Dallas Stars Loan Matej Blumel To AHL
Fresh off his first NHL call-up, but without playing his first NHL game, the Dallas Stars announced forward Matej Blumel has been loaned to the Texas Stars, their AHL affiliate. Dallas had recalled the young forward on Wednesday when they assigned forward Jacob Peterson to Texas, however Blumel did not get into any games with Dallas. No corresponding move was announced by Dallas.
Blumel, a fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2019, failed to sign with the team before their rights over him expired and ultimately he signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Dallas this summer. While he hasn’t had an opportunity to make his NHL debut yet, the 22-year-old has had an outstanding return to North America, notching five goals and three assists in a mere five games with Texas to start the season. Heading back to the AHL after the initial call-up might be disappointing for Blumel, but it will give him a chance to continue his development and provide Texas with a big-time offensive presence in their lineup once again.
A native of Czechia, Blumel first came to North America back in 2017, where he spent two seasons with the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks, turning in a dominant second season with 30 goals and 30 assists in 58 games. It was after that season that the Oilers drafted Blumel, but he opted to return to Czechia, where he played three strong seasons with Pardubice before returning to North America for 2022-23. Internationally, Blumel has represented Czechia on a number of occasions, including a fantastic eight points in 10 games at this year’s World Championships. Should Blumel continue to produce with Texas, just as he has every step along the way, he’ll almost certainly force his way into the NHL lineup soon enough.
Jake Oettinger Pulled From Game With Lower-Body Injury
A serious bit of concerning news came out of the first game on today’s schedule, with the Dallas Stars tweeting that netminder Jake Oettinger was questionable to return to their game against the New York Rangers with a lower-body injury. It’s not apparent when Oettinger suffered the injury, and he was replaced in the game by Scott Wedgewood with 13:37 remaining in the second period. Luckily for the team, he was healthy enough to return for the third period but did not play, staying on the bench while Wedgewood continued.
Snapshots: Gronborg, Heiskanen, Talbot
One of the names that used to come up every summer in connection to vacant NHL coaching jobs is Rikard Gronborg, former long-time coach of the Swedish national team programs. Gronborg has plenty of experience on this side of the ocean, after playing college hockey at St. Cloud State, coaching in the AWHL, and serving as an assistant in the WHL. For the last few years, his candidacy hasn’t been brought up for a while because of his commitment as head coach of the ZSC Lions in Switzerland, one of the most successful and popular teams in Europe.
Today, news has broken that Gronborg won’t be back with the Lions and instead is likely taking a multi-year contract with Tappara Tampere in Finland. However, the report out of Switzerland also states that if the NHL were to come calling, Gronborg’s new contract with Tappara has an out clause to let him pursue a North American opportunity. With seven World Championship medals, six World Juniors medals, and an Olympic silver, Gronborg has one of the most impressive international coaching resumes of all time. Whether that ever translates into an opportunity in the NHL remains to be seen.
- Miro Heiskanen is still listed as day-to-day for the Dallas Stars and isn’t expected to play tonight, he could be back on Saturday according to head coach Pete DeBoer, who spoke with reporters including Saad Yousuf of The Athletic. Without Heiskanen in the lineup against the Boston Bruins, Nils Lundkvist played a career-high 22:04. Lundkvist had never gone above 16:39 with the New York Rangers but has now matched or exceeded that in six of seven games with Dallas.
- Cam Talbot might be back ahead of schedule, according to Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith. As Claire Hanna of TSN reports, Talbot was on the ice facing shots today and is “certainly ahead of the timeline” that had been set for him. There’s still no clear date set for his return but they could still use him, with Anton Forsberg dealing with a minor injury of his own. On that front, Forsberg was back at practice as well and is expected to be the starter when the team takes on the Minnesota Wild tonight.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Dallas Stars
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2022-23 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Dallas Stars
Current Cap Hit: $82,358,333 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Ty Dellandrea (one year, $863K)
F Wyatt Johnston (three years, $894K)
D Nils Lundkvist (two years, $925K)
F Jacob Peterson (one year, $842.5K)
Potential Bonuses
Dellandrea: $537.5K
Lundkvist: $850K
Peterson: $82.5K
Total: $1.47MM
Johnston cracked the opening roster out of training camp and a decision on whether or not to burn the first year of his contract is fast approaching. So far, he has played well enough to stick around so his deal should stay on the books into next week when he passes the nine-game mark. Dellandrea is in a regular role this year after spending all of last season in the minors. He’s still a likely candidate to land a bridge deal and unless his production increases, he’s unlikely to hit his ‘A’ bonuses. Peterson, meanwhile, was a regular for most of last year but has hardly played this season which puts him in short-term bridge territory as well. His bonuses are games played-based and it’s unlikely he’ll max out on those.
