The Stars have been without Mason Marchment since he suffered an undisclosed injury in the second game of the opening round. However, he could return for the second game of their second-round series against Colorado as Joey Hayden of the Dallas Morning News relays that the winger is now close to returning and is likely to be a game-time decision on Thursday. The 28-year-old had a career year offensively with 22 goals and 31 assists in 81 games during the regular season and is a big part of Dallas’ deep forward group so getting him back – whether it’s Thursday or soon after – would be a significant boost for them.
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West Notes: Henrique, Marchment, Hakanpää
Oilers forward Adam Henrique has been downgraded to doubtful for tomorrow’s Game 1 of their second-round series against the Canucks, The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman reports.
Henrique, 34, has been dealing with a lower-body injury for at least the past few days, missing a practice last Friday. It wasn’t believed he would miss any time until today, and he’s now been officially listed as day-to-day by head coach Kris Knoblauch.
The trade deadline pickup from the Ducks was solid in Edmonton’s dispatching of the Kings in the first round, posting a goal and an assist in five games while averaging 15:52 per game. His lone goal, coming in the first period of Game 1, set an NHL record for the longest period of time between postseason goals for a player. His last came with the Devils in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final – also against Los Angeles.
The domino effect of Henrique’s absence will force depth winger Mattias Janmark into a first-line role with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman, per Nugent-Bowman. He’s averaged only 10:27 per game against the Kings but still managed two assists. Edmonton’s other trade pickup from Anaheim, Sam Carrick, has been a healthy scratch since Game 4 in L.A. and isn’t expected to re-enter the lineup.
Elsewhere in the West:
- As the Stars set to get their second-round series kicked off tonight against the Avalanche, they’ll again be without the services of winger Mason Marchment. He remains sidelined with the undisclosed injury he sustained back in Game 2 against the Golden Knights in the first round, head coach Pete DeBoer told Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. DeBoer did say Marchment isn’t too far away from returning, meaning he could return before the series stretches into elimination territory. After recording a career-high 22 goals and 53 points in the regular season, Marchment scored once against Vegas before exiting the lineup.
- Further away from returning is defenseman Jani Hakanpää, DeBoer added. Both he and Marchment are skating but he’s behind the winger in his recovery. The 32-year-old has missed a significant chunk of time with a lower-body injury, a blow to their defensive depth, although trade pickup Chris Tanev has replaced his top-four shutdown role and excelled while doing it. Hakanpää, a pending unrestricted free agent, last played against the Kings on March 16.
Afternoon Notes: Faksa, Demko, Kampf
The Dallas Stars will be adding forward Radek Faksa back to the lineup ahead of Sunday’s Game 7, head coach Peter DeBoer confirms to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Faksa was injured late in Game 2, leaving with an injury that remains undisclosed. He’s been a game-time decision in all four games since – finally getting upgraded to game-ready this weekend. Faksa is coming off his second 19-point season in the last three years and hasn’t been able to change his stat line in two postseason appearances so far.
Faksa’s return will bump young winger Ty Dellandrea back out of the lineup. The 23-year-old has scored one goal in four appearances this series, adding to the three goals he managed in 15 playoff games last season. Interestingly, he’s still searching for his first postseason assist. He’ll now move to a skybox that will also feature Mason Marchment, who DeBoer confirmed remains out with an undisclosed injury. While Faksa’s return is timely ahead of a Game 7 that’s sure to be gritty, it’s the 20-goal-scoring Marchment that could bring substantial reinforcements in Round 2. He has one goal in two playoff games so far this Spring.
