Central Notes: Hintz, Lundkvist, Colton, Bortuzzo
Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz will miss tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with an undisclosed injury (as per Stars senior staff writer Mike Heika). Hoope reportedly tweaked something and was replaced in the Stars lineup by Colin Blackwell. Hintz has eight goals and five assists in 20 games this season and is on pace to top 30 goals for the third consecutive season, provided he doesn’t miss too much time due to injury.
In other Central Division notes:
- Mike Heika also provided a short update on Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist who is skating at the moment but isn’t ready to return to the lineup. Lundkvist has missed three straight games with a lower-body injury that he suffered a week ago in a 5-2 win over San Jose Sharks. The 24-year-old has never been one to produce much offense but has been particularly quiet this season with just a single assist in 15 games. His underlying numbers this season have been quite good, particularly his CF% which is at a solid 60%.
- Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton is expected to begin skating soon (as per Mile High Hockey). Colton has been out of action since October 28th with a broken foot and is likely on schedule given the original six-to-eight-week recovery timeline that he was given. Colton was having a terrific season prior to going down to injury, as he has eight goals and an assist in ten games this season. The 28-year-old is in his second season with the Avalanche and is coming off a career year last season in which he posted 40 points in 80 games.
- Utah Hockey Club defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was forced to leave last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with a lower-body injury (as per Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports). The team hasn’t offered an update on the 35-year-old, but it is expected they will have an update before they take to the ice Friday night against the Edmonton Oilers. Bortuzzo has been in and out of the lineup for much of this season and cleared waivers less than a week ago. The 14-year NHL veteran signed a one-year two-way deal in the offseason with Utah and has served as a depth defenseman.
Lundkvist Skates On Saturday But Not Cleared To Return Yet
- Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist took part in the morning skate today as he continues to work his way back from a lower-body injury, relays DLLS Sports’ Sam Nestler (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has played in 15 games so far this season, notching just one assist while logging a little under 14 minutes a night. Lundkvist won’t play tonight and as of yet, he is not on injured reserve.
Nils Lundkvist Considered Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
- Despite missing this morning’s practice, Dallas Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist will travel with the team for their upcoming three-game road trip (X Link). Lundkvist sustained a lower-body injury in Dallas’ recent win against the San Jose Sharks. He’s only considered day-to-day meaning he could factor into the team’s game tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
[SOURCE LINK]
Logan Stankoven Tops The List Of Central Rookies
- Senior draft writer of the NHL, Mike G. Morreale, recently surveyed the top rookies in the NHL’s Central Division and it’s no surprise that Logan Stankoven of the Dallas Stars is leading the pack. Stankoven currently leads the 2024-25 rookie class with two goals and 12 points in 13 games while averaging top-six minutes. Morreale quoted Stars head coach Peter DeBoer saying, “Anybody you put him with, he complements. Good players want to play with a guy like that because he’s competitive, he’s on pucks, he recovers pucks, he can make a play.”
[SOURCE LINK]
Mason Marchment Considered Day-To-Day With Undisclosed Injury
- Brien Rea of Victory+ reports that Dallas Stars’ forward Mason Marchment is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. This means that Marchment won’t be in the lineup tonight but could make his return this weekend against the Winnipeg Jets. He’s gotten off to a decent start on the year with two goals and eight points in 11 games.
[SOURCE LINK]
Mason Marchment Out Day-To-Day
St. Louis Blues forward Mathieu Joseph skated today as he tries to work his way back into the lineup from a lower-body injury (as per Lou Korac of NHL.com). Joseph hasn’t played since October 26th against the Montreal Canadiens after he was hurt in the third period of a 5-2 loss. To this point, Joseph has missed four games, and it seems likely that his number of missed games will increase.
Joseph is unlikely to play tomorrow night given that he didn’t take much contact today and focused more on flow drills. The 27-year-old has had a decent start to the season, posting two goals and two assists in nine games to go along with 13 hits and 14 shots on net.
