- Finishing off the list of paper transactions are the Dallas Stars, who have reassigned forward Matěj Blümel to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. It is the fifth time Blümel has been reassigned to AHL Texas in a season where he’s scored one goal in seven NHL contests. Since he’ll be 25 and won’t hit 80 career games by the end of the season, Blümel will become a ’Group 6’ unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
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Stars Rumors
Stars Reassign Matěj Blümel, Justin Hryckowian In Paper Transaction
- On just about every off day for the Dallas Stars this year, the organization has made a roster move and today was no different. Dallas announced they’ve reassigned forwards Matěj Blümel and Justin Hryckowian to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. Both forwards have frequently been taxi players for the Stars this season with the former scoring one goal and six games and the latter scoring one goal in five games. One or both of them are expected back on the roster tomorrow when Dallas squares off against the Carolina Hurricanes.
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Why Stars Haven't Placed Seguin On LTIR Yet
- Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News spoke with (subscription link) assistant GM Mark Janko to go over the reasoning for why Tyler Seguin hasn’t been placed on LTIR just yet which boils down to them simply not needing to do so. Seguin underwent hip surgery six weeks ago, a procedure that will keep him out for at least four months and Assimakopoulos notes that the team doesn’t expect him back at the four-month mark as he’s not expected back until after the regular season. With his absence, it’s fair to say that the Stars will be looking for some scoring depth between now and the March 7th trade deadline, especially if they eventually do move Seguin to LTIR to open up close to $10MM in extra cap space.
Dallas Stars Recall Matěj Blümel, Justin Hryckowian
Jan. 16: The team announced that Blümel is back up today as expected, but Hyry isn’t coming with him. He stays in the AHL while forward Justin Hryckowian, who made his NHL debut in Dallas’ final two games of the 2024 calendar year, gets another crack at playing time. Both are expected to play tonight against the Canadiens while Marchment remains out, and center Roope Hintz also sits after sustaining an upper-body injury in the first period of Tuesday’s win over the Maple Leafs, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Hryckowian averaged just 6:40 per game and went without a point or shot on goal last month.
Jan. 15: The Stars organization announced they’ve reassigned Blümel and his linemate, Arttu Hyry to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. Dallas doesn’t play until tomorrow night when they take on the Montreal Canadiens so both forwards should be expected back on the roster by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. It largely reads as a paper transaction allowing the Stars to accrue precious cap space.
Jan. 11: The Dallas Stars have recalled forward Matěj Blümel from the minor leagues. He is expected to serve as insurance with the Stars headed for back-to-back games this weekend, shares NHL.com’s Bruce LeVine.
Blümel was recalled for a spot start in the NHL lineup on October 19th. He recorded one hit, two shots, and no scoring in the outing. The game brought Blümel up to seven career games in the NHL, combining with his six games and one goal from the 2022-23 campaign. He’s otherwise been a standout in the minor leagues, standing as one of the Texas Stars’ top scorers in each of the last three seasons. He leads the team in goals (18) and points (32) through 32 games this year. He also led Texas in goals last season, with 31 in 71 games – but his 62 points ranked second behind Mavrik Bourque’s 77-point campaign.
Dallas is dealing with long-term injuries to both Mason Marchment and Tyler Seguin. Their absences have pushed Arttu Hyry into a routine role, and solidified Bourque and Oskar Back’s spots in the lineup. But Hyry only has one point in four games, while Bourque and Back have nine and 10 points in 35 games respectively. That meager scoring could make Blümel’s change-of-pace speed a valuable asset as the Stars look to continue their hot 7-2-1 record from their last 10 games.
Dallas Stars Listed As Suitor For John Klingberg
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, a few more teams have entered the growing market for defenseman John Klingberg. Dreger mentions that the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars have inquired about Klingberg’s market, but he believes the Edmonton Oilers remain the favorites to sign him.
