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Stars Working On Acquiring Mikko Rantanen, Extension Talks Underway

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6:55 a.m.: As of yet, a deal is not done, cautions TSN’s Darren Dreger.  Unless the two sides can agree on an extension, Carolina may have to consider other options.  Discussions about an extension are expected to resume this morning, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli adds.

6:17 a.m.: The Hurricanes and Stars have agreed on a deal to send Rantanen to Dallas in principle, Friedman reports, but it’s contingent on an extension being agreed to or extremely close. As of early Friday morning, that hasn’t happened yet.

12:18 a.m.: The eve of the Trade Deadline has turned into a thriller. Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, The Dallas Stars are working to land superstar winger Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes. News of this move comes just over an hour after division rival Colorado Avalanche acquired Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders.

This was certainly the move many were waiting for at this year’s deadline. Rantanen will leave the Carolina organization after just 13 games with the club. The Hurricanes traded top winger Martin Necas, young NHL center Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick, and 2026 fourth-round pick to the Avalanche in exchange for Rantanen in late January. The move came suddenly, and speculation that Rantanen wouldn’t sign the extension Carolina hoped for quickly formed. With a quick-forming impasse, Carolina has opted to flip Rantanen before their chance ran out.

Trade details haven’t yet been revealed, but the return will need to be expansive for a player of Rantanen’s caliber. He scored 25 goals and 64 points in 49 games with Colorado before his first trade. That’s an incredible 82-game pace of 41 goals and 107 points, which would have been well in line with Rantanen’s performances over the last two seasons. He was a star after just two seasons in the NHL, posting 84 points in his sophomore season. But Rantanen became a superstar in 2021-22, when he recorded 92 points in a full regular season then added 25 points in 20 games on Colorado’s Stanley Cup run. He followed it with a career-high 55 goals and 105 points in 2022-23. Even better, he showed he could do it again with 104 points last year.

Rantanen is a star – and became the preferred battery mate for Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon. Now, Rantanen will face the incredibly difficult task of playing across from MacKinnon as Dallas and Colorado battle for playoff standing. Both teams seem well on their way to a postseason berth, and stand as constant threats to make a late run once they make it to the playoffs.

Dallas will certainly part with key stars in the acquisition of a multi-time 100-point scorer. But Rantanen will inevitably join a loaded offense in Texas. The Stars rank fourth in the NHL in goals-per-game (3.40) – two spots ahead of the Colorado Avalanche (3.30). Their offense is led by top shooter Jason Robertson with 27 goals and 64 points in 62 games. Robertson is backed by Matt Duchene (63 points), Wyatt Johnston (59), and Roope Hintz (52). The Stars have dazzling young stars like Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque – the former a proven hot commodity and the later one of the youngest AHL MVPs of the 2000s. Neither has managed top scoring this season, which could help Dallas move on from a high-value item without hindering their top-echelon offense.

The cap implications of this move are sure to be interesting. Rantanen carries a reduced $4.625MM cap hit through the end of the season, after Colorado retained 50 percent on the original trade. That’s just narrowly more than Dallas can afford with their $4.60MM projected cap space. That could necessitate additional cap exchange in this swap. It will undoubtedly be an exciting trade – one that Friedman shares could unfold through the depths of the night.

Maple Leafs, Stars, Kings, Golden Knights, Panthers Calling On Mikko Rantanen

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9:44 a.m.: Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic adds the Golden Knights and Panthers as teams who have made legitimate pitches for Rantanen in the last 24 hours, also moving the player to the top of his pre-deadline board. Vegas would need retention on Carolina’s part to get a deal done with $2.4MM in deadline cap space, with the Hurricanes likely targeting someone like 24-goal man Pavel Dorofeyev as part of the return. Florida wouldn’t need retention after placing Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR for what’s expected to be the remainder of the regular season, and might need to surrender top forward prospect Mackie Samoskevich to get it done. He’s recently been elevated to a top-six role in Tkachuk’s absence.

8:10 a.m.: The Maple Leafs, Stars, and Kings are three teams expressing high levels of interest in star right-winger Mikko Rantanen, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes. After reports first surfaced last month that the Hurricanes could flip Rantanen after acquiring him from the Avalanche in a January blockbuster if extension talks weren’t productive, Carolina has “opened the door” on trade talks late this week, Friedman said. There’s a long list of teams to display interest so far – including the Devils, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now said Tuesday.