In other Central Division notes:
- St. Louis Blues head coach Drew Bannister believes that forward Kasperi Kapanen could be an option to return to the Blues lineup tomorrow night (as per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Kapanen has missed the Blues’ past three games with an upper-body injury and will be looking to get his season on track as it has been a rough start for the former first-round pick. Kapanen has just a single goal in eight appearances this season and has struggled with possession, committing seven turnovers and seeing his team control just 46.5% of the play (at even strength).
- Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury according to head coach Pete DeBoer (as per Lia Assimakopoulos of Dallas Morning News). Marchment has been dealing with an issue since he fought during the second Global Series game on Saturday night against the Florida Panthers. Marchment had a run-in with Panthers defender Nate Schmidt after he had boarded the defenseman from behind. Marchment took the worst of the exchange and eventually fell to the ice.
Tyler Seguin's Lower-Body Injury Might Carry Through Regular Season
- Thanks to a lower-body injury, Dallas Stars veteran forward Tyler Seguin has only participated in seven of the team’s 11 contests. Robert Tiffin of D Magazine shares that the lower-body injury shouldn’t keep Seguin out for an extended time but it will likely be something the team has to manage all year. Seguin may inevitably land around his 2023-24 totals of 68 games played but has gotten off to a strong start this year with five goals and nine points in his limited action.
[SOURCE LINK]
Stars Reassign Kyle Capobianco
The Stars assigned defenseman Kyle Capobianco to AHL Texas today, according to the minor league’s transactions log.
Dallas recalled Capobianco, 27, from Texas last weekend as extra injury insurance while the team traveled to Finland for their Global Series contests against the Panthers. He wasn’t needed, serving as a healthy scratch for both losses. Now that the team has returned stateside, he’ll return to the minors.
After spending the last two seasons in the Jets organization, Capobianco reached Group VI free agency and inked a two-year, partial two-way deal with the Stars in July. This season carries a two-way structure, so he earns a salary of $475K while on assignment to Texas compared to his $775K NHL salary. He’ll earn that $775K league minimum regardless of where he plays next season.
Capobianco cleared waivers during the preseason. His call-up lasted eight days, so he can remain on the NHL roster for 22 more across multiple call-ups before he requires waivers to head back to the minors. The 6’1″ left-shot defender had a goal, two assists and a -1 rating in six appearances with Texas to start the season.
A 2015 third-round pick of the Coyotes, Capobianco has 73 NHL games under his belt but none since appearing with Winnipeg in the 2022-23 campaign. He has 12 points (5 G, 7 A) with a -17 rating in those appearances, all of which have come with Arizona and Winnipeg. He’s averaged 15:04 per game and controlled 47.2% of shot attempts and 44.2% of expected goals when on the ice at even strength.
The Stars now have an open roster spot and $1.68MM in current cap space, per PuckPedia.
Seguin Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
- Stars center Tyler Seguin was scratched from the second and final Global Series game today; the team announced (Twitter link) that he’s listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The 32-year-old is off to a good start to his season, notching five goals and four assists in seven games. However, this is already the second time he has missed time to a lower-body issue after missing three games last month as well which could be cause for concern if it’s a problem that might linger for Seguin.
Stars Recall Kyle Capobianco
The Dallas Stars have recalled defenseman Kyle Capobianco ahead of their two-game series in Finland next weekend.
This move sets Capobianco up to serve as Dallas’ seventh defenseman for the Global Series. It’s his first call-up since signing a two-year, $1.6MM contract with Dallas this summer. The deal moved Capobianco to the third organization of his career, after seven years under the Arizona Coyotes and two years with the Winnipeg Jets. He spent all of last season in the minors – recording 54 points in 69 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose – but had previously been a routine call-up. He appeared in 73 NHL games between 2017 and 2023, though the 2021-22 campaign marked his only time spending a full season on the NHL roster. Capobianco recorded nine points and 38 penalty minutes in 45 games that year.
Capobianco has continued his stint in the minors through this season, so far recording three points in six games with the Texas Stars. He’s one of many productive defenders on that blue-line – with all six defenseman recording multiple points through the team’s first six games. But it’s Capobianco receiving the call to travel overseas.