- The Dallas Stars have sent down a couple of depth players. Fredrik Olofsson and Matt Murray have been loaned to the Texas Stars. Both players were called up on an emergency basis yesterday to face the Chicago Blackhawks. Olofsson had three shots on goal and Murray served as Jake Oettinger’s backup in a 4-3 loss.
Stars Rumors
Dallas Stars Recall Fredrik Karlstrom, Fredrik Olofsson
Feb 20: Round and round we go. Karlstrom and Olofsson have been recalled once again.
Feb 19: The Dallas Stars have announced that forwards Fredrik Karlstrom and Fredrik Olofsson have been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars.
Karlstrom was originally recalled on February 16th, and played in two games for the Stars, while Olofsson was recalled yesterday to play in that day’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The pair flanked Stars fourth-line center Radek Faksa at the bottom of head coach Peter DeBoer’s lineup last night, and they each played limited minutes in their time on the Stars’ roster. After the Stars lost 4-1 to one of the NHL’s worst teams, it seems the Stars are shuffling their roster in order to get a different look in their bottom six.
Karlstrom, 25, heads back to AHL Texas where he’s had a solid sophomore season. After scoring 16 goals and 29 points last year, the 2016 third-round pick has picked up right where he left off, and has scored eight goals and 21 points in 40 games this year.
Karlstrom turned pro in 2021-22 after a successful final SHL season with the Vaxjo Lakers, where he scored 25 points in 51 games and helped his team capture the SHL championship. He’ll now head back to Texas to possibly step back into a top-six role, a role he’s occupied at times this season.
As for Olofsson, this reassignment ends a short one-day stay on the Stars’ roster. Olofsson already has 14 games played for Dallas this season and is averaging just under ten minutes of ice time per game in that sample size.
The former University of Nebraska-Omaha star is in his first season as a pro in North America, fresh off of an impressive two-year run with IK Oskarshamn of the SHL.
While he’s unlikely to be thrilled to have spent such a short time in the NHL, the 26-year-old has firmly established himself as a preferred call-up option for the Stars, and will likely find his way back onto their roster once again before the season concludes.
Stars Recall Fredrik Olofsson
The Stars have added some extra forward depth in advance of their game tonight against Columbus, announcing the recall of winger Fredrik Olofsson from AHL Texas. Dallas had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.
The 26-year-old is in his first season in North America after signing with the Stars as a free agent last May, inking a one-year, one-way contract worth the NHL minimum of $750K. Olofsson was initially drafted by Chicago back in 2014 but didn’t sign with the team, allowing him to become a free agent. He will once again hit the open market in July.
Olofsson has been up for two separate stints with Dallas this season, getting into 13 games. He has held his own in a limited role, picking up a goal and three assists while averaging a little under ten minutes per night on the fourth line. Olofsson has been a bit more productive in the minors, tallying five goals along with nine helpers in 37 contests. Knowing he’ll be testing free agency again in a few months, he’ll need to make an impact if he wants a shot at landing another one-way agreement.
Dallas Stars Recall Fredrik Karlstrom
The Dallas Stars continue to scroll through depth forwards in the organization, this time recalling Fredrik Karlstrom from the minor leagues.
The 25-year-old Swede played three games for the Stars last season but has yet to appear at the NHL level this year. Through 40 games in the minor leagues, the 6’3″ center has eight goals and 21 points but offers a big, defensively-sound option for the Dallas bottom six.
It’s been something of a revolving door on the Stars fourth line this season, forcing them to rely heavily on their top group. Marian Studenic and Denis Gurianov played fewer than ten minutes on Tuesday night in a loss to the Boston Bruins, and neither one contributed to the penalty kill.
To be an effective presence there, you don’t need 15 minutes and a bunch of offensive zone starts, but it’s been obvious that the coaching staff hasn’t trusted certain players this season. Perhaps Karlstrom can work his way into the rotation and change that.