It remains to be seen how willing the Hurricanes are to move Rantanen, who will likely need to agree in principle to an extension with his new club for them to land the return they desire. Carolina isn’t a seller in any capacity – they’re nine points ahead of the playoff line and have a 99.6% chance at a playoff berth, per MoneyPuck – so they’re presumably not interested in futures as the primary value in a return.

The 6’4″ Finn hasn’t been what the Hurricanes expected when they surrendered Martin Nečas, Jack Drury, and three draft picks to acquire him and Taylor Hall in a three-team deal with the Blackhawks six weeks ago. Despite spending most of his time in the lineup stapled to star countryman Sebastian Aho’s wing as expected, he’s scored just 2-4–6 through 12 games in Carolina with a minus-two rating.

Rantanen’s brief but underwhelming showing outside of Colorado, where he’d torched the league for 1.28 points per game since 2020, will weigh on teams’ minds as they debate how many resources they’ll commit to acquiring and extending him. With an eight-year deal, he’s virtually guaranteed to become one of the four highest-paid players in the league, surpassing Oilers star Connor McDavid’s $12.5MM AAV and likely even former teammate Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6MM cap hit. AFP Analytics even projects an eight-year extension for Rantanen to cost $13.65MM per season, approaching $110MM in total value and making him the second-highest paid player in the league next season behind Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, who’ll be kicking off a mega-extension with a $14MM cap hit.

While there will surely be NHL players coming off the acquiring teams’ roster in a Rantanen return, the Maple Leafs are the only one of the above group who would need to make a money-in, money-out deal. Carolina, who has Rantanen on their books for $4.625MM against the cap after Chicago retained half his salary in January’s trade, can make him a $2.3MM player by retaining an additional 50%. That wouldn’t require additional shuffling on the Stars’ or Kings’ end.

Carolina will need an immediate replacement at wing in the deal. While it’s likely to be a downgrade in terms of overall reputation, they’ll still be asking for a bona fide top-six piece with other assets in the deal to make up the difference in trade value. For Toronto, that could mean parting ways with pending RFA Matthew Knies, shifting William Nylander to the left wing to replace him and casting Rantanen and Mitch Marner as their top two right wingers. Another bottom-six depth piece, potentially Calle Järnkrok, could also be out the door to help the Hurricanes replace the void left by William Carrier when he underwent lower-body surgery in late January.

The Kings have made their desire for a right-handed scorer public over the last few weeks and will pivot to second-line type names like the Islanders’ Kyle Palmieri if their efforts to land Rantanen are futile. Carolina likely demands someone like Trevor Moore in return, who erupted for 31 goals last year but has just 12 in 51 games this year. Breakout 23-year-old Alex Laferriere, who’s posted 15-16–31 in 56 games, is also an option as a centerpiece, but would require more additional assets from L.A. than Toronto would need to provide on top of the more highly-touted Knies.

Dallas, who’s already added Mikael Granlund to their forward group, has more appealing NHL-ready young talent to offer than their Western Conference rival. Either 2024 AHL MVP turned NHL full-timer Mavrik Bourque or 22-year-old Logan Stankoven could immediately slot into the Canes’ top-nine (or top-six, in Stankoven’s case), and are more in Knies’ territory in terms of long-term offensive ceiling than Laferriere and Moore.

Stars, Wyatt Johnston Discussing Eight-Year Extension

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The Stars are putting forth their best effort to finalize an extension for emerging center Wyatt Johnston before Friday’s trade deadline, Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff reports Monday. There’s a mutual desire for a maximum eight-year commitment, but Dallas’ offers have ranged between $8MM and $8.5MM annually, Marek writes.

That’s not likely enough to convince Johnston to extend before becoming a restricted free agent this summer. The 21-year-old is fourth on the Stars in goals (24), third in assists (34), and third in points (55) through 60 games. His 19:08 ATOI leads Dallas forwards and is a decent margin ahead of second-place Jason Robertson (17:45).

