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Stars Expect Miro Heiskanen Back For Game 1, Roope Hintz Questionable For First Round
The Stars have received a mixed bag of injury news over the last several hours. In an interview with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun published this morning, general manager Jim Nill said the results of star defenseman Miro Heiskanen‘s recent imaging indicate he should be available this weekend as the puck drops on Game 1 of their first-round series against the Wild. On the flip side, head coach Glen Gulutzan said yesterday that they’ve ruled out center Roope Hintz for Games 1 and 2 and still aren’t sure if he’ll be an option in the first round at all (via Robert Tiffin of D Magazine).
Heiskanen has missed Dallas’ last two games with a lower-body injury. He left their game against the Wild on April 9 in the first period after falling awkwardly on his leg following a check from Minnesota’s Ryan Hartman. Nill said last weekend that he needed an MRI to complete his evaluation, and he was quickly ruled out for the Stars’ remaining regular-season schedule, including tonight’s finale against the Sabres. That’s of zero consequence with Dallas locked into the second seed in the Central, though.
No further missed time results in a huge sigh of relief from the entire state of Texas. There’s a strong case to be made for Heiskanen as the Stars’ most valuable player this season. After they managed to eke out a first-round win without him last year, he’s had one of the better offensive performances of his career with a 9-54–63 scoring line in 77 games while averaging 25:28 of ice time per contest with a career-high 132 blocks. But behind him, he doesn’t have the depth of support he’s had in recent years. Esa Lindell remains a shutdown extraordinaire with his +30 rating, but Thomas Harley has taken a considerable step back in both zones from last year, while Tyler Myers has had universally negative possession impacts since his acquisition from the Canucks at the trade deadline.
In the league’s most taxing first-round matchup, the Stars’ missing Heiskanen against a fully healthy Minnesota offense could have been the difference. Hintz, while still a relative household name, is a more stomachable loss given Dallas’ scoring depth. He’s played just once since the Olympic break. He dealt with an illness upon his return from representing Team Finland and then sustained a lower-body injury in his first game back that’s kept him out since the trade deadline. Still listed as week-to-week, it stands to reason he should be a second-round option if Dallas makes it there.
Hintz missed some time earlier in the year, too, with an undisclosed issue, so his regular season ends with only 53 appearances – 65% of the Stars’ schedule. One of the league’s better two-way middlemen, his 15-29–44 scoring line gave him a 0.83 points per game rate that’s right around his career average. He’s no longer the goal-scoring threat he displayed when he rattled off three straight 30-goal campaigns from 2021-24, in part due to an unusually low (for him) 11.9% shooting rate this year. He’s had a career year in the faceoff department, though, winning 59.1% of his draws.
He’s now the Stars’ #2 center in terms of production and ice time behind Wyatt Johnston, though. They’re also 18-6-4 without Hintz in the lineup this year for a .714 points percentage, better than their .660 mark with him dressed. It’s worth noting there’s a significant drop-off in their goal-scoring without him, though. Dallas has averaged 3.43 goals per game with Hintz dressed and only 3.14 without him.
At least for their first set of home games, Matt Duchene will stay down the middle in Hintz’s usual second-line slot between Jason Robertson and Mavrik Bourque. With Hintz healthy, Gulutzan has usually opted to deploy Duchene as quite the high-powered third-line option with Jamie Benn and Sam Steel. Being able to elevate Duchene into that second-line slot with his 45 points in 56 games is a testament to their wealth of scoring depth, though.
Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Dallas Stars To Activate Radek Faksa
The Dallas Stars are inching toward full strength heading into the postseason. According to Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News, the Stars are expected to activate forward Radek Faksa from the injured reserve, and he’ll make his return to the lineup this evening. Additionally, forward Michael Bunting is expected to return to the lineup, too, though he was never placed on the injured reserve.
Faksa’s return has been a long time coming. He first suffered an upper-body injury during the Olympics playing for Team Czechia. The injury wasn’t believed to be serious at the time, and Faksa was only expected to miss a game or two.
Unfortunately, that mild prognosis has turned into a multi-week return. During his rehabilitation, Faksa suffered a lower-body injury, which kept him out until now. A few reports indicated that Faksa may be done for the season, but he has managed to make a fairly quick recovery.
Although he hasn’t been a reliable point-producer for the Stars for many years, he has been one of the most reliable fourth-line forwards in the league. After his one-year hiatus with the St. Louis Blues, Faksa has scored two goals and 17 points in 56 games with Dallas this season, averaging 11:41 of ice time per game.
That doesn’t paint the whole picture with Faksa. He’s a steady penalty killer, owns a career 52.4% success rate in the faceoff dot, and starts more than 70% of his shifts in the defensive zone. He’s the epitome of a shutdown forward, and Dallas feels comfortable playing him against opponents’ best players, which will be a boon for them in the upcoming playoffs.