If Klingberg eventually signs with the Avalanche or Stars it’ll likely be with the latter. Dallas is weak on the right-hand side of their defensive core and while it’s difficult to call Klingberg an upgrade on their options given his lengthy absence, he has a positive history with the Stars. In his eight years in Dallas from 2015 to 2022, Klingberg scored 71 goals and 303 assists in 552 games and was an effective powerplay quarterback for many of those years.
Colorado could use some help on the right side with Josh Manson dealing with a recurring injury but Klingberg doesn’t project as the right option for the Avalanche. The team already gets plenty of offense from their top defensive pairing and Klingberg was never a solid shutdown threat even during his prime years with the Stars. The Avalanche will surely inquire about nearly any defenseman making close to or at the league minimum salary but it would be surprising to see them ultimately sign Klingberg.
Latest On Mason Marchment And Tyler Seguin
Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment is expected to be out for at least a few more weeks (as per Sean Shapiro of DLLS Sports). Marchment needed surgery after he took a puck in the face in a game against the Minnesota Wild on December 27th. The 29-year-old continues to skate in Texas as he looks to return to the lineup, but his timeline will ultimately come down to his breathing as he will need to wear a cage when he comes back.
Marchment needed surgical intervention due to the fractures in his nose and facial area and there was a delay in even having surgery because of the swelling in the area.
Marchment was having a solid season prior to the injury, posting 12 goals and 15 assists in 33 games and was a fixture in the top six. The Stars initially used Evgenii Dadonov in Marchment’s absence but have moved on to Jamie Benn, who has filled in admirably in the top six, posting four goals and an assist in his last six games.
Shapiro also reported that Dallas forward Tyler Seguin could still be another five or six months before he recovers from hip surgery. The 32-year-old had surgery a little over a month ago to repair a left-side femoral acetabular impingement as well as the hip labrum. Seguin had tried to manage the injury before surgery and was even playing some of the best hockey of his career to start the season. But the wear and tear eventually made the injury unbearable, which forced Seguin to shut down and have surgery. Seguin had nine goals and 11 assists in 19 games, as well as a plus-14 rating.
DeBoer: Marchment Out At Least Two More Weeks
- In a recent appearance on The Ticket (audio link), Stars head coach Peter DeBoer indicated that winger Mason Marchment is still at least a couple of weeks away from returning to the lineup. He’s working his way back from a head injury that DeBoer specified were fractures in his nose and facial area. The 29-year-old was off to a solid start before getting injured, tallying 12 goals and 15 assists along with 44 hits in his first 33 games.
Mason Marchment Has Surgery, Ilya Lyubushkin Leaves Game With Injury
Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment required surgery after taking a puck in the face in a game against the Minnesota Wild on December 27th (as per Owen Newkirk of DLLS Sports). Marchment did not travel with the Stars on the five-game road trip that takes them to the East Coast and is still considered week-to-week.
Doctors had to wait for over a week to decide on how to proceed with Marchment because of how severe the swelling to his face was. Ultimately, they went with a surgical procedure, which likely means that the 29-year-old will be out for a few more weeks.
The Stars have several good young players they can call on to replace Marchment. However, it will be tough as he has been on a tear this season, posting 12 goals and 15 assists in 33 games, which ranks fourth in team scoring.
The Stars tweeted tonight that defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin would be doubtful to return to tonight’s game against the New York Rangers due to an upper-body injury. Nothing has been confirmed about the 30-year-old’s injury, but it likely occurred in the middle of the second period when Lyubushkin fumbled the puck in the corner of the Stars’ defensive zone and then took a hard hit into the boards from Rangers forward Sam Carrick. Lyubushkin fell awkwardly and was slow to get to his feet, he did not come out with his teammates for the start of the third period.
Alex Chiasson Announces Retirement
A long-time middle-six scorer is officially hanging up his skates. Originally announced by himself and then shared by the National Hockey League Players’ Association, Alex Chiasson is retiring after spending a few years off the ice.