He’s not technically centering Dallas’ designated top line beside Robertson – that honor still goes to Roope Hintz. In fact, Johnston’s even-strength role has been on what’s technically the Stars’ third line between veterans Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov. He’s also spent a good bit of time with Hintz and Robertson at even strength, though, flexing between wing and center with the former. The edge in ice time above Dallas’ other top forwards largely comes from his penalty kill usage. He’s played a major role shorthanded for the Stars this season, averaging 1:33 per game and factoring in on their top PK unit with Benn.

All this is to say that Johnston is beginning to solidify himself as Dallas’ top center, even if he’s not a first-line fixture. The Stars’ proposition that he should be in the same pay range as Hintz ($8.45MM) amid a rising cap while being seven years younger with better point production is thus an incredibly tough sell for Johnston’s camp, led by Octagon’s Andy Scott.

Among pending RFAs, Johnston’s 55 points are tied with the Jets’ Gabriel Vilardi for most in the league. Dallas must tread carefully here – with only seven forwards under contract for next season and under $25MM in projected cap space, failing to land a deal with Johnston before the summer could lead to the 2021 first-rounder garnering offer sheets north of $10MM annually. Depending on the order in which general manager Jim Nill does his business, they simply may not be able to afford to match.

That’s why it’s no surprise the Stars are trying to dial in a realistic number now to avoid it hanging over their heads down the stretch and into the postseason. There’s also the benefit of a solidified cap number for Johnston aiding their long-term planning in case they decide to add a non-rental asset on deadline day, a feasible outcome since they still have nearly $5MM in cap space available, per PuckPedia.

Johnston led the Stars in goals (10) and tied for the team lead in points (16) in their run to the Western Conference Final last season. He’s also yet to miss a game in his three-year NHL career and is on pace for a career-high 75 points.

Central Notes: Jets, Maroon, Bichsel, Carcone

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The Winnipeg Jets are entering the Trade Deadline with little bargaining pieces but plenty of cap space. That’s the set up for some low-cost lineup tinkering, with left-defense the most glaring issue on the roster. That hole could draw the Jets towards open market options like Boston’s Brandon Carlo or Seattle’s Jamie Oleksiak, per Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press. Both players carry a cap hit below $5MM. Oleksiak’s deal expires at the end of next season, while Carlo has two years left and a modified no-trade clause.

The added security and movement protection could make Carlo a tough fish to catch. Oleksiak will likely be much more expendable for the right price. The 32-year-old defensive-defenseman has been a focal point of the Kraken blue-line over the last four seasons. He’s averaging 19 minutes of ice time through 60 games this year, while posting 13 points, 14 penalty minutes, and a minus-eight. That stat line is largely in-line with what Oleksiak has managed in three prior years in Seattle – routinely floating between 15 and 20 points and negative plus-minuses, all while serving from a carved out role on the second pair. Oleksiak is six-foot-seven, 250-pounds and patrols the defensive end with a long reach and heavy physical presence. Winnipeg has tried to net the same impact from players like Logan Stanley – one of the only NHLers as tall as Oleksiak – but to little avail. Stanley has just nine points, 72 penalty minutes, and a plus-10 in 47 games on Winnipeg’s bottom-pair. Any upgrade they make will be solely focused on improving that third-pair’s standing as the Jets plan for a very late season.

Other notes from the Midwest:

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have kicked the door to the Trade Deadline wide open by swapping defender Seth Jones for goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round pick. All signs point towards the Hawks continuing to sell as the deadline draws closer – with pieces like Ryan Donato, Alec Martinez, and Petr Mrazek all on the block. But of their aged veterans, winger Pat Maroon doesn’t seem likely to join in on the relocation. He told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’d prefer to stay with Chicago rather than experience yet another deadline trade. Maroon has been moved in February or March three different times in his career, including at last year’s deadline. He signed his first open market contract since 2020 this summer – choosing the Windy City as his landing spot. 54 games later, Maroon must clearly be enjoying the role of veteran leader and Stanley Cup expert in front of Chicago’s young core. He has 14 points, 71 penalty minutes, and a minus-11 on the year, while serving a minimal role in Chicago’s bottom-six. While opening up that spot would certainly open minutes for more top prospects, it’d be tough to see Chicago go against Maroon’s wishes for anything less than a golden offer.
  • Top rookie defenseman Lian Bichsel is progressing in his return from an upper-body injury. He is doubtful for the Dallas Stars’ game against St. Louis on Sunday, but could return when they face New Jersey on Tuesday, per Dallas News’ Lia Assimakopoulos. Bichsel was injured on a high hit from New York Islanders grinder Casey Cizikas on February 23rd. He’s missed two games since. Bichsel has played the first 18 games of his NHL career this season. He has five points, 14 penalty minutes, and a plus-six in that span – and has looked the part of a projectable first-round pick. News of his return on Tuesday will also suggest that Bichsel will continue to hold a role on the NHL roster, though it will be shaky ground as Dallas looks to buy improvements at the deadline. In an aforementioned fun fact, Bichsel is one of the few other six-foot-seven defenders.
  •  The Utah Hockey Club were without depth forward Michael Carcone on Saturday evening. He was listed as a game-time decision due to a lower-body injury, per Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune. Carcone has filled a minimal lineup role in Utah, with 13 points, 29 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven in 41 games this year. Utah turned towards Kevin Stenlund to fill-in during the losing effort. Stenlund recorded one assist in 11 minutes of ice time. It was his 14th point of the year through 61 appearances. Jack McBain also saw a boost in Carcone’s absence, stepping onto the second-unit power-play. He did not manage any scoring in the fill-in role.

