Afternoon Notes: Ullmark, Sogaard, Stanley, Blumel, Petrovic
Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark has returned to full health, prompting the team to return Mads Sogaard to the AHL, shares Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Ullmark has been working back from a muscle strain that’s held him out of the team’s last three games. Previous reports shared that Ottawa wanted to be patient not to aggravate the injury as they worked Ullmark back to full speed.
Ullmark has been strong in the two games he’s played with Ottawa, saving 53 of 58 shots faced en route to a 1-1-0 record and .914 save percentage. The same hasn’t been true for Ottawa’s other goaltending options, with Anton Forsberg allowing 10 goals on 73 shots (.863 save percentage) and Mads Sogaard allowing four goals on 17 shots (0.765) in Ullmark’s absence. The Senators have managed to win in front of all three goalies regardless, largely thanks to each of Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Jake Sanderson recording seven points through the first five games of the season. Ullmark’s return could give Ottawa the back-end consistency to ramp up their early winning-record, though it seems the team could still be in the process of easing their franchise goaltender back to strength.
Other notes from around the league:
- Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley has been activated off of injured reserve and will step into the lineup for Haydn Fleury, per Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press. Stanley missed the first four games of the season with a knee injury that required surgery during training camp. Stanley has played in just 44 games over the last two seasons, recording five points, 57 penalty minutes, and an average of 13:45 in ice time. He faces an uphill battle to an everyday role, but will get a chance to take the first step when the Jets take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
- The Dallas Stars have returned forward Matej Blumel and defender Alexander Petrovic to the AHL. Blumel stepped into one game with Dallas during his recall, recording eight minutes of ice time and two shots on net. Petrovic spent the extent of his time in the press box, leaving two games and one point in the AHL as his only stats this year. The Texas Stars will get two big additions with this move – readding the stout, veteran presence of Petrovic and the 30-goal upside of Blumel back to the lineup.
Stars Place Matt Dumba On IR, Recall Matej Blumel
The Dallas Stars have placed defenseman Mathew Dumba on injured reserve and, in a corresponding move, recalled forward Matej Blumel from the AHL. Dumba has missed Dallas’ last two games with a lower-body injury that previously carried a week-to-week designation. An IR designation will now force him out for at least one week, though his injury isn’t expected to require surgery.
Dumba signed a two-year, $7.5MM contract with Dallas this summer. He only managed one full game with the Stars before suffering his injury six minutes into game two. Dumba recorded two penalties, two blocks, and no scoring in his sole Stars appearance.
Dallas stands as Dumba’s fourth team in just the last two years – moving from Minnesota to Arizona on a one-year deal signed in the summer of 2023, then getting traded to Tampa Bay at last season’s Trade Deadline. He hasn’t found much success with any of the previous three clubs, totaling just 12 points in 76 games last season. That mark stands as a career-low for Dumba, narrowly beating out his previous career-low of 14 points, set in 79 games during his final season in Minnesota. Dallas stood as a chance for Dumba to get back on the path, and maybe even rediscover the 50-point upside he flaunted in 2017-18 – but he’ll now first have to overcome the hurdle of an extended injury. Dumba recorded 18:28 in ice time in his Stars debut. Dallas has rotated minutes between Nils Lundkvist and Ilya Lyubushkin in Dumba’s absence.
Meanwhile, Blumel could receive another chance at earning routine NHL minutes. He played in the first six games of his NHL career in 2022-23, netting one goal and a -2 to go along with the 19 goals and 44 points he managed in 58 AHL games. Blumel spent the entirety of last season in the minor leagues, ramping up his production to 62 points, split evenly, in 72 games. That mark ranked him first on the Texas Stars in goals and second in total points. Blumel sits with one goal and two penalties through two AHL games this season. He’ll likely serve as bottom-six depth as Dallas bears through day-to-day injuries to both Tyler Seguin and Sam Steel.
