Perry To Return This Week, Polak And Comeau Two-To-Four Weeks Away
The Stars will soon be getting some good news on the injury front. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters, including Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) that winger Corey Perry is expected to make his season debut on Friday after breaking his foot when he slipped off a step back in mid-September. Meanwhile, winger Blake Comeau is out for another two-to-four weeks as he works his way back from a lower-body sustained in their first game of the season. They’re also close to getting blueliner Roman Polak back as well as Montgomery also gave him a two-to-four week timeline after suffering a fractured sternum in that same game.
Minor Transactions: 10/11/19
Patrick Marleau and Brayden Point sure didn’t seem like they had any rust on them when they returned for San Jose and Tampa Bay last night, both scoring a pair of goals and leading their teams to victory. Thursday was filled with high-scoring matchups and tonight’s action could be the same as six teams battle in three games. The Carolina Hurricanes will welcome in the New York Islanders and try to stay perfect, while the Buffalo Sabres aim to prove their explosive start isn’t a mirage. As teams prepare for tonight and a big weekend around the NHL, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- The Winnipeg Jets have returned Sami Niku to the minor leagues, now that both Dmitry Kulikov and Josh Morrissey are back playing. Even with a ravaged defense corps, the Jets have won two games in a row and now sit just a single point behind the St. Louis Blues for first place in the Central Division. Niku, 23, will have to wait patiently for his next opportunity, which will likely come whenever the team faces another injury.
- Gustav Bouramman has landed on his feet in Sweden after accepting a contract termination earlier this month. The 22-year old defenseman has signed a six-week contract with Farjestad BK of the SHL to cover an injury absence, but will have a chance to earn an extension if he plays well enough. In 23 games with the Iowa Wild last season, Bouramman recorded just two points.
- With Corey Perry approaching a return, Denis Gurianov has been assigned to the Texas Stars after playing in three games with Dallas to start the year. Gurianov didn’t score, but did get some more valuable development time with the NHL as he looks to take the next step in his career. Selected 12th overall in 2015, Gurianov has played 25 games in the NHL so far.A
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Joseph Blandisi under emergency conditions, returning Andrew Agozzino at the same time. Agozzino played just five shifts (1:44 TOI) in yesterday’s win over the Anaheim Ducks. Blandisi meanwhile played six games with the Penguins last year and has 80 under his belt at the NHL level.
- The Arizona Coyotes have flipped depth defensemen, recalling Ilya Lyubushkin from Tucson (AHL) and sending Kyle Capobianco to the Roadrunners. Lyubushkin played in 41 games with the Coyotes last season but was left in the minors to start this season to get some playing time while Capobianco sat as a healthy scratch with the Coyotes. Now it appears that those roles will be reversed.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have assigned Nicolas Roy to Chicago of the AHL, reports SinBin.Vegas. He was called up more than a week ago but didn’t get into any action. Roy was the key part of the trade return for Erik Haula over the offseason following a strong showing with Carolina’s farm team in the playoffs. He’ll likely see a big role with the Wolves and should be in line for another recall at some point later on in the season.
Julius Honka Signs In Finland
The final unsigned restricted free agent has found a home, at least for now. Julius Honka has signed a contract with JYP in Finland, though the deal includes an NHL out clause that could bring him back to North America if there is a team that wants to take a chance. The Dallas Stars have been looking for a trade partner all summer to unload Honka, but haven’t been able to find the right return. Because they issued him a qualifying offer however, the Stars continue to retain his rights.
Honka, 23, needs to get playing again if he’s to prove that he can still be a puck-moving force on the blueline, and returning to Finland was one of his only options at this point. Unable to find a fit with the Stars over the last several years, the 14th overall pick from 2014 has just 87 games played at the NHL level. That includes sitting out a huge number of matches last season even while healthy, stunting his development and career.
There have been reports that the Stars are looking for a second- or third-round pick for the young defenseman, though it’s not clear at this point what discussions have taken place. An offensive juggernaut in the minor leagues, Honka has only recorded 13 points in the NHL and there is no guarantee that he can handle a full-time roster spot at this point. Still, his potential must be intriguing to some teams around the league.
Stars Recall Joel Hanley And Joel L'Esperance
- As the injuries continue to pile up in Dallas, the Stars have recalled defenseman Joel Hanley and winger Joel L’Esperance, per a team release. Hanley got into 16 games with Dallas last season but was held off the scoresheet in all of them while L’Esperance had the top point-per-game rate with Texas while contributing a pair of goals in 18 NHL contests a year ago.
Roman Polak Out With Fractured Sternum
The news has come down on Dallas Stars defenseman Roman Polak after he was stretchered off the ice last night, and could be considered better than expected. Polak has been discharged from hospital, but did suffer a small fracture of the sternum according to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic. He will be re-evaluated in a week. Shapiro also reported last night that Jason Dickinson will be out for at least a week and Blake Comeau will be out multiple weeks. Both have been placed on injured reserve, while Rhett Gardner and Nicholas Caamano have been recalled.