Dallas paid a high price to land Lundkvist, sending a first-rounder in 2023 along with a 2025 conditional selection to land him from the Rangers. If he can lock down a regular role and be productive, he’s someone that could bypass a bridge deal while hitting some of his ‘A’ bonuses this season. That said, with some of the big-ticket contracts on the horizon, the Stars might have to go the bridge route with Lundkvist as well.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Luke Glendening ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Denis Gurianov ($2.9MM, RFA)
D Joel Hanley ($750K, UFA)
F Roope Hintz ($3.15MM, RFA)
G Anton Khudobin ($3.33MM, UFA)
F Joel Kiviranta ($1.05MM, UFA)
F Joe Pavelski ($5.5MM, UFA)
Potential Bonuses
Pavelski: $500K
Pavelski surprisingly had a career year last season at the age of 37, allowing him to extend his stay with the Stars. He maxes out on the games played bonuses at 50 but adding those achievable incentives gives Dallas some flexibility to roll those over to next year if needed. As long as he continues to produce on their top line, he should have a strong market next July if he decides to test the open market. Hintz is one of the big-ticket contracts on the horizon. This is the final year of his bridge deal and he’ll be a year away from UFA eligibility at that time. Another 70-point performance should push that asking price past the $7MM mark if not higher.
Gurianov has been hit or miss throughout his career to the point where it looked like it would be questionable for him to be qualified at $2.9MM. They found a way to make it work this year but if he has another season like the last few, he’s a luxury they likely won’t be able to afford. He has already been scratched once this year which isn’t a good sign. Glendening continues to be an elite player at the faceoff dot which will once again generate some strong interest on the market. It won’t be at the highest of salaries – something in the $1.5MM range might be his ceiling – but he should have several suitors to choose from if he doesn’t re-sign. Kiviranta hasn’t been able to find his scoring form from the bubble that landed him this deal although he’s at least holding down a regular spot in the lineup. That could help land him a small raise next summer but nothing substantial.
Hanley has been an ideal seventh defender for Dallas in recent years, someone that can cover minutes where necessary even after long stretches in the press box and is willing to play for the minimum. They’ll need a seventh defender at that price tag moving forward and it very well could be him.
Khudobin is in the minors but still is on the books directly for more than $2.2MM. At this point, they’re hoping for an injury to pop up somewhere where they can offload most of the deal. Meanwhile, he’ll be 37 next season. A one-year deal around the $1MM range is about where his value would be right now.
Signed Through 2023-24
D Jani Hakanpaa ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Colin Miller ($1.85MM, UFA)
G Scott Wedgewood ($1MM, UFA)
Miller struggled the last four seasons but his two before that showed some legitimate offensive upside which helped him land this contract. But if he struggles to produce on his deal, he’s going to have a hard time landing more than this on his next deal; if anything, his value probably would go down in that situation. Hakanpaa has shown that he’s capable of logging a regular role while being one of the most prolific hitters in this league. He didn’t have much of a track record when he hit free agency in 2021 but he will this time around. If he keeps up this type of performance, he could add a million on his next deal in a contract that would be similar to Radko Gudas.
Wedgewood opted to not test free agency to get some long-desired stability. He has bounced around in recent years, often spending time as a third-stringer. If he can hold his own as a full-time backup, he could have a chance to double this price tag in 2024.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Jamie Benn ($9.5MM, UFA)
F Radek Faksa ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Esa Lindell ($5.8MM, UFA)
G Jake Oettinger ($4MM, RFA)
D Ryan Suter ($3.65MM, UFA)
Benn’s contract has been a negative-value one from the moment it was signed. He’s still a capable NHL player but he’s better off being on the third line in an ideal situation. The typical going rate for that role is about a third of this cost. A few years ago, Faksa looked to be on his way to being a quality two-way center but over the last couple of seasons, his scoring has fallen off completely. If he can get back to the 30-point mark routinely over the next few years, he could get another deal around this price point. Otherwise, his price tag will be coming down.
Lindell has been a fixture on the top pairing for several years now although his usage is down in the early going this season. That stretch aside, he’ll be 31 when this contract is up and if he gets back to being a 22-minute or more player that can chip in with some secondary scoring, he could land a small raise on a long-term (six or seven-year) deal. Suter surprised some by getting four years from the Stars last summer and while he’s logging 23 minutes a night now, that will drop by the end of the contract. If he decides to stick around after this pact, it’ll almost certainly be a one-year agreement.
Oettinger’s contract was one of the more intriguing RFA ones that were signed this summer. With barely one season’s worth of games under his belt and no arbitration rights, his contract was going to be somewhat of a market-setter. This bridge contract was the obvious outcome (especially with their cap situation) and it’s one that sets up Oettinger nicely. He’ll be owed a $4.8MM qualifying offer and will have arbitration rights at that time. If he remains the starter for this time (a very likely scenario) and the salary cap is starting to go up by then (also a very likely scenario), Oettinger should be in a position to command at least $7MM on a max-term agreement for his next contract.