Minor Transactions: 2/18/25

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The transaction wire is active again today, with many teams hosting their first practices in over a week. The regular season schedule after the 4 Nations Face-Off resumes this weekend, so the players who teams reassigned to the minors over the break to continue playing will be added back to rosters today and tomorrow to make them eligible to practice with their NHL teammates. Here are all of today’s moves that largely constituted reversals of pre-break demotions.

  • The Hurricanes announced they’ve promoted defenseman Riley Stillman from AHL Chicago. While he’d been off the roster for a few days already prior to the break, he’s been a frequent traveler between Carolina and Chicago this season. He was last rostered for a game on Jan. 28 against the Rangers – his season debut, in which he recorded a fight and a shot on goal in 7:40 of ice time. A routine healthy scratch/extra defenseman, Stillman is close to requiring waivers again to head to the minors after clearing them in November. The 26-year-old has 2-3–5 with 41 PIMs and a minus-three rating in 20 AHL contests this year.
  • The Stars announced they’ve recalled defenseman Lian Bichsel from AHL Texas. He was quietly shuttled down on Feb. 8 after making eight straight appearances for Dallas leading into the break. The 2022 first-rounder has 2-3–5 and a plus-six rating through his first 16 career NHL games, all coming this season, and will continue in a regular role for the time being with Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist on the shelf.
  • The Canucks announced they’ve promoted all of center Nils Åman, forward Arshdeep Bains, and defenseman Elias Pettersson from AHL Abbotsford. They also added goalie Arturs Silovs from the Baby Canucks on an emergency loan and will have Nikita Tolopilo around as a practice goaltender until Kevin Lankinen is ready to return from representing Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, although the latter won’t take up a roster spot. Åman and Pettersson were sent to Abbotsford on Feb. 8, but this is Bains’ first recall since late November. The 24-year-old winger had one goal and a minus-four rating in 11 games earlier this season but has remained a near point-per-game threat in the minors, posting 7-20–27 in 32 AHL games. He’ll now get another crack at NHL minutes in the final season of his entry-level contract. Silovs, who’s struggled to the tune of a 1-4-1 record and .847 SV% in seven NHL appearances this season, will come up to serve as Lankinen’s No. 2 with Thatcher Demko still dealing with the undisclosed injury that caused him to leave Vancouver’s last pre-break game against the Maple Leafs. Tolopilo’s stay will be brief, and the 24-year-old will return to Abbotsford as soon as Lankinen is available.
  • The Penguins called up winger Emil Bemström and goalie Joel Blomqvist from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and returned netminder Tristan Jarry to the minors in a corresponding transaction, the team announced. It’s a pure reversal of the moves Pittsburgh made after their last game on Feb. 8. Bemström has no points and two shots in two games since being recalled for the first time this season on Feb. 7, while Blomqvist has a 3-8-0 record with a .896 SV% and 3.54 GAA in 11 appearances on the year. The 23-year-old has struggled since taking over for Jarry on the roster, posting a .868 SV% in three starts since the veteran was waived in mid-January. The 29-year-old Jarry will continue to bide his time in the minors as he awaits another NHL chance, knocking on the door with a .924 SV% and 2.11 GAA in nine games.
  • The Rangers announced they’ve recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from AHL Hartford. The 22-year-old comes up to serve as Jonathan Quick’s backup with Igor Shesterkin not ready to return from the upper-body injury that kept him out of New York’s final game before the break. He’s sporting a .914 SV%, 2.73 GAA, three shutouts, and a 13-7-5 record in 25 showings with Hartford this year.
  • The Blackhawks summoned defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from AHL Rockford, a team announcement states. Chicago sent the 22-year-old down at the beginning of the break for additional playing time in the minors, where he posted three shots and a plus-one rating in four games over the past couple of weeks. He has one assist in six NHL games since first being called up in late January and will continue competing for bottom-pairing minutes while Louis Crevier is on injured reserve with a concussion.