Polak was going in for a hit on Boston Bruins forward Chris Wagner in the Stars’ corner when both players fell. The defenseman’s whole upper body crashed hard into the boards and he lay near-motionless on the ice for some time before being taken off on a stretcher. He’ll have to miss some time, but hopefully be able to return at some point in the near future. This isn’t the first time Polak has dealt with a broken bone, as he previously broke his leg while playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs and had battle to reclaim his NHL career.
In 77 games with the Stars last season, Polak recorded one goal and nine points while logging over 19 minutes a night. While he might not be needed quite that much this year, he’s still an important part of their defense and will be missed while he recovers.
Dickinson, Comeau and Polak join the ranks of the injured for the Stars alongside Corey Perry, who was designated as injured/non-roster and Martin Hanzal, who has been moved to long-term injured reserve.
Poll: Who Will Win The Central Division In 2019-20
We’ve finally reached the end of the offseason and things kick off this week around the NHL. Exhibition games are underway in Europe and final cuts have come down all around the league. The excitement for the upcoming season is palpable, with even the most minor transactions generating plenty of interest among hockey fans.
With that in mind we’re going to ask you, the PHR reader, to give us your thoughts on the upcoming season. We started with the Atlantic Division, which seemed an easy choice for a good chunk of our community. The Tampa Bay Lightning ran away with the poll, earning a whopping 46% of all votes. Next was the Metropolitan Division earlier today, which doesn’t look quite as lopsided. The Washington Capitals have been picked by 32% of the voters to take home their fifth consecutive division title, but the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils each currently carry more than 10%.
After finishing up the Eastern Conference we’ll now move west into the Central Division, where the Nashville Predators finished just a single point ahead of both the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues last season. In fact, Nashville’s 100 points were the lowest by any division winner and wouldn’t have even placed second in any of the other three groups. It didn’t do them much good either, as the Predators would fall in the first round to the Dallas Stars and have to watch their division rivals from St. Louis take home the Stanley Cup.
With that in mind, the Central might be the hardest division in the league to predict for 2019-20. All seven teams finished with at least 83 points last season and a similar thing might happen this year as they beat up on each other all year long. The Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche should all be improved, while the Jets still have a star-studded forward group even if their defense did take a hit in the offseason.
Who do you think will come out on top of the Central Division? Will Matt Duchene‘s arrival make up for the loss of P.K. Subban from the back-end in Nashville? Can the young core in Colorado take them all the way to the top? Will the Blues continue to ride a breakout Jordan Binnington all year long? Cast your vote below and explain how you think the season will play out!
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Trade Rumors: Honka, Hickey, Eriksson, Schenn
Julius Honka is the last remaining unsigned restricted free agent and it doesn’t seem like the Dallas Stars are in any hurry to come to terms on a new deal. However, they may have to wait a while longer to find a trade partner as well. In separate radio appearances today, TSN’s Bob McKenzie and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman both confirmed that the asking price for Honka remains high. Stars GM Jim Nill is seeking a second- or third-round pick or a young player with a similar early-round pedigree. The 23-year-old is himself a first-round pick and was once a highly-regarded prospect, but given his lack of production over the past few years has seen his stock plummet. Honka played in just 29 games with Dallas last season and recorded only four points. Without any guarantee that he can be more than that at the NHL level, teams will likely wait for the price to drop to take a chance on trading for Honka.
- A surprise placement on the waiver wire today was New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey. Hickey is a career Islander who just signed a four-year, $10MM extension with the team last summer. Yet, just one season into the contract, he’s now a candidate to be buried in the AHL if not claimed. To many, this somewhat of a betrayal came out of the blue. However, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that New York has been trying to trade Hickey since last season. The 30-year-old veteran was relegated to a part-time role last year, playing in just 40 games, and now has seemingly been forced off the roster altogether by the emergence of top prospect Noah Dobson. Should Hickey clear waivers, he still remains a prime candidate to play elsewhere this season via trade. In all likelihood the relationship between player and team has been tarnished beyond repair.
- Many in Vancouver are commiserating with Hickey’s situation given the equally shocking waiver placement of Sven Baertschi. A fixture in the top-six for the Canucks for several seasons (when healthy), many had Baertschi pegged for the same role this season, now that he has returned from battling concussions. However, Vancouver opted to place Baertschi on waivers due to both a roster and salary cap crunch. Meanwhile, Loui Eriksson remains on the team despite clashes with the coaching staff and poor production on a hefty contract. The Canucks were working to trade Eriksson all summer and it is likely their failure to do so that forced out Baertschi. If Baertschi or Nikolay Goldobin are indeed claimed on waivers, it could also make Eriksson a necessary piece for the team this season, all but ending their attempts to trade him. That’s not to say that GM Jim Benning won’t still listen to offers though.