Meanwhile, Bunting returns to the lineup after missing the first few weeks of April with a lower-body injury. Before the injury, he had struggled with the Stars after being acquired at the trade deadline, scoring one goal and two points in 11 games with a -7 rating.
Dallas Stars Sign Christian Fitzgerald
The Dallas Stars have continued adding to their organizational depth through the college ranks. Dallas has announced the signing of forward Christian Fitzgerald to a one-year contract, beginning in the 2026-27 season. He’ll join the AHL’s Texas Stars for the remainder of the year on an amateur tryout agreement.
According to PuckPedia, Fitzgerald’s one-year, entry-level contract will come with an $850K NHL salary, $102.5K signing bonus, the possibility of a $72.5K games played bonus, and an $85K AHL salary.
Fitzgerald, 23, recently concluded his collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin. Fitzgerald helped the Badgers reach the National Championship for the first time since 2010, ultimately losing to the University of Denver Pioneers.
He began his college tenure at Minnesota State University, scoring 16 goals and 29 points in 38 games, making for an extremely productive rookie campaign. However, when head coach Mike Hastings signed on with the Badgers, Fitzgerald followed him to Madison as a transfer.
Unfortunately, Fitzerald’s production dipped following the move, scoring 13 goals and 41 points in 74 contests, bottoming out with a six-goal, 17-point showing last season.
Still, Fitzgerald rebounded in a big way for his senior season, scoring 16 goals and 31 points in 39 games, finishing third on the team in scoring.
Although far from a top prospect, the Stars have had decent luck with collegiate free agents. Dallas signed Justin Hryckowian out of Northeastern University a few years ago, and he’s become a reliable tertiary scorer for the club in his second professional campaign. Fitzgerald has some maturing to do on the defensive side of the puck, but the Stars clearly trust in their developmental system enough to get as much as they can out of him.
Stars Reassign Cameron Hughes
The Dallas Stars announced today that forward Cameron Hughes has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars.
The move signals that one of the team’s injured forwards is ready to return to the lineup for the team’s upcoming two-game road trip. The most likely candidates to return are either Michael Bunting or Radek Faksa, based on what head coach Glen Gulutzan told the media on Friday. Sam Steel, who is also day-to-day, is another candidate to return.
Hughes, 29, returns to the AHL having made a positive impression in what was the longest NHL recall of his career. He got into three games for the Stars, and was a healthy scratch for three more. While he didn’t play much, averaging just 7:19 time on ice per game, he did manage to score his first NHL goal, and also registered three hits and two blocked shots.
With the Stars looking to make a deep playoff run, this is a reassignment that was always expected. Hughes is a former AHL All-Star who has been one of the league’s most consistent scorers over the last half-decade. He’s scored at least 56 points in each of the last four seasons and has a career-high 66 points in 63 games for Texas in 2025-26.
The AHL Stars have already clinched a playoff spot, so what they have left to play for over the final four games of their regular season is mainly seeding. But they’ll still benefit from re-adding Hughes to their lineup, as the remaining portion of the regular season will allow him to re-establish his spot in the AHL lineup and more effectively prepare for the team’s playoff run.
Hughes is under contract for an additional season under a two-way structure with a $775K NHL salary, $450K AHL salary, and $470K guarantee, per PuckPedia.
Stars Provide Several Injury Updates
The Stars have been one of the top teams in the NHL all season and have done so despite missing several key players for extended stretches. They also happen to be without quite a few regulars in the stretch run of the season. In an appearance on 96.7 The Ticket earlier today (audio link), head coach Glen Gulutzan provided updates on several of his players.
Earlier today, the team revealed that defenseman Miro Heiskanen was undergoing imaging for a lower-body injury. He’s set to miss the remaining three games of the regular season while Gulutzan added that he is “certainly hoping” to have his top blueliner back when the playoffs start. If he isn’t able to return, it would be the second straight postseason in which Heiskanen would miss time as he was sidelined for 10 of their 18 contests in 2025.
The other high-end player that remains sidelined for Dallas is center Roope Hintz. He sustained a lower-body last month (in his first game back following an illness that kept him sidelined after the Olympic break) and while the original hope was that he wouldn’t miss much time, he hasn’t played since. Recently, the plan was for him to get back into action before the end of the regular season but that is no longer the case. Now, the hope is that Hintz, who is still listed as week-to-week, will be ready for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Heiskanen isn’t the only Dallas defender who’s now banged up. Gulutzan indicated that Tyler Myers reaggravated an old injury on Thursday and could miss Saturday’s game against the Rangers as a result. Acquired just before the trade deadline from Vancouver, the veteran is averaging over 16 minutes per night in 13 games with his new team as he has helped stabilize the back of their back end.
It isn’t all bad news on the injury front though. Gulutzan added that center Radek Faksa and winger Michael Bunting are expected to play in multiple games before the season ends with Bunting potentially being ready on Saturday. Center Sam Steel is day-to-day with the team being hopeful that he’ll be able to return for the regular season finale on Wednesday versus Buffalo.