Dallas Stars Recall Matej Blumel; Assign Jacob Peterson
The Dallas Stars had one more chance to send Jacob Peterson to the minor leagues before he would need to pass waivers, so they took it. The team has assigned Peterson to the AHL’s Texas Stars and recalled Matej Blumel, who is off to an outstanding start in North America. Had Peterson played one more NHL game, he would have been waiver-eligible.
Blumel, 22, was an Edmonton Oilers fourth-round draft pick in 2019 but failed to sign with the team before his exclusive rights expired. That made him an unrestricted free agent and he decided to come to North America following two excellent seasons in Czechia. Through five games with Texas he has been one of the best players in the AHL, scoring five goals and eight points.
He’ll now get a chance to join a Stars team looking for some consistency out of the lower part of their lineup. Denis Gurianov was made a healthy scratch recently but several Dallas players haven’t been able to find a groove. Gurianov, Jamie Benn, Ty Dellandrea, Joel Kiviranta, Luke Glendening, and Radek Faksa have combined for just three goals on the year, putting a lot of pressure on the top six to carry the load. While Blumel may not immediately change things, a shakeup certainly can’t hurt.
Peterson could have potentially been that answer himself, given he scored 12 goals in limited minutes last season and had only played once so far, but this may be more about protecting the asset than anything else. There will be a time that he gets back into the lineup but for now, the Stars have made the switch, giving him a chance to stay fresh in the minor leagues before his waiver status kicks in.
Miro Heiskanen Out Tonight; Listed As Day-To-Day
The Dallas Stars will be without one of their best players as they take on the red-hot Boston Bruins tonight on the road. As announced by the team prior to puck drop, defenseman Miro Heiskanen is out for the game and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Heiskanen logged nearly 27 minutes in last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators, and it’s unclear when he suffered the injury.
Heiskanen has had a solid start to the season defensively, but he has just one point at even strength through six games (and none at five-on-five). He’s matched up back on his natural left side alongside Colin Miller, and together, the two-way play of the pairing’s been a big reason behind Dallas’ 4-1-1 start to the year. The third overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft finally has the spotlight to himself on the Dallas blueline with the departure of John Klingberg in free agency.
It appears the injury is short-term at this time, as the team has opted not to place him on injured reserve (at least not yet). In his place, Joel Hanley will draw in on the third pairing for his first appearance of the season, while Esa Lindell will move up alongside Miller.
Denis Gurianov To Be Healthy Scratch
The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin taking the top spot. While he was good through the first few years of his career, Dahlin has really taken another step under Sabres head coach Don Granato. Last season he set career highs with 13 goals and 53 points, and he’s off to an incredible start this year with five goals and eight points in five games. Dahlin became the first defenseman in NHL history to score in the first four games of a season and then broke his own record by scoring again on Saturday night.
- Denis Gurianov figures to be a healthy scratch when the Dallas Stars take on Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators tonight, as his inconsistencies have once again pushed him out of the lineup. Head coach Peter DeBoer spoke with Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News, explaining that Gurianov is “not a young player anymore” and will be held to the consistency standard that other veterans are expected to maintain. The 25-year-old Gurianov doesn’t have a point through his first five contests.
Texas Stars Make Training Camp Cuts
- Similarly, the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars, cut a handful of players from its roster. Forward Jordan Kawaguchi, defensemen Dawson Barteaux and Owen Headrick, and goaltender Remi Poirier were all assigned to the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. (link). Of note, Poirier, a sixth-round selection by Dallas in 2020, recently finished an impressive four-year stint with the Gatineau Olympiques in the QMJHL.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/8/22
With the deadline for opening rosters just a couple of days away, many teams will be trimming down their rosters this weekend. We’ll keep track of today’s cuts here.
Buffalo Sabres (via team release)
F Sean Malone (to Rochester, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via team release)
G Anton Khudobin (to Texas, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release)
G Sebastian Cossa (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via team release)
F Brad Malone* (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Markus Niemelainen (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
D Mark Friedman (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL) (via separate team release; has cleared waivers)
G Filip Lindberg (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Samuel Poulin (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
F Martin Frk (to Springfield, AHL)
F Matthew Highmore (to Springfield, AHL)
F Klim Kostin (to Springfield, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release)
F Nick Abruzzese (to Toronto, AHL)
F Joey Anderson* (to Toronto, AHL)
F Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (to Toronto, AHL)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Toronto, AHL)
D Mac Hollowell* (to Toronto, AHL)
G Erik Kallgren (to Toronto, AHL)
D Mikko Kokkonen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Bobby McMann (to Toronto, AHL)
D Marshall Rifai (to Toronto, AHL)
F Alex Steeves (to Toronto, AHL)
*-pending waivers
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Update On Jason Robertson
- One of the biggest contract sagas of this offseason reached its conclusion this week, as Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson signed a four-year contract to remain in victory green. In order to get there, it seems some compromise was required. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet speculated on the 32 Thoughts Podcast that Robertson’s camp had been eyeing an AAV “in the tens” on any max-term deal. Due a $9.3MM qualifying offer after his new contract expires, Robertson seems to have set himself up nicely to break into that range once this current deal expires.