Other notes from around the league:
- To no surprise, Vancouver Canucks head coach has ruled Vezina-finalist Thatcher Demko out of the second round’s Game 1, per Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor (Twitter link). Demko is missing time with a knee injury suffered ahead of the first round’s Game 2. He carries a week-to-week designation and isn’t expected to return any time soon, although he is traveling with the team. Arturs Silovs has risen to notoriety in Demko’s place, posting his first career shutout in the series-clinching Game 6. Silovs should remain Vancouver’s starter until Demko is ready to suit up again. He’ll be backed up by Casey DeSmith and Nikita Tolopilo.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf has been added to Team Czechia’s roster ahead of the 2024 IIHF World Championship, shares the team (Twitter link). Kampf’s season just came to a close, as Toronto was bested by the Boston Bruins in Game 7. Kampf posted just one goal in seven playoff appearances – matching his measly 19 points in 78 games during the regular season. He’ll have to put that tough loss behind him, now headed towards his second appearance at Worlds. Kampf previously posted three points in six games during the 2022 World Championship.
Stars Reassign Mavrik Bourque
The Stars returned top center prospect Mavrik Bourque to AHL Texas on Thursday, the team announced.
Bourque was recalled last Friday for injury insurance after center Radek Faksa and left winger Mason Marchment sustained undisclosed injuries in Dallas’ Game 2 loss to the Golden Knights. However, he’s been a scratch in the Stars’ three straight wins to take the series lead, with the more experienced Ty Dellandrea and veteran Craig Smith slotting into the lineup instead.
This year’s AHL MVP will still get playoff action, though. Texas’ Central Division Semifinal series against Milwaukee begins tonight, and today’s transaction permits Bourque to suit up for Game 1 of that series. The 22-year-old had two goals and two assists in Texas’ two-game sweep of Manitoba in the First Round last week.
Dallas selected Bourque with the 30th overall pick in 2020, and he’s since emerged as a top-two prospect in their system along with small but versatile forward Logan Stankoven. Stankoven is slightly ahead of Bourque in his development, graduating to full-time NHLer status late in the season, but the latter’s impeccable sophomore professional season shouldn’t be ignored.
His 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) in 71 games with Texas led the league in scoring, just ahead of established veterans Adam Gaudette and Rocco Grimaldi. He earned his NHL debut on April 6 against the Blackhawks, recording a hit and two shots on goal in 10:56 of ice time.
While today’s move could solely be to ensure Bourque won’t miss any playoff action with Texas, it also suggests at least one of Faksa and Marchment will be able to return for tomorrow’s Game 6. They’ve been game-time decisions in all of Games 3, 4 and 5 but haven’t played.
Bourque will make a strong push to crack Dallas’ opening night roster next season with one year left on his entry-level contract. For now, he carries a cap hit of $894,167 and will be eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1 to avoid reaching restricted free agency next summer.
Stars Assign Lian Bichsel To AHL
Stars top defense prospect Lian Bichsel will finish 2023-24 in North America, the team confirmed today. He’s been assigned to AHL Texas and will suit up for them in the Calder Cup Playoffs for his second postseason run of the year. He’d spent the last five months on assignment to Rögle BK, whom he helped advance to the Swedish Hockey League championship series as the ninth seed with a goal, five assists and a +7 rating in 15 games.
The move was expected after Rögle’s season ended with a Game 5 loss to Skellefteå on Monday, dropping the best-of-seven series 4-1 after Rögle swept their previous two series against the top two regular-season teams, Färjestad BK and Växjö Lakers HC, to advance to the final. In his first season with Rögle, Bichsel had four points and 28 PIMs in 29 regular-season games.
Bichsel, the 18th overall pick in the 2022 draft, began the season with AHL Texas after signing his entry-level contract in May 2023. But after posting one goal and six assists with a -2 rating in 16 games, the 6’6″ Swiss defender activated his European Assignment Clause and was loaned back to Sweden, where he’d spent the previous two seasons with Leksands IF.
He was the sixth defenseman off the board in his draft year but the first with a shutdown projection at the NHL level. The Blue Jackets’ Denton Mateychuk is the only defenseman drafted ahead of Bichsel in 2022 who has yet to make his NHL debut.
Since he played in fewer than 10 NHL games this season, his entry-level slide goes into effect and delays the start of his contract until 2024-25. The Stars still owe him his $95K signing bonus for 2023-24, which will drop his cap hit from its initial $950K to $918.3K over the remainder of the deal. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency when his deal expires in 2027.
