Dallas Stars Sign Ty Dellandrea
The Dallas Stars’ most important remaining restricted free agent has a new contract. Today, the team signed forward Ty Dellandrea to a one-year deal worth $900K.
Drafted 13th overall in 2018, Dellandrea’s development has been a slow burn, but he burst onto the scene last season as a full-time player in the strictest sense of the word. One of eight Stars to play in all 82 regular-season games, Dellandrea tallied nine goals and 28 points. Interestingly enough, Dellandrea was not eligible for Calder voting, nor was he considered a rookie – he suited up in 26 games for Dallas two seasons ago in 2020-21, putting him just above the cut-off mark.
Nevertheless, Dellandrea demonstrated high-end two-way upside in a bottom-six role, posting high-end possession numbers and even excelling when used on the penalty kill. Still just 22 years old, there is still plenty of time for his offensive totals to improve. He showed strong scoring flashes in the minors in 2021-22, posting 23 goals and 50 points in 68 games with the AHL’s Texas Stars.
Despite those positive strides, Dellandrea will likely get boxed out of a top-nine role, at least to start next season. The team’s re-signing of Evgenii Dadonov and acquisition of Matt Duchene via free agency gives them one of the best top-nine forward units in the entire league, but it does diminish Dellandrea’s potential for increased ice time. If injuries strike, however, he carries the most upward mobility of any depth forward on the Stars and will get a chance higher up in the lineup.
Nill: Stars Open To Trading For Defensive Help But Hoping Improvement From Youngsters Is An Upgrade
- The Stars haven’t given up on pursuing outside help defensively via the trade route, relays Saad Yousuf of The Athletic (subscription link). However, they are prepared to enter next season with what they have now with the hopes that Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist can take a step forward in their development to help bolster the depth of their unit. Dallas has been quiet with their back end this summer with their only NHL-related moves being the trade of Colin Miller to New Jersey, the signing of Gavin Bayreuther, and the re-signing of Joel Hanley.
Dallas Stars Sign Derrick Pouliot
The Dallas Stars announced today that they have signed former Stanley Cup champion defenseman Derrick Pouliot to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal runs through the 2023-24 season and carries a cap hit of $775K at the NHL level while paying him a salary of $325K for his time in the AHL. It is the fifth straight two-way contract that Pouliot has signed since 2018-19 and marks a new beginning for the once highly touted prospect.
Pouliot was drafted eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2012 and at one point was the top prospect in their system. He dressed in 67 games for the Penguins over parts of three seasons culminating in a Stanley Cup in 2016-17 for the 29-year-old. Pouliot spent last season in the San Jose Sharks organization and dressed in eight games for the big club posting two assists. He spent the bulk of the year with the San Jose Barricuda in the AHL where he had four goals and 21 assists in 37 games.
At 6’0”, Pouliot is a bit undersized, however he is regarded as an excellent passer and a bit of a playmaker. He has been a solid offensive contributor throughout his time in the AHL but has never been able to find his footing in the NHL. Dallas will be his seventh organization in the last nine years and although he has played 221 career NHL games in that time, he has posted just eight goals and 46 assists.
Dallas has a lot of defensemen in front of Pouliot on the depth charts, however depending on how their summer shakes out Pouliot could be one of their first call-ups next season.
Dallas Stars Re-Sign Nicholas Caamano, Scott Reedy
The Dallas Stars have announced contract extensions for two depth forwards: right winger Nicholas Caamano and center Scott Reedy. Each contract is a one-year, two-way pact.
Caamano, set to turn 25 before the start of next season, is a big six-foot-three forward who has shown flashes of offensive potential in the AHL but generally lacked consistency since turning pro from the OHL. The former OHL champion has scored 75 points in 191 career AHL games, while also racking up 194 career penalty minutes.
Caamano’s combination of physicality and bursts of scoring ability helped the AHL’s Texas Stars reach the postseason in 2022-23 and also turned Caamano into a viable option to be called up to Dallas, although he has just three points in 36 career NHL games.
With 227 combined games played at both the NHL and AHL levels, Caamano is set to cross the 260-game threshold this season which would mean he would no longer qualify as a “development player,” per the AHL’s rules.
As a result, this year is of particular importance for Caamano as he’ll need to show he can provide consistent value to his team in order for an NHL club to deem him worth investing a non-development player slot in during future seasons.
Reedy, 24, is a center who was acquired by the Stars from the San Jose Sharks in a midseason trade. He scored 10 points in 18 games for Texas and has 58 points in 111 career AHL games. Reedy is a big center who hasn’t scored a ton at the AHL level but does have a season on record where he scored 18 goals in just 38 games, showcasing some untapped offensive upside.
He and Caamano will in all likelihood be placed in top-nine roles for Texas but should be under consideration for NHL call-ups during the season, assuming they manage to be reasonably productive.