Steel Questionable To Play Saturday
- Stars center Sam Steel was injured on his final shift on Thursday against Washington and is listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest versus Edmonton, mentions team radio analyst Bruce LeVine (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has a goal and an assist through his first five appearances this season. With Tyler Seguin already out, Dallas would need to bring up a forward if Steel can’t play. However, they can’t even afford a recall making $800K per PuckPedia which will limit their options.
Stars Extend Jake Oettinger
The Stars have signed star goaltender Jake Oettinger to an eight-year, $66MM extension, the team confirmed. He’ll count $8.25MM against the cap starting next season through the 2032-33 campaign.
Per PuckPedia, Oettinger’s deal is nearly a photocopy of the one Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman signed earlier this month, only affording him a no-move clause for an additional year because of his age. The full breakdown is as follows:
2025-26: $6MM base salary + $4MM signing bonus
2026-27: $6MM + $4MM SB, full no-move clause
2027-28: $5.5MM + $2MM SB, NMC
2028-29: $5MM + $3MM SB, NMC
2029-30: $5.5MM + $2.5MM SB, NMC
2030-31: $5.5MM + $2.5MM SB, NMC
2031-32: $5MM + $2.5MM SB, 10-team yes-trade list
2032-33: $4.5MM + $2.5MM SB, 10-team no-trade list
Oettinger, 25, has firmly established himself as one of the league’s top young netminders over the past four years. After Dallas made him the 26th overall pick of the 2017 draft, he made his NHL debut during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. He’d taken over as the Stars’ No. 1 by the following year and hasn’t looked back, finishing as high as fifth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2022-23.
Through his first 196 NHL appearances, Oettinger boasts a sparkling 116-48-23 record – due significantly in part to having one of the deepest skater corps in the league in front of him during that time. He’s logged a .914 SV%, 2.49 GAA, 11 SOs, and a cumulative 44.2 GSAA. The Minnesota native has yet to post below-average numbers in a single season, although he came close last year with a .905 SV% and a 2.7 GSAA in 54 games. He responded well with a .913 SV% in 19 postseason games, though, quieting most concerns about any long-term regression.
He’s also burst out of the gates this year with a .948 SV%, 1.63 GAA, and a shutout in three showings. That’s helped Dallas to a 4-0-0 record that has them tied for first in the league with the upstart Flames. That hot start may have urged the Stars to get a contract signed before Oettinger increased his market value even more – Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports the two sides had been negotiating this extension for less than a week.
The former Boston University standout is a core piece of a Stars club that’s firmly in a championship contention phase after making the Western Conference Final in back-to-back seasons. Getting his extension done now allows them to keep the momentum going and give two-time general manager of the year Jim Nill more time to plan for extensions for some big-name forwards, including captain and pending UFA Jamie Benn and pending RFA Wyatt Johnston. Dallas has almost $25MM in projected cap space next season after the deal, assuming a salary cap of $92.5MM, with 10 roster spots to fill.
It’s also not surprising to see Oettinger put pen to paper on a long-term deal. They’ve prioritized term on extensions whenever financially possible, inking roster staples like Miro Heiskanen and Roope Hintz to eight-year deals over the past few years. They haven’t shied away from bridge deals when need be, though, such as Jason Robertson‘s four-year, $31MM contract and Thomas Harley‘s two-year, $8MM deal.
Oettinger was undoubtedly the top pending RFA in terms of netminders on next year’s market. Without many NHL options remaining on that list, that honor now likely goes to Buffalo’s Devon Levi.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the contract and its terms.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Stars To Activate Mavrik Bourque From SOIR
Stars prospect Mavrik Bourque will make his season debut tonight against the Sharks, head coach Peter DeBoer told Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest. That indicates he’ll be activated from season-opening injured reserve after missing the past week-plus with an undisclosed injury.