  • The Bruins recalled defenseman Michael Callahan, center Matthew Poitras, and left-winger Riley Tufte from AHL Providence – the latter coming up under emergency conditions, per the team. Goaltender Michael DiPietro will also practice with the team while Jeremy Swayman remains with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off but won’t count against the active roster. Callahan’s and Poitras’ recalls are reversals of pre-break assignments, with the former’s recall serving as confirmation that Hampus Lindholm won’t be ready to come off LTIR before Saturday’s game against the Ducks. Tufte’s recall is his first since November, and his inclusion is a solid indication that Charlie McAvoy will be IR-bound after sustaining an upper-body injury and subsequent infection at the 4 Nations.
  • The Jets announced they’ve recalled Kaapo Kähkönen from AHL Manitoba to serve as a practice player with Connor Hellebuyck slated to start for the Americans in Thursday’s 4 Nations championship. He’s played one NHL game since signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg last offseason – although it was for the Avalanche, who claimed him off waivers in October but lost him back to the Jets on the wire the following month. The 28-year-old has taken a tumble in Manitoba with a .885 SV% in 20 games – a worse save percentage than he posted on last year’s league-worst Sharks.
  • The Sharks announced they’ve recalled forward Collin Graf and defenseman Jack Thompson from AHL San Jose. They were both assigned to the minors after their final pre-break game, although notably, veteran Andrew Poturalski remains in the minors after being demoted along with Graf and Thompson. The rookies are both likely to play next Sunday against the Flames.
  • Utah announced they’d recalled winger Josh Doan from AHL Tucson after the previously reported summons of goaltender Jaxson Stauber. His reinstatement to the roster suggests Logan Cooley won’t be quite ready to return from his lower-body injury this weekend against the Kings, but general manager Bill Armstrong said yesterday he’s not expected out for much longer. Doan has 4-5–9 in 25 NHL games and 11-15–26 in 28 AHL games this year.
  • The Blues will have goaltender Will Cranley join them for practice while Jordan Binnington remains with Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the club announced. Cranley, 22, was a sixth-round pick of 2020 and is in his second season of pro hockey. He’s spent almost all of his time in the ECHL, where he has a .911 SV% and 2.28 GAA in 16 appearances with the Florida Everblades this year.
  • The Predators recalled goalie Matt Murray to join them as a practice player while Juuse Saros returns from repping the Fins at the 4 Nations, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports. Murray has yet to appear in a game for Nashville after spending the past few years in the Stars organization but has been recalled a few times as injury insurance this season. The 27-year-old has a sparkling .930 SV%, 2.17 GAA, two shutouts, and a 17-7-6 record for Milwaukee.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forwards Gage Goncalves and Gabriel Fortier to join as practice players. Goncalves has served as Tampa Bay’s extra forward for much of the year. His NHL career is still young, and his one goal and seven points in 33 games with the Lightning marks the first scoring of his career. Goncalves has also scored 18 points in 14 AHL games this year. Fortier has spent his whole season in the minors and scored 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games. He ranks third on the Syracuse Crunch in goals and seventh in points.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Thomas Harley Could Play Against Team USA

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It would ultimately be a massive blow to a Canadian team that has already lost defenseman Shea Theodore for the remainder of the tournament. Chris Johnston of The Athletic confirmed yesterday that Dallas Stars’ defenseman Thomas Harley was brought in on a stand-by role should Team Canada lose another defenseman.