- Meanwhile, the Canucks opened up a roster spot by waiving three players today and there is some thought that they could be looking to bring back a familiar face. Responding to colleague Rick Dhaliwal’s pondering, Sportsnet’s Satiar Shah reports that the team is considering a waiver claim for defenseman Luke Schenn. Schenn was acquired in-season last year by the Canucks and played well in a shutdown role for the team down the stretch. Vancouver tried to retain his services, but Schenn opted to chase a title with an affordable deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, he failed to make the opening night roster in Tampa and is up for grabs. Vancouver is well-staffed on the blue line and Schenn would seemingly be no better than the No. 7 or 8 defender, but that might not stop them from taking a chance on him yet again.
Corey Perry To Miss Two More Weeks
- Dallas winger Corey Perry was hoping to be available for the start of the regular season after fracturing his foot. However, head coach Jim Montgomery told Mike Heika of the Stars team website (Twitter link) that the veteran will be out for two more weeks. This is Perry’s first season away from Anaheim after spending 14 years with them but he’ll have to wait a little longer to make his debut.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/28/19
The final weekend of the preseason is upon us with the regular season getting underway next week. Final training camp cuts will be coming in with regularity over the next 48 hours or so. We’ll keep track of all of today’s right here. Keep up with the news, as the page will be updated throughout the day:
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
F Michael Bunting (to Tucson, AHL)
F Michael Chaput (to Tucson, AHL)
F Hudson Fasching (to Tucson, AHL)
D Aaron Ness (to Tucson, AHL)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Devante Smith-Pelly (released from PTO)
Dallas Stars (per team releases)
D Joseph Cecconi (to Texas, AHL)
D Joel Hanley (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
D Oliwer Kaski (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Ryan Kuffner (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Gustav Lindstrom (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Jarid Lukosevicius (released from ATO)
F Gregor MacLeod (released from ATO)
F David Pope (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Vili Saarijarvi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominik Shine (released from PTO)
F Givani Smith (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Evgeny Svechnikov (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Joe Veleno (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Filip Zadina (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team release)
F Anton Burdasov (released from PTO)
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
F Nikolai Prokhorkin (to Ontario, AHL)
New York Islanders (per team release)
F Travis St. Denis (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Matthew Lorito (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Cole Bardreau (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Kyle Burroughs (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Seth Helgeson (to Bridgeport, AHL)
G Christopher Gibson (to Bridgeport, AHL)
G Jared Coreau (to Bridgeport, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
D Jacob Middleton (to San Jose, AHL)
F Antti Suomela (to San Jose, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team releases)
F Pontus Aberg (to waivers for purpose of assignment to Toronto, AHL)
F Tyler Gaudet (to waivers for purpose of assignment to Toronto, AHL)
D Ben Harpur (to waivers for purpose of assignment to Toronto, AHL)
D Jordan Schmaltz (to waivers for purpose of assignment to Toronto, AHL)
F Darren Archibald (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jeremy Bracco (to Toronto, AHL)
F Adam Brooks (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rich Clune (to Toronto, AHL)
F Hudson Elynuik (to Toronto, AHL)
F Pierre Engvall (to Toronto, AHL)
D Teemu Kivihalme (to Toronto, AHL)
G Joseph Woll (to Toronto, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team tweet)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Fort Wayne, ECHL)
Washington Capitals (per team release)
F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)
F Beck Malenstyn (to Hershey, AHL)
F Brian Pinho (to Hershey, AHL)
G Vitek Vanecek (to Hershey, AHL)
D Colby Williams (to Hershey, AHL)
Snapshots: Rieder, Paquette, Perry
The Calgary Flames are in talks with the agent for Tobias Rieder according to Eric Francis of Sportsnet, after the free agent forward impressed on a professional tryout. Rieder failed to receive a qualifying offer from the Edmonton Oilers this summer after he infamously scored zero goals in 67 games with them last season. The 26-year old had tallied at least 12 in each of his previous NHL seasons.
After signing Matthew Tkachuk earlier this week, the Flames are in quite the tight financial situation and would need to clear someone else off the roster to fit in Rieder even on a minimum $700K deal. Given that he needed to take a PTO in the first place however, there seems to be a good chance that they could get Rieder through waivers and have him in the minor leagues as some useful depth if they chose to go that direction.
- The NHL has fined Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette $2,500 for high-sticking Florida Panthers forward Frank Vatrano last night. This the first and only supplementary discipline the NHL has given out during the preseason, something that Vancouver Canucks fans won’t be very happy with after Chris Tierney hit Brock Boeser from behind, resulting in a concussion for the young forward. For Paquette, this isn’t the first time he’s been involved with the Department of Player Safety, but his on-the-edge play is something the Lightning value given the lack of physicality elsewhere in the lineup.
- Corey Perry could need another week before his fractured foot is re-evaluated, meaning he likely won’t be ready for the start of the regular season. Dallas Stars reporter Mike Heika notes that things should be more clear tomorrow, but regardless, this is a disappointing start to what was supposed to be a bounce-back season for the veteran forward. Perry was bought out by the Anaheim Ducks earlier this summer and signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal that could climb all the way to $3.25MM if he hits all of the performance bonuses. In terms of the ones given for games played, Perry needs only 50 to secure a total of $1.25MM.