The Dallas Stars drafted Chiasson with the 38th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft out of the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers program. Instead of immediately turning professional, Chiasson joined the Boston University Terriers for the 2009-10 NCAA season one year after they won the National Championship. Unfortunately, Chiasson would fail to reach the Frozen Four throughout his three-year tenure with Boston University.
He still became an effective playmaker at the collegiate level. He finished his NCAA career with 36 goals and 99 points in 108 games before signing his entry-level contract after the 2011-12 campaign. Chiasson started quickly with the AHL’s Texas Stars, scoring one goal and five points in nine contests.
Much of the next calendar year was spent in AHL Texas until Dallas recalled Chiasson in early April of the 2012-13 season to debut in the NHL. After scoring six goals and seven points in seven games to end the regular season, Chiasson became an NHL regular for the next decade.
Chiasson scored 13 goals and 35 points in 79 games during his official rookie season, which would be his last with the Stars. The following summer, he was acquired by the Ottawa Senators organization as a part of the return package for franchise icon Jason Spezza.
Although he became one of the better players from the trade for Spezza, his time in Canada’s capital was mostly disappointing. He finished his tenure in Ottawa with 19 goals and 40 points in 153 games before arduous contract negotiations led to a trade to the Calgary Flames in the summer of 2016.
After a solid year as a depth scorer for the Flames, Chiasson signed with the Washington Capitals for the 2017-18 season. He won his first and only Stanley Cup that year, scoring one goal and one assist in 16 playoff games for the Capitals.
It wasn’t until he joined the Edmonton Oilers that Chiasson experienced the most personal success of his career. During his time with the Oilers, Chiasson scored 42 goals and 78 points in 183 games, including a 22-goal campaign in the 2018-19 season.
Chiasson’s final game came on April 13, 2023, as a member of the Detroit Red Wings one year after spending the season with the Vancouver Canucks. He ended his career with 120 goals and 233 points in 651 games with another four goals and seven points in 37 postseason contests.
All of us at PHR extend our best wishes to Alex as he enters the next chapter of his life.
Stars Sign Oskar Back To Two-Year Extension
The Stars have signed center Oskar Back to a two-year, $1.65MM extension, the club announced Thursday. The 24-year-old was slated to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and, after signing a one-year deal to remain in the Stars system last summer, became eligible to sign an extension just yesterday.
It’s been a lengthy road to relevancy for Back, who Dallas picked up in the third round of the 2018 draft. After he spent his first three post-draft seasons suiting up in his native Sweden, he signed his entry-level deal with the Stars in April 2021, one year before his exclusive signing rights were set to expire.
Back spent the entirety of his entry-level deal in the AHL, where he slowly upped his offensive production en route to becoming one of the Baby Stars’ best two-way forwards. He posted 19 goals, 69 assists and 88 points in 196 games with a +29 rating over his three years on the farm, including a career-high 36 points in 59 games during the 2023-24 campaign.
With Dallas looking internally to find some cost-effective options for their bottom-six forward group, they re-upped Back on a two-way deal in June to keep him off the restricted free agent market. A strong training camp meant he avoided waivers and made the Stars’ opening night roster. He’s played in 31 of Dallas’ 36 games and hasn’t served as a healthy scratch since early November.
In his first NHL look, Back has been a fine fourth-line piece. He has a goal plus eight assists for nine points with a +4 rating, all the while averaging 11:17 per game and winning 55.6% of his draws. He hasn’t been particularly physical despite carrying a 6’4″, 203-lb frame, only recording 13 hits.
That lack of physicality hasn’t kept Back from recording strong possession impacts, though. His usage has trended defensive at 5-on-5, but the Stars have still managed to control 54.9% of shot attempts with him on the ice compared to 52.1% without him. He’s also received some fringe penalty-kill usage, averaging a tad over a minute per game shorthanded.
Back will now remain in Dallas through the 2026-27 campaign on an affordable $825K cap hit. It’s indeed a one-way deal, Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports confirms. Among players on the Stars’ active roster, 13 are now under contract for next season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.