Dallas Stars Sign Sam Steel To Two-Year Extension

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The Dallas Stars have started early in retaining one of their multiple forwards heading to unrestricted free agency next summer. Dallas announced they’ve signed forward Sam Steel to a two-year, $4.2MM extension which will take him through the 2026-27 NHL season.

Steel signed a one-year, $850K contract with the Stars on the first day of free agency in 2023 after going non-tendered by the Minnesota Wild. The former first-round pick responded well, scoring nine goals and 24 points in 77 games averaging 13:15 of ice time per game.

Although his offensive production doesn’t jump off the page, Steel’s work on the defensive side of the puck drew some attention. He had a +10 differential between takeaways and giveaways putting him in the same tier as Radek Faksa, Jamie Benn, and Jason Robertson.

His 52.0% CorsiFor% only ranked 15th on the team but it’s more impressive considering he started 58.7% of his shifts in the defensive zone. For better or worse, some of that has changed this season.

Steel is similarly producing solid possession metrics but his takeaway/giveaway differential has plummeted to -22. Still, in his defense, that is true of every player on the Stars this season.

He’s averaging slightly more offensive production being on pace for six goals and 20 points which has correlated to a mild 1:30 boost in average ice time. Given his consistency in Dallas’ lineup and relative youth compared to other forwards on the roster, the extension should benefit Steel and the Stars.

Thomas Harley To Serve As A Stand-By For Team Canada

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Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley will reportedly serve as a stand-by for Team Canada, meaning that he would be first up if there’s another injury to their defense core (as per Chris Johnston of The Athletic). Canada lost Shea Theodore to injury last night in the opener to the 4 Nations Face-Off and will not get him back as he has been ruled out week-to-week due to an upper-body injury.

Canada already has Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim in Montreal, getting ready for Canada’s game against Team USA. However, beyond him, they no longer had a safety net and needed to get another player in place to serve as insurance.

Harley will travel to Boston tomorrow to serve as a stand-by in case they suffer another injury on the backend. It could provide a good experience for the 23-year-old, who is likely on Canada’s radar for the 2026 Olympics and other tournaments in the future. Although the role of a stand-by in this tournament is a little unorthodox as Harley can’t take part in practice or formal meetings unless Canada loses another defenseman.

Harley is actually a dual citizen of Canada and the United States, but he has played for Canada in the past in both the World Under-18’s as well as the World Juniors and has built an impressive resume as a pro thus far. In his breakout campaign last season, Harley posted 15 goals and 32 assists in 79 games while playing a shade over 21 minutes a night. This year has been more of the same as Harley has dressed in 53 games, tallying nine goals and 20 assists.

Loui Eriksson Officially Announces Retirement

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Former NHL forward Loui Eriksson has officially announced his retirement after 16 NHL seasons (via his agency on Instagram).

Eriksson last played in the NHL during the 2021-22 season with the Arizona Coyotes, posting three goals and 16 assists in 73 games. His final professional season came in 2022-23 when he suited up for Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League.

At his best, Eriksson was a reliable 25+ goal and 70-point forward for the Dallas Stars. However, the Gothenburg, Sweden native fell on hard times after signing a massive free agent deal with the Vancouver Canucks in 2016 and was never able to get back to the numbers he posted in Dallas.

The 39-year-old was a staple of the Stars in the late 2000s and early 2010s before he was the central piece in the blockbuster trade that sent Tyler Seguin to Dallas and Eriksson to Boston. With the Bruins, Eriksson struggled in his first season but regained his form two years later when he posted 30 goals and 33 assists in 82 games and cashed in with the Canucks on a six-year $36MM deal.

In Vancouver, Eriksson became a beacon for criticism during the Jim Benning era, particularly in 2020 when the salary cap flattened out and the Canucks were forced to watch several talented players leave via free agency when they didn’t have cap space to sign them. Eriksson scored just 38 goals and 52 assists in 252 games with the Canucks before he was sent to Arizona as part of a package that was used to acquire Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland.

Eriksson finished his NHL career with 253 goals and 360 assists in 1,050 career NHL games. He was a six-time 20-goal scorer and had the best season of his career in 2010-11 with Dallas when he registered 27 goals and 46 assists in 79 games.

All of us at PHR extend our best wishes to Loui as he enters the next chapter of his life.

Trade Deadline Primer: Dallas Stars

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break upon us, the trade deadline looms large and is less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Dallas Stars.