Latest On Ty Dellandrea Contract Talks
- Pagnotta reports that the Dallas Stars have “just started discussions” on a new contract for RFA forward Ty Dellandrea. Just 22 years old, Dellandrea is a valued leader in Dallas who took a major step forward this season. The 2018 13th overall pick followed up his strong 2021-22 AHL campaign by establishing himself as a full-time NHL player and scoring 28 points. The Stars’ cap situation might mean that a short-term deal is necessary here, though the Stars are obviously big believers in Dellandrea so a long-term pact wouldn’t be entirely surprising either.
Dallas Stars Sign Gavin Bayreuther
The Dallas Stars have signed Gavin Bayreuther, ending the undrafted blueliner’s three-year stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The contract is a one-year, one-way deal with a $775k cap hit.
The 29-year-old is an undrafted player who actually began his pro career with the Stars organization. He earned an entry-level deal in March 2017 from the Stars, and had a strong rookie season in the American league scoring 32 points in 71 games as the Stars made a run to Game Seven of the Calder Cup Final.
Bayreuther earned his first NHL call-up the year after and while he got into 19 games in Dallas he didn’t do enough to remain in the team’s plans for the following season.
He spent 2019-20 entirely in the AHL before signing in Columbus. The Blue Jackets have given Bayreuther a much longer look in the NHL than what he received in Dallas, and he’s played over 100 contests as a Blue Jacket.
He’s averaged bottom-pairing minutes in that time but did sneak onto the Blue Jackets’ penalty kill this season, averaging just under a minute played short-handed per game. Getting a one-way deal in Dallas is a nice reward for Bayreuther after a season where he played in the most NHL games of his career, and getting that deal from a familiar team is a valuable bonus.
Now Dallas gets a familiar face back to bolster their blueline at the AHL level while also serving as valuable depth for the NHL organization. While he’s unlikely to unseat a veteran like Joel Hanley as Dallas’ seventh defenceman, he’s surely going to end up a premier call-up option for head coach Peter DeBoer should the Stars run into defensive injury issues.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor League Signings 07/01/2023
On day one of the free agent market opening up, the league saw a grand total of 166 signings, with a whopping $646.4MM handed out over the course of 291 total contract years. This class of free agents was expected to be one of the weaker in recent memory, but the excitement still remained as quite a few players switched cities. In all the chaos, there were some minor contracts that were inked yesterday that may have slipped under the radar for most:
- The Montreal Canadiens signed defenseman Brady Keeper to a one-year, $775K, two-way contract. Keeper spent last season playing for the Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. He only managed to play for about half of the Canucks games, scoring one goal and five assists in 35 games. In the playoffs, although eliminated in the first round, Keeper scored one goal in two games for Abbotsford (CapFriendly).
- Defenseman Ryan Shea has inked a one-year, $775K, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Shea was a former fourth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2015, but never actually signed with the team, joining the Dallas Stars on an entry-level contract in 2020. The Northeastern University product played a combined 162 games for the Texas Stars of the AHL, scoring 10 goals and 56 assists (CapFriendly).
- The Washington Capitals signed forward, Pierrick Dube, to a two-year, $1.9MM, entry-level contract yesterday. An undrafted free agent last year, Dube joined the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. Dube played very well for the Rocket, scoring 16 goals and 16 assists in 44 games down the stretch. Still only 22 years old, Dube could factor into one of the top lines on the Hershey Bears next season, potentially even finding minutes with the Capitals in the near future (CapFriendly).
- Another depth signing for the Penguins, the team has added forward Joona Koppanen to a two-year, $1.55MM, two-way contract. Koppanen was originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, playing the majority of his career up to this point with the Providence Bruins. Last season, Koppanen did get his first change in the NHL, playing five games for the Bruins in January, tallying only one assist while averaging just under 11 minutes of ice time a game (CapFriendly).
- The Florida Panthers re-signed defenseman Lucas Carlsson to a one-year, $775K, two-way contract yesterday. The defenseman was acquired in 2021 from the Blackhawks in an early-April trade. Although playing in 40 games during 2021-22 for Florida, Carlsson spent the majority of last season with their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. In the minor leagues, Carlsson was one of the highest-scoring defensemen in the league, scoring 20 goals and 34 assists in 61 games (CapFriendly).
- Securing his first contract in professional hockey, the Edmonton Oilers have added defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer to a one-year, $845K, entry-level contract. A former fourth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes back in 2017, Hoefenmayer never played in the Coyotes system, eventually playing on minor-league contracts with the Toronto Marlies after finishing his junior career with the Ottawa 67’s. Hoefenmayer played quite well for the Marlies, scoring 11 goals and 27 assists in 65 games last season (CapFriendly).
- Returning back to North American hockey after spending the last two seasons playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, the Montreal Canadiens veteran forward Philippe Maillet to a one-year, $775K, two-way contract. Already 30 years old, Maillet has spent parts of his career with the Capitals and Los Angeles Kings organizations before finally making the jump overseas in 2021-22. In 66 games played for Metallurg last season, Maillet scored 22 goals and 31 assists (CapFriendly).