Marian Studenic Returned To AHL
- Speaking of bouncing back and forth, Marian Studenic is on his way back to the Texas Stars today. The 24-year-old forward played fewer than ten minutes for the Dallas Stars yesterday, his third appearance of the season. As one of the few teams not currently using long-term injured reserve relief, Dallas can bank cap space between games by reducing their roster as much as possible.
Trade Deadline Primer: Dallas Stars
With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is just a few weeks 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.
Usually, when a team is leading an entire conference 50+ games into the season, there is more chatter about them adding significant talent at the deadline to go on a long Stanley Cup run. But the Stars, sitting first in the West with 70 points, are somehow usually still left out of the conversation.
Fans and media are focused on what the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, or Winnipeg Jets may be up to. Dallas slowly hides in the shadows with a team that could rival anyone in the league. Over the next few weeks, that could change, with the Stars emerging as one of the most exciting deadline teams to watch, given a reasonable cap situation and interesting prospect pool.
Record
30-14-10, 1st in the Central
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$1.15MM today, $1.64MM in deadline space, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2023: DAL 2nd, DAL 4th, DAL 5th, DAL 6th, DAL 7th
2024: DAL 1st, DAL 2nd, DAL 3rd, DAL 5th, DAL 6th, DAL 7th
Trade Chips
When the Stars traded a first-round pick for Nils Lundkvist in September, it removed their most significant chip for this season. Without a 2023 first to give up, it isn’t easy to get involved in some of the biggest deadline names. Bo Horvat and Vladimir Tarasenko, for instance, both returned first-round selections for the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues, with names like Timo Meier expected to do the same.
But the interesting side effect of adding Lundkvist was how it clogged the path for some other defense prospects in the organization. The assumption when Dallas let John Klingberg go last summer was that Thomas Harley would likely establish himself as a full-time NHL defenseman this season, taking some of the easy minutes that Klingberg had been given in the past. But Harley, the 18th overall pick from 2019, has spent the entire season in the AHL with the Texas Stars.
Lian Bischel, their 2022 first-round pick is even further down that depth chart, and will have a number of players to leapfrog before he sniffs NHL minutes. He isn’t even signed at this point, meaning there are still years until he makes an impact.
Either of these defense prospects could be flipped in a deal, given Dallas has five defensemen signed through next season and looks like a legitimate contender this year.
A forward prospect like Mavrik Bourque could be dangled, too, after his first minor league season has been just okay. That likely isn’t the case with Wyatt Johnston, who has made an NHL impact as a rookie and looks like a long-term building block for the group, or Logan Stankoven, who was recently ranked ninth overall among drafted prospects by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.
One interesting name is Denis Gurianov, who continues to frustrate the organization. The talented 25-year-old forward has moments of pure brilliance when he looks like a dominant NHL player. That’s how he scored 20 goals as a sophomore and nine more in the bubble playoffs as Dallas went to the Stanley Cup Final.
But his game is just rife with inconsistency, leading to regular scratches and just two goals in 38 games this season. The 12th overall pick from 2015 might be an interesting reclamation project for a rebuilding club, though it’s hard to see someone pay a premium for him at this point.
(As an aside, this isn’t the first time a big, talented winger has frustrated the Stars front office. After Valeri Nichushkin failed to score a single goal in the 2018-19 season he was bought out by Dallas, only to find an organization in Colorado that would patiently develop him into one of the best two-way forwards in the league. Gurianov certainly doesn’t look like that right now, but neither did Nichushkin during those frustrating years.)
Other trade chips: F Ty Dellandrea, F Christian Kyrou, G Anton Khudobin
Team Needs
1) Top-six forward: Even with the return of Jamie Benn as a top-end player and Tyler Seguin’s recovery from injury going better than many imagined, the Stars could still use a little bit of punch upfront. The nice part about this is the versatility that some of their players bring, meaning it could be any of the three forward positions they add. If Mason Marchment had brought last season’s scoring touch with him, this might not be an issue, and Johnston could be an internal option for more offensive minutes.
But adding a difference-maker from outside the organization seems the most likely outcome for Dallas at the deadline if they’re willing to part with the assets to get one.