The Stars have barely missed a beat following an offseason that raised more questions than it answered. Questions arose about their defensive depth for the first time in a while, but they’ve managed to keep their two-way system alive and remain a legitimate championship contender. After making two notable adds last month in Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the Sharks, could there be more for Dallas to do to improve their roster in the wake of injuries to key players?

Record

35-18-2, 2nd in the Central

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$5.52MM on deadline day + $12.3MM LTIR pool, 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: DAL 3rd, NJD 5th, DAL 5th, DAL 6th, DAL 7th
2026: DAL 1st, DAL 2nd, DAL 3rd, DAL 5th, DAL 6th, TOR 7th, DAL 7th

Trade Chips

While Dallas may have already made their big splash, they’ve got plenty of financial flexibility to make another with Nils Lundkvist and Tyler Seguin on long-term injured reserve, and both are expected to remain out through the regular season. None of their top trade chips from last year’s deadline are available – Lundkvist was one of them, as were then-AHLers Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven, who are now top-nine forwards on the NHL roster and won’t be going anywhere. If general manager Jim Nill still wants to make a big splash for a defenseman, he could make 2022 first-rounder Lian Bichsel available. Still, even he’s working his way into a third-pairing role on the Stars’ defense with injuries to Lundkvist and star Miro Heiskanen.

Their prospect pool is thinner than in years past (for a good reason; they’re reaping the rewards), but they still have a recent first-rounder in winger Emil Hemming to leverage if they’re able to swing a significant upgrade for a thin right side on the blue line. The 18-year-old was the 29th overall pick last year and jumped to North America from his native Finland. He’s suiting up for the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts and has done reasonably well amid a deep forward group there, posting 14-22–36 through 44 games. He also scored once and added three assists in seven games for the Finns en route to a silver medal at last month’s World Junior Championship. The 6’2″ sniper likely checks in as a B-tier prospect in terms of his trade value, though – too valuable to leverage for a lower-level rental stopgap but not valuable enough on his own to land a big fish.

Regarding roster players who could move out, they likely don’t need to do any salary-matching in any other acquisitions they make, given their vast in-season flexibility. But they have a substantial free-agent crop this summer, including Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston. They’ll likely be tight fits even with the salary cap increasing to $95.5MM, so if there’s an opportunity for the Stars to send out a contract with term in a swap, they may take it. Dealing from a position of need may be puzzling, but 30-year-old Mathew Dumba has underperformed in the first year of his two-year, $3.75MM AAV deal. If he has any positive trade value left (or even if he doesn’t and the Stars need to attach a draft pick with him), it wouldn’t be surprising to see him head out the door to make room for a more dynamic player on the right side.

Outside of Hemming, another prospect who could draw interest is forward Antonio Stranges. The 23-year-old was in the ECHL as recently as two seasons ago but has exploded in the AHL this season, leading the Texas Stars in scoring with 17-22–39 through 41 games. The 5’11”, 185-lb left-winger was a fourth-round pick in 2020, and while his development may have been a bit of a slow burn thus far, his breakout indicates he still has fringe top-six potential.

Other Potential Trade Chips: F Matěj Blümel, F Justin Hryckowian, D Christian Kyrou

Team Needs

1) Right-Shot D Upgrade: Ceci’s acquisition gives them a serviceable second- or third-pairing stopgap (and is a Dumba upgrade if they can move him), but they’re missing a secondary offensive presence behind Thomas Harley in Heiskanen’s and Lundkvist’s absence. Even when healthy, Lundkvist had emerged as arguably their top right-shot option – not a particularly strong one for a championship contender. Even without Heiskanen, the left side is set in the interim, with Harley and Esa Lindell anchoring the top four. Rasmus Ristolainen and David Savard are some of the top options available, but don’t put up the point totals of the archetype they need. Could they be among the few teams making sense for a Seth Jones trade?

2) Cheap Forward Depth: Scoring isn’t what the Stars need – they’re a top-10 offense that’s already added Granlund. Their AHL call-up options are high-ceiling, but they’ve been given minimal ice time when dressed. A more experienced fourth-line piece/13th forward could be more desirable for head coach Peter DeBoer to rotate in along with Oskar Back, Colin Blackwell and Sam Steel.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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