Bourque, 22, is coming off a banner campaign in the minors with AHL Texas. The 30th overall pick of the 2020 draft erupted for 77 points (26 G, 51 A) in 71 games, leading the league in points and taking home First All-Star Team and MVP honors. It was a strong enough performance to warrant a brief NHL call-up, which he received at the end of the year. It resulted in him making his debut against the Blackhawks in early April, recording two shots on goal in under 11 minutes of ice time.
After the Stars lost Joe Pavelski to retirement this offseason, many expected Bourque to fill the vacant spot in their top-nine forward group. That undisclosed injury foiled his chance to do so on opening night, but he’ll get the opportunity now in the second week of the 2024-25 campaign. Per Rea, he’ll enter the lineup instead of veteran Tyler Seguin, who’s being held out with a minor lower-body injury for precautionary reasons.
With Bourque coming off SOIR and the recall of defenseman Alexander Petrovic from AHL Texas earlier today, the Stars now have a full 23-man roster. They can create one quickly if they need an additional spot by moving Mathew Dumba to IR. He was downgraded to week-to-week this morning with his lower-body injury. Bourque counted just $9,314 against the cap while on SOIR, per PuckPedia, so their cumulative cap hit will increase by roughly $885K with his activation instead of his entire $894K cap hit.
Matt Dumba Out Week-To-Week
Oct. 15: Dumba has been downgraded to week-to-week, Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said Tuesday (via the team’s Brien Rea). DeBoer confirmed that he’ll miss an extended period but won’t require surgery for the injury. Alexander Petrovic was recalled from AHL Texas earlier in the day to fill his spot. However, Dumba hasn’t yet been moved to IR, with Dallas having ample roster space for an extra defender without a corresponding transaction.
Oct. 13: Dallas Stars defenseman Matt Dumba is being called day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury in the first period of last night’s game against the New York Islanders (as per Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News). Dumba was hurt during his second shift of the game when he was tripped by Islanders forward Casey Cizikas, and he fell awkwardly onto his right leg, which was pinned underneath him when he fell.
Dumba left the game briefly but returned to action, played six more shifts, and finished the first period, logging 6:02 in total ice time. The 30-year-old did not come out with the team to start the second period and missed the rest of the game. Dumba was ruled doubtful about returning a short time later.
After the game, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told the media that the Regina, Saskatchewan native will have scans taken on Monday and is considered day-to-day until they have more information regarding his ailment.
A former seventh overall pick, Dumba signed a two-year deal with Dallas on July 1st for a total of $7.5MM and has bounced around the NHL the past couple of seasons. He is no longer the impactful defender he was earlier in his career, but he remains a serviceable NHL defenseman, and his absence will create a hole on the Stars’ backend that is likely to be filled by Brendan Smith.
Stars Recall Alexander Petrovic
Defenseman Alexander Petrovic is back in the NHL after being recalled by the Stars, per a team announcement today. It’s the first recall of the season for the 32-year-old, who went unclaimed on waivers during the preseason.
Now in his fourth year in the Stars organization after initially landing in Texas as a free agent in 2021, Petrovic played in one regular-season and seven playoff contests for Dallas last season – his first NHL action in five years. The former Florida second-round pick has transformed into a minor-league fixture, posting 20 goals and 49 assists for 69 points in 214 games with AHL Texas over the past four seasons.
In his past NHL minutes, Petrovic graded well as a physical bottom-pairing defender. The 6’5″, 208-lb right-shot defender has averaged nearly 200 hits per 82 games throughout his time in the NHL and has half-decent even-strength possession metrics (49.7 CF%, 48.4 xGF%) while averaging north of 16 minutes per game. He’s made 264 career NHL appearances since debuting in the 2012-13 season, all but 10 of which have come with the Panthers. He’s scored five goals with 45 assists for 50 points with a -11 rating.
Currently serving as an alternate captain with Texas, he’ll give the Stars extra insurance on the back end after Mathew Dumba sustained a lower-body injury in Saturday’s shutout win over the Islanders. Dumba is still day-to-day and appears unlikely to suit up in tonight’s contest against the Sharks.
