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Martin Hanzal Retires From NHL

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It’s been talked about for quite some time. Martin Hanzal has been considering retirement for quite a while, but he finally decided to retire from professional hockey, according to Arizona Coyotes’ beat writer Craig Morgan. The 33-year-old Hanzal was a solid forward for many years with the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, but back injuries cut his career short. He finished his career scoring 127 goals, 338 points and 574 penalty minutes in 673 career NHL games.

“It’s a little bit of a relief because the last couple of years I wasn’t sure if I’d play another NHL game or be healthy again so now it’s official: I am retired from the NHL,” Hanzal said by phone. “If I was healthy, I would probably still be playing, but after three back surgeries and especially after the last one, I just can’t do it anymore. I was doing everything I could after this last one and it took me a year to get back on the ice. When I went to see the doctor again, it was either do another surgery or be done playing. Even the doctor said, ‘We’re not sure another surgery will help.’ I still have a long life ahead of me. I don’t want to do another surgery when it’s not 100 percent sure it will even help.”

Hanzal was a first-round pick by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2005 (17th overall) and debuted with his team in 2007 and played 10 years for the franchise, who at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, served as a power forward, who gave the Coyotes’ much of their grit. After 10 years and with an expiring contract, the Coyotes decided to trade Hanzal at the trade deadline to Minnesota in 2017 for a slew of draft picks (which eventually netted Arizona defensemen Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Kevin Bahl – both since traded). Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to help much with Minnesota’s hope of a long playoff run as they were eliminated in five games that year. He then signed a three-year deal to sign with the Dallas Stars, but back issues allowed him only to appear in 45 games over that time before his contract ran out this past year.

Dallas Stars Re-Sign Landon Bow

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Saturday: The Stars have made Bow’s deal official.

Friday: Anton Khudobin isn’t the only goaltender sticking with the Stars. Dallas has re-signed free agent keeper Landon Bow, according to both CapFriendly and PuckPedia. Bow had lost RFA status when the Stars declined to extend him a qualifying offer, but the young goalie has opted to stay in Dallas nevertheless. He has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth the minimum $700K at the NHL level and $90K in the AHL. Bow will be an RFA once again at the conclusion of this contract (if he receives a qualifying offer that is).

Though his limited NHL numbers suggest otherwise, Bow is not exactly considered a current asset for Dallas and may never be. Those he was stellar in a pair of emergency appearances for the Stars in 2018-19, Bow’s AHL numbers are pedestrian. He is buried behind an elite NHL tandem and superior prospects in Jake Oettinger and Colton Point, making him no more than the fifth option in net for Dallas. In fact, though Point spent much of this past season in the ECHL, it would not be a surprise if he leapfrogs Bow this year, making the former WHL standout the third-string option for AHL Texas.

Of course, it never hurts to have depth in net and Dallas could do far worse than the 6’5″ Bow. With a goalie pipeline that is almost entirely bare beyond the pro level, Bow’s experience with the organization and willingness to play a depth role contributed to Stars’ decision to bring him back. Now the 25-year-old just needs to reward the organization’s loyalty by finally putting together a complete season in the minors and re-asserting himself into the prospect battle for NHL opportunities.

Dallas Stars Sign Denis Gurianov

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The Dallas Stars have reached an agreement with young restricted free agent Denis Gurianov, signing him to a two-year contract according to Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. DeFranks reports that the contract will carry an average annual value of $2.55MM. Gurianov was not eligible for arbitration.

There was a time not too long ago that Gurianov was one of the most disappointing prospects in the Dallas system. He was even made a healthy scratch in the minor leagues at one point, and seemed like he would never live up to the 12th-overall pick the team used on him in 2015. That had all changed by the 2020 playoffs, when the 6’3″ forward became a legitimate star for the team, scoring nine goals and 17 points in 27 bubble matches.

Gurianov had only 29 points during the regular season, but 20 of those were goals, leading the entire Dallas team. His quick-strike capacity and ability to get behind defenders resulted in a player that could change a game at a moment’s notice, and at 23 years old he still has time to polish the rest of his offensive game.

A two-year contract isn’t the long-term extension that some were expecting for Gurianov, but it does keep him in the organization and leaves him a restricted free agent when the deal expires. He’ll be arbitration-eligible at that point and will likely have a lot of leverage should his growth continue, but for now he represents a ton of excess value for the Stars.