Texas has already advanced in the Calder Cup Playoffs without Bichsel, sweeping their best-of-three First Round series against Manitoba last week. Their best-of-five Central Division Semifinal against Milwaukee begins tomorrow, and Stars general manager Jim Nill confirmed Bichsel will make his AHL playoff debut in Game 1 (via the Dallas Morning News’ Lia Assimakopoulos). Nill said the organization prefers to give Bichsel some developmental runway on a “deep run” with Texas but indicated he could be added to the NHL roster if Texas is eliminated before their parent club.
Radek Faksa, Mason Marchment Remain Game-Time Decisions For Game 4
- Stars forwards Radek Faksa and Mason Marchment will be game-time decisions for the second contest in a row ahead of Game 4 against the Golden Knights tomorrow, head coach Peter DeBoer said (via the Dallas Morning News’ Lia Assimakopoulos). Neither played in last night’s 3-2 overtime win, paving the way for Ty Dellandrea and Craig Smith to make their series debuts. They practiced with the team today after sustaining undisclosed injuries late in Game 2’s loss.
Radek Faksa, Mason Marchment Game-Time Decisions For Game 3
The Stars still don’t know if banged-up forwards Radek Faksa and Mason Marchment can play in Game 3 against the Golden Knights as they try to overcome a 2-0 series deficit. As relayed by The Dallas Morning News’ Lia Assimakopoulos, they’re both game-time decisions after sustaining undisclosed injuries in Game 2.
Dallas lost their services in the third period of Wednesday’s game, as neither player took a shift in the final 10 minutes of the 3-1 loss. The potential loss of Marchment is an especially large blow to the Stars’ elite secondary scoring, which Vegas has managed to keep quiet through two games. He’s one of three Stars with a goal in the series so far and set career highs across the board in the regular season with 22 goals and 53 points in 81 games. He’d been skating on their second line with Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin.
Stars Recall Mavrik Bourque
The Stars recalled forward Mavrik Bourque from AHL Texas, per a team announcement. After being named the AHL’s MVP for 2023-24 yesterday, he’s now eligible to dress in tomorrow’s Game 3 of their first-round series against the Golden Knights.
Bourque, 22, made his lone regular-season appearance on April 6 against the Blackhawks. The 5’10” pivot is in his second professional season after turning pro out of the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes, whom he captained in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Dallas acquired his signing rights by making him the 30th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, signing him to his entry-level contract the following March.
The right-shot center has quickly cemented himself as one of the best in a deep Stars prospect pool. He played all but one of Texas’ 72 regular-season games, leading the AHL in points with 77 (29 goals, 51 assists). He has two goals and two assists in two games thus far in the Calder Cup Playoffs as Texas swept its best-of-three First Round series against Manitoba. As they don’t begin their Central Division Semifinal clash against Milwaukee until next Thursday, recalling Bourque doesn’t harm the Stars’ minor-league club.
Bourque, along with Ty Dellandrea and Craig Smith (both healthy scratches in Games 1 and 2), could enter the series if Radek Faksa and/or Mason Marchment are unable to play as action shifts to Las Vegas. Both are day-to-day due to undisclosed injuries sustained in Game 2 on Wednesday. The Western Conference regular-season winners dropped both games at home and are down 2-0 against the defending Stanley Cup champs.
Bourque has one season left on his ELC and will challenge for a roster spot out of camp next fall. He won’t require waivers for reassignment until he plays two more professional seasons or 159 NHL games, whichever comes first.
Logan Stankoven Wins AHL Rookie Of The Year
Dallas Stars winger Logan Stankoven has won the 2024 Red Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s Rookie of the Year (Twitter link). This comes after Stankoven posted 24 goals and 57 points in his first 47 minor-league games. His 1.21 points-per-game is the highest scoring pace from an AHL rookie since Jack Quinn posted 61 points in 45 games in the 2021-22 season. Quinn also won the league’s Rookie of the Year award that year. The last AHL rookie to come close to Quinn and Stankoven’s scoring pace was Jake Guentzel all the way back in the 2016-17 season.