Stars Hoping Bourque Can Play This Weekend
- The Stars are hoping that winger Mavrik Bourque will be able to suit up in one of their games this weekend, relays Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). The 22-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury but did skate today. Bourque was the top scorer in the AHL last season, notching 26 goals and 51 assists in 71 games while also suiting up twice for Dallas, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs.
Wyatt Johnston Probably For Opening Night, Mavrik Bourque Doubtful
Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson told the media today that young defenseman Wyatt Kaiser will be ready to return to the lineup either late in the team’s season-opening road trip or shortly after (as per Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times). Chicago starts the season with four games on the road, which puts Kaiser’s timeline to return from his illness sometime around mid-October.
The Blackhawks placed Kaiser on the IR this past Friday and made it retroactive to September 19th, but given the timeline, it appears that he may only be out of action for another week or possibly two.
In other Central Division notes:
- Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston has been called probable for opening night by Stars head coach Peter DeBoer (as per Dallas Stars reporter Brien Rea). Johnston practiced with the team today, albeit in a limited capacity, as he tries to recover from an undisclosed injury. The 21-year-old was the Stars’ leading scorer last year, posting 32 goals and 33 assists in 82 games. The Toronto, Ontario native was also fantastic in the playoffs tallying 10 goals and six assists in 19 playoff games.
- Stars reporter Brien Rea also reported that Dallas rookie Mavrik Bourque has been called doubtful for the team’s season opener. The reigning AHL MVP posted 26 goals and 51 assists in 71 games last season with the Texas Stars and is expected to take a permanent role in the NHL this season. With Bourque out, it likely means that Oskar Bäck will make his NHL debut in his place.
- Colorado Avalanche beat writer Evan Rawal writes that forward Artturi Lehkonen won’t be back with the team for a little bit longer. Lehkonen has a five-month check-in at the end of October and that meeting will determine how the team and player can advance from there. Lehkonen underwent shoulder surgery in May and was placed on the injured non-roster list today meaning that he likely won’t return until November at the earliest.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/6/24
The NHL pre-season has ended, sparking the frantic rush for final roster cuts across the league before the regular season begins. Final rosters are due by 5 P.M. on October 7th and, as always, we’ll follow the day’s cuts below.
Last updated: 4:53 p.m.
Boston Bruins (per team announcement)
G Ryan Bischel (to AHL Providence)
F Patrick Brown (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
G Brandon Bussi (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
D Michael Callahan (to AHL Providence)
F Riley Duran (to AHL Providence)
D Jackson Edward (to AHL Providence)
F Brett Harrison (to AHL Providence)
G Kasimir Kaskisuo (to AHL Providence)
F Fabian Lysell (to AHL Providence)
F Georgii Merkulov (to AHL Providence)
F Jaxon Nelson (to AHL Providence)
G Jiri Patera (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
D Billy Sweezey (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
F Jeffrey Viel (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
Carolina Hurricanes (per team announcement)
F Skyler Brind’Amour (to AHL Chicago)
D Domenick Fensore (to AHL Chicago)
F Sam Gagner (released from PTO)
F Rocco Grimaldi (released from PTO)
F Noel Gunler (to AHL Chicago)
D Aleksi Heimosalmi (to AHL Chicago)
D Anttoni Honka (to NL HC Ajoie)
F Juha Jaaska (to AHL Chicago)
G Ruslan Khazheyev (to AHL Chicago)
D Charles-Alexis Legault (to AHL Chicago)
G Spencer Martin (to AHL Chicago)
D Scott Morrow (to AHL Chicago)
F Bradly Nadeau (to AHL Chicago)
G Yaniv Perets (to AHL Chicago)
F Justin Robidas (to AHL Chicago)
D Ronan Seeley (to AHL Chicago)
F Josiah Slavin (to AHL Chicago, pending waivers)