2) Defensive depth: Defense? Didn’t we just finish saying how Dallas has a full blueline? Well, yes – but if the team isn’t comfortable with Harley as the next man up for this playoff run, it might make sense to add another depth piece. The kind of veteran player who can step in and give you 12-15 hard, mistake-free minutes is a valuable thing to have at playoff time, and if they aren’t making a big splash up front, Dallas might pivot to defense.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Dallas Stars Linked To Tyler Bertuzzi
Marek reported that the Red Wings are expected to set a high price for Bertuzzi, who scored 62 points in 68 games last season and plays the sort of rugged, physical game many teams covet. Marek called the price “something substantial” in his report. Teams such as the Dallas Stars, who are reportedly seeking a player to play next to Tyler Seguin on a more regular basis, Edmonton Oilers, and Tampa Bay Lightning were all linked by Marek as teams holding varying degrees of interest in acquiring the talented Red Wings forward.
Dallas Stars Reassign Marian Studenic
Feb 9: After just eight minutes of ice time, Studenic has been loaned back to the AHL.
Feb 8: The Dallas Stars have made a slight change to the roster, calling up Marian Studenic from the minor leagues. The move comes after Joel Kiviranta missed practice yesterday, and could indicate that someone is unavailable due to injury.
Studenic, 24, has been excellent for the Texas Stars this season, scoring 14 goals and 30 points in 43 games. If he appears in a game for Dallas it would be his first of the season at the NHL level, but 42nd overall, after appearing 16 times for them in 2021-22.
Claimed off waivers from the New Jersey Devils nearly a year ago, Studenic has been right on the fringe of NHL rosters for years now. With the right opportunity, it seems likely that he could secure a role in the bottom-six, though a team like Dallas may have their sights set a little higher given their Stanley Cup aspirations.
For now, he’ll serve as some organizational depth and try to force his way onto the fourth line with some strong play. Dallas is back in action tonight against the Minnesota Wild in a key Central Division matchup.
Stars Remain Patient As Deadline Approaches
- The Dallas Stars are in no rush to make moves and will wait to “get a feel for the market,” according to general manager Jim Nill in conversation with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Nill noted that injuries over the next few weeks could drastically impact the team’s strategy at the deadline, and so too could strong performances from young players in the minor leagues. Sometimes overlooked as a contender, Dallas currently leads the entire Western Conference with 66 points and a +40 goal differential.
All-Star Notes: Women’s Hockey, New Events, Luongo
The NHL will once again use its All-Star weekend to showcase some of the best and brightest in women’s hockey. This year will see five international women’s hockey stars join the Skills Competition: United States forwards Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight and Canadian forwards Sarah Nurse, Rebecca Johnston, and Emily Clark.
A trend began by Kendall Coyne Schofield’s participation in the Fastest Skater competition at the 2019 All-Star game, women’s hockey participation in men’s professional All-Star events has steadily increased since, mainly at the NHL and ECHL levels. The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian doesn’t believe this is confirmation that the five players will actually participate in the skills events, however, they will be involved somehow in the weekend’s events.
- Florida Panthers hometown fans at the All-Star game will see a familiar face: Hall-of-Fame netminder and Panthers legend Roberto Luongo. The only retired number in Panthers history, Luongo will suit up as the league’s “celebrity netminder” in the Breakaway Challenge. At last year’s All-Star Game in Las Vegas, the first Breakaway Challenge since 2016, women’s hockey legend Manon Rheaume and actor Wyatt Russell made appearances in the event.
- Lastly, the 2023 South Florida edition of the weekend will see three new events for the skills portion: the Enterprise NHL Splash Shot, Chipotle NHL Pitch ‘n Puck, and Discover NHL Tendy Tandem. The Splash Shot competition is a dunk-tank style target-based event with a twist: it takes place on the beach in Fort Lauderdale. The Pitch ’n Puck event is a hockey/golf combination, where players will compete using both hockey and golf shots to sink the puck (or ball) into a par-four hole. The Tendy Tandem event is all-goalie, with a tandem from each division competing as shooters and as netminders.