While it’s usually hard to find a correlation between most awards and NHL success, the AHL Rookie of the Year typically manages a fine NHL career – something made evident by past winners Quinn, Joshua Norris, and the 2015 tie between Mikko Rantanen and Frank Vatrano. Stankoven seems on a fast track to join his peers, gaining a consistent role in Dallas’ top-six just a few games into his NHL career. He finished the regular season with 14 points in 24 NHL games. He’s also recorded one point in his first two Stanley Cup Playoff appearances, looking plenty adjusted to the fast pace of the NHL postseason.
Dallas is undoubtedly giddy over just how well Stankoven’s first professional season has gone. The former Kamloops Blazers captain was very highly acclaimed during his four-year WHL career, posting 260 points in 179 games and becoming the highest-scoring Blazer since 2013. But played-out concerns about his 5’8″ frame and ability to engage physically dropped Stankoven to the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, where Dallas quickly took advantage of the rest of the league’s oversight. Two years later, he’s now being awarded for a dazzling start to his pro career and playing meaningful minutes in the postseason. Stankoven was Dallas’ second pick of the 2021 Draft, follwoing the team’s selection of Wyatt Johnston at 23rd-overall.
Stankoven was one regular-season game shy of solidifying this year as his NHL rookie season. That means he’ll remain eligible for the Calder Trophy next season, when he’s sure to have a much more clear-cut role in Dallas’ electric offense. He could also be more formally regrouped with center prospect Mavrik Borque, who led the AHL in scoring this season and formed a dynamic duo with Stankoven earlier in the year.
11 Teams Face Cap Overage Penalties Next Season
With the salary cap largely being flat the last few years, more teams have had to dip into LTIR when injuries have come up. Accordingly, the number of teams facing bonus overage penalties has also risen. This year is no exception as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports in collaboration with CapFriendly that 11 teams are currently facing cap overage penalties for 2024-25 as a result of bonuses achieved this season.
When a team finishes up the season using LTIR to stay cap-compliant, they don’t have any regular cap space to which bonuses can be applied against. Accordingly, that results in LTIR teams that have incentives that are met finishing over the cap, yielding overage penalties. Whatever amount they finished 2023-24 over by is then deducted off the Upper Limit for next season.
The teams that are confirmed to have bonus overage penalties are as follows:
Edmonton Oilers: $3.45MM*
Dallas Stars: $2,595,407
Washington Capitals: $2.2525MM
Los Angeles Kings: $1.85MM
New Jersey Devils: $1,538,897
Montreal Canadiens: $1.0225MM
Ottawa Senators: $850K
New York Rangers: $512.5K*
Minnesota Wild: $425K*
Philadelphia Flyers: $245K
Boston Bruins $50K*
Teams denoted with an asterisk could see their bonus overage increase if the following happens:
Edmonton: Corey Perry’s contract calls for $50K if the Oilers make the Western Conference Final and another $50K if they reach the Stanley Cup Final.
New York: Theirs would increase by $25K if they win the Stanley Cup, a bonus in Jonathan Quick’s deal.
Minnesota: Marco Rossi can make $212.5K if he makes the All-Rookie Team which would then be added to the Wild’s carryover penalty.
Boston: Milan Lucic will receive $200K if the Bruins win the Stanley Cup as part of his contract.
In addition to the above, Carolina and Florida also have the potential for an overage contingent on the playoffs. The Hurricanes would have a $50.45K penalty if Jackson Blake plays in 20 games between the regular season and playoffs. Meanwhile, the Panthers would take a $500K hit if they win the Stanley Cup to cover that bonus in Kyle Okposo’s contract.
Team-by-team details with specifics on how each one got to the point of an overage were covered separately by PuckPedia.
It’s the first time that multiple teams will carry overage penalties of more than $2MM into the following season. With the cap expected to go up by closer to $4MM this summer, that could in theory take some pressure off from the bonus overage perspective but only if teams leave themselves a bit more wiggle room to work with. There’s a good chance that won’t happen so we’re quite likely to see these penalties again next season though with perhaps fewer teams getting the hit next time around.