D Ty Smith (to AHL Chicago, pending waivers)
F Felix Unger Sorum (to AHL Chicago)
F Ryan Suzuki (to AHL Chicago, pending waivers)
F Gleb Trikozov (to AHL Chicago)
Chicago Blackhawks (per CHGO Blackhawks)
F Brandon Baddock (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
G Drew Commesso (to AHL Rockford)
D Louis Crevier (to AHL Rockford)
F Colton Dach (to AHL Rockford)
D Ethan Del Mastro (to AHL Rockford)
F Cole Guttman (to AHL Rockford)
D Kevin Korchinski (to AHL Rockford)
F Frank Nazar (to AHL Rockford)
F Zach Sanford (to AHL Rockford)
F Samuel Savoie (to AHL Rockford)
F Landon Slaggert (to AHL Rockford)
D Austin Strand (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)
D Denton Mateychuk (to AHL Cleveland)
Dallas Stars (per team announcement)
D Kyle Capobianco (to AHL Texas)
G Magnus Hellberg (to AHL Texas)
F Cameron Hughes (to AHL Texas)
F Kole Lind (to AHL Texas)
D Alexander Petrovic (to AHL Texas)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (to AHL Texas)
Detroit Red Wings (per team announcement)
F Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (to SHL Skellefteå AIK)
G Sebastian Cossa (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Nate Danielson (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D Tory Dello (to AHL Grand Rapids)
G Carter Gylander (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Cross Hanas (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Marco Kasper (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Carter Mazur (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Elmer Söderblom (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D Antti Tuomisto (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D Eemil Viro (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D William Wallinder (to AHL Grand Rapids)
Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)
D Josh Brown (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
F Drake Caggiula (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
F Raphael Lavoie (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
F Noah Philp (to AHL Bakersfield)
G Olivier Rodrigue (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
Florida Panthers (per team announcement)
D Matt Kiersted (to AHL Charlotte)
F William Lockwood (to AHL Charlotte)
Los Angeles Kings (per team announcement)
G Pheonix Copley (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
F Samuel Fagemo (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
F Andre Lee (to AHL Ontario)
F Jack Studnicka (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
New Jersey Devils (per team announcement)
F Shane Bowers (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
G Nico Daws (to AHL Utica)
D Nick DeSimone (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
F Nolan Foote (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
D Colton White (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
New York Rangers (per team announcement)
D Connor Mackey (to AHL Hartford)
San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)
D Jérémie Bucheler (to AHL San Jose)
F Nolan Burke (to AHL San Jose)
F Colin White (to AHL San Jose)
D Jimmy Schuldt (to AHL San Jose)
Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)
F John Hayden (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Josh Mahura (to AHL Coachella Valley)
St. Louis Blues (per team announcement)
F Zach Dean (to AHL Springfield)
F Dalibor Dvorsky (to AHL Springfield)
F Aleksanteri Kaskimaki (to AHL Springfield)
F Mathias Laferriere (to AHL Springfield)
F Hugh McGing (to AHL Springfield)
F Dylan Peterson (to AHL Springfield)
D Samuel Johannesson (to AHL Springfield)
D Hunter Skinner (to AHL Springfield)
G Vadim Zherenko (to AHL Springfield)
Tampa Bay Lightning (per Eduardo A. Encica of the Tampa Bay Times)
F Dylan Duke (to AHL Syracuse)
F Gage Goncalves (to AHL Syracuse, pending waivers)
F Maxim Groshev (to AHL Syracuse)
F Jesse Ylonen (to AHL Syracuse, pending waivers)
F Gabriel Szturc (to AHL Syracuse)
D Steven Santini (to AHL Syracuse, pending waivers)
D Matt Tomkins (to AHL Syracuse)
D Declan Carlile (to AHL Syracuse)
F Ethan Gauthier (to QMJHL Drummondville)