- The recipient of the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy from the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, Hunter Shepard, has signed a two-year, $1.55MM, two-way contract to remain with the Capitals organization. Shepard was sensational en route to the Hershey Bears winning the 2023 Calder Cup, managing a 14-6-0 record throughout the playoffs, carrying a 2.27 GAA and a .914 SV% (CapFriendly).
Seattle Kraken Sign Three Players
The Seattle Kraken have completed contracts with three players. They’ve signed winger Marian Studenic from the Dallas Stars, re-signed Coachella Valley Firebirds defenseman Jimmy Schuldt, and re-signed forward John Hayden. The terms for the players’ contracts are as follows:
Studenic: one-year, two-way, $775K NHL salary, $300K AHL salary, $325K guarantee
Schuldt: one-year, two-way, $775K NHL salary, $250K AHL salary, $275K guarantee
Hayden: one-year, one-way, $775K NHL salary
The 24-year-old Studenic comes over from the Dallas Stars, where he recorded three points in 19 games over the past two seasons. He’ll likely stay in an AHL role next season, where he’s been a marquee scorer: he notched 21 goals and 48 points in 67 games with AHL Texas last season. He’s a solid replacement in the Kraken organization for Jesper Froden, who played a similar role in the minors but departed in free agency for a role overseas in Switzerland.
Schuldt, a rather steady two-way defender in the minors, hasn’t yet appeared in NHL action with the Kraken but is a bonafide top-four AHL defender. The 28-year-old Minnesota product notched eight goals, 32 points, and a +22 rating for Coachella Valley last season in 71 games, all career-highs, while playing for one of the best teams in the league. The organization is happy to have him stick around as a reliable presence in their farm system.
Lastly, there’s Hayden, the player with the most NHL experience on this list at 247 games. After sticking in the NHL full-time for four seasons, Hayden found his way back to the minors for most of 2022-23, where his hard-nosed game translated into a solid amount of offense with 33 points in 47 games. He appeared in just seven games for the Kraken, scoring two goals, and he’s destined for the same role in the organization next season.
Matt Duchene, Sam Steel To Sign With Dallas Stars
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Dallas Stars are signing veteran forward Matt Duchene. NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports it’s worth $3MM. The Stars also announced a one-year, $850K contract for center Sam Steel.
Duchene was a late entrant to the UFA market after being bought out by Nashville earlier today with three years remaining on his contract. It didn’t take long for him to find a new home, however, as he joins a Dallas team that already has some strong center depth which should help take some offensive pressure off of him.
Last season, the 32-year-old took a step back offensively after putting up a career-high 43 goals and 43 assists in 2021-22. However, he still managed to tally 22 goals and 34 assists in 71 games for the Preds last year, good for second on the team in scoring which made it all the more surprising that Nashville elected to buy him out.
In a potentially more limited role (since it’s unlikely he’ll be averaging more than 18 minutes a game next season), those numbers are likely to come down, Duchene should still be able to provide solid value on this deal while giving them another above-average option at the faceoff dot, adding to a team strength.
As for Steel, he had a career year last season with Minnesota, collecting 10 goals and 18 assists in 65 games, providing the Wild with a strong return on a one-year, $825K investment. However, as the 25-year-old had arbitration eligibility, Minnesota elected to non-tender Steel, making him an unrestricted free agent for the second straight year. Technically, Dallas can control him through restricted free agency through the 2024-25 campaign but he would remain arbitration-eligible next summer.
Steel averaged nearly 15 minutes per night with the Wild last season and it’s unlikely that he’ll see that much ice time on a deep Dallas forward group. Instead, he might fit in on their fourth line with an ability to move up when injuries arise.
Dallas Stars To Sign Craig Smith
The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports the Dallas Stars are signing right wing Craig Smith to a one-year, $1MM deal.
This past season, Smith showed some significant decline whilst playing for the red-hot Boston Bruins. Much of that had to do with the over three-minute decline he saw in his ice time, and the general nature of Father Time. Before being traded to the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline, Smith played 42 games for Boston, scoring four goals and six assists.
Those offensive numbers are extremely tepid, but the defensive talent to his game did shore up some of his offensive inadequacies. At the beginning of last season, Smith was right on the heels of scoring 16 goals and 20 assists for Boston, as well as being one of the more hard-working players on the roster. After the trade, his time in Washington went about the same, scoring five goals and one assists in the last 22 games of the regular season.
In Dallas, with already a stacked forward core heading into next season, Smith could find himself regularly playing on the team’s bottom line, or also find himself a regular healthy scratch as one of the team’s extra forwards. Aside from that, with already so many talented wingers on the roster, Smith will have to improve his game quite considerably to find more playing time.