The team still has Roope Hintz to sign, but the Stars have more than $4MM in cap space even while paying Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin close to $10MM each. That’s thanks to the strong contributions of young, inexpensive players like Gurianov and superstar defenseman Miro Heiskanen (who will need a new deal next offseason).

That leaves them a little bit of room for another addition if they choose, or they can continue to roll with basically the same group that got all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Central Notes: Dumba, Honka, Colorado

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The Minnesota Wild have been quite aggressive in re-shaping their roster this season, which includes adding Marcus Johansson, Nick Bonino, Nick Bjugstadt and Cam Talbot, while also re-signing a number of key free agents and eliminating significant cap space. However, one move that hasn’t happened yet was the expected trade of defenseman Matt Dumba.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that it might be a while before a trade for the blueliner is found. This is not the best time to find a trade partner with few teams ready to give Minnesota a significant return and a number of previously interested teams have already filled their need on defense. Russo suggests that one team that might still be interested is the Florida Panthers, who still need help on defense and have the prospects to make a deal happen.

Russo adds that he heard that Minnesota tried to pry Florida’s first-round pick from this year’s draft, who the Panthers used to select Anton Lundell, as part of a package for Dumba, which Florida rejected, but mainly because they wanted Lundell. Regardless, the Wild need to stay patient and hope it can find a match with Florida or any other team ready to get into the running.

  • The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) writes that Dallas Stars first-round pick Julius Honka, who didn’t sign as a restricted free-agent last summer and spent the season playing in Finland, is interested in returning to Dallas next season. The 24-year-old Honka’s rights are owned by the Stars until he turns 27, but despite demanding a trade last summer, he was forced to play in the Liiga and wasn’t necessarily a standout player there. Honka has played 87 career NHL games, but never was able to establish himself into the Stars’ defensive lineup. If he does opt to sign what would likely be a mininum-salaried deal, Honka would have to beat out a number of blueliners to get into the lineup, including Mark Pysyk, Taylor Fedun, Thomas Harley, Joel Hanley and Stephen Johns (assuming he returns to the team).
  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater (subscription required) writes that if the NHL is required to set up divisional bubbles next season as it is starting to look more and more likely that getting fans in the stands is looking less and less likely, then Colorado could be a likely candidate to host teams. In fact, Dater writes that he’s heard that the Pepsi Center, the Avalanche’s arena, is a leading candidate to be a host-city if the NHL opts to go that route, although it’s too soon to make a decision.

Dallas Stars Re-Sign Radek Faksa, Joel L’Esperance

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The Dallas Stars are bringing back a pair of restricted free agent forwards. The team has announced a five-year, 16.25MM extension with Radek Faksa. They have also revealed a new two-year, two-way contract with Joel L’Esperance, expected to be worth his qualifying offer of $725K at the NHL level.

There was some skepticism that Faksa would receive a long-term deal and significant raise this off-season, but that is exactly what he got. Playing on a $2.2MM AAV for the past three years, Faksa has failed to surpass his point total from the year prior to signing his previous extension. The 2019-20 campaign was especially disappointing, as Faksa recorded just 20 points after totaling 30 points or more in each of his three full NHL seasons. The two-way center also saw his defensive effectiveness slip this past season. Yet, none of this seems to matter. Faksa is still a useful player and Dallas was happy to keep him around, no matter the cost. Faksa is locked in to five more years with Dallas and will count for more than $1MM more against the cap with his new $3.25MM AAV.

While he’s a helpful two-way presence, handing Faksa a raise that his statistics don’t necessarily back up could come back to bite the Stars. The team still needs to re-sign RFA forwards Denis Gurianov and Roope Hintz, both of whom absolutely proved that they are top-six players deserving of significant contracts. However, they only have about $6.66MM in cap space remaining and Gurianov and Hintz alone would not fill out the roster. The Stars likely needed to get creative with the cap this off-season anyhow, but the pressure is now on to figure out their roster – before Gurianov or Hintz receive an offer sheet.

L’Esperance could be an affordable option to take on a roster spot for the cap-strapped club. The young center has played in 21 games with Dallas over the past two seasons and has been a productive player for AHL Texas. While he has yet to make much of an offensive impact in the NHL, experience and affordability could lead to opportunity for L’Esperance.

Stars Sign Mark Pysyk

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The Stars have added some veteran depth, announcing the signing of defenseman/winger Mark Pysyk to a one-year deal.  The contract will pay him $750K.  GM Jim Nill released the following statement about the signing:

Mark is a solid, puck-moving defenseman and gives us another right-handed shot on the backend. We feel that his skillset lends itself to how we ask our defensemen to activate and he will be a good fit.

The 28-year-old has played defense for the majority of his career but was moved up front to the right wing for most of last season.  Pysyk certainly made it work as he potted nine goals along with picking up nine assists in 58 games, good for career highs in goals and points.  He wasn’t exclusively on the fourth line either as he did play up in the lineup at times and logged nearly 13 minutes per game.

With the Stars, there’s a fit for Pysyk in either role.  With Stephen Johns injured for most of the postseason, there could be an opening on the right side of their back end if he’s unable to return to start next season which seems to be the early indication and that’s where they envision Pysyk for now.  On the other hand, with right winger Corey Perry a free agent, Pysyk could slide into his spot in the lineup as well.  Positional versatility can be very useful in the NHL and as someone that can comfortably play both defense and the wing, he could be an important role player for the defending Western Conference champions.

Sportsnet’s Nick Alberga was first to report that Pysyk was nearing a deal in Dallas.

Dallas Stars Re-Sign Anton Khudobin

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The Dallas Stars may not lose their playoff hero after all. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the expectation is that Anton Khudobin will sign a new three-year contract with the Stars worth $3.33MM per season. LeBrun relays the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $2.5MM
  • 2021-22: $3.75MM
  • 2022-23: $3.75MM

That will certainly settle the nerves of Stars fans who were worried about losing the goaltender that carried them all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, but it also means the team will be paying almost $8.5MM to a pair of aging goaltenders. Khudobin, 34, gets a bit of a raise over the $2.5MM he earned last season, while Ben Bishop is still under contract at $4.92MM for the next three years.

It also means that Jake Oettinger, who was selected in the first round in 2017, will have to wait even longer to get his chance at the NHL level. Oettinger is heading into the second year of his entry-level contract but will be an RFA before either NHL goaltender comes off the books.

Still, Khudobin clearly deserved a multi-year contract after his performance this year. Not only did he star in the postseason for the Stars, but he also led the league in save percentage during the regular season when he posted a .930 in 30 appearances. The career-backup is one of the best tandem options in the league and will now be paid like one.

Dallas meanwhile still has three important restricted free agents to sign, meaning their $10MM in cap space doesn’t leave much to spend on another free agent. Radek Faksa, Denis Gurianov and Roope Hintz are three of the most important players on the team and will all need raises at some point this offseason.

Dallas Stars Announce Playoff Injuries, Remove Interim Coaching Tag

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Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill has finally spoken to the media about the injuries their team suffered through the return to play, and it is quite the list. From Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, captain Jamie Benn was playing through a shoulder injury. Blake Comeau suffered a separated shoulder, Jason Dickinson suffered foot and ankle injuries. Radek Faksa broke his wrist, while Roope Hintz suffered an injured hip and fractured ankle. Esa Lindell and John Klingberg were playing through hand and shoulder injuries, respectively, while Ben Bishop had undergone knee surgery in May. Tyler Seguin, who perhaps took the most criticism for his play in the postseason, suffered a torn labrum in his hip and will be out for the next four months. Anton Khudobin, who played throughout and was the team’s playoff MVP, had surgery to relieve numbness in his hands because of a nerve issue.

Nill also announced that Rick Bowness will return as head coach and removed his interim tag. Bowness took over when Jim Montgomery left the Stars midseason and took the team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals despite this long injury list. He’ll return to try again, though it’ll have to be without his postseason star.

Khudobin, 34, will test free agency according to Nill, who explained that their cap situation couldn’t handle bringing him back at the price he is going to command. More than just your average backup, Khudobin proved that he can be the perfect 1B for a contending team looking for elite goaltending, even if he may not be able to handle the full load of a starter. In 30 regular season games he posted a pristine .930 save percentage and would likely have won the Conn Smythe trophy if the Stars had been able to find a way to win the Stanley Cup.

Dallas Stars Issue Qualifying Offers

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The Dallas Stars have issued qualifying offers to Radek Faksa, Denis Gurianov, Roope Hintz and Joel L’Esperance, keeping their rights in the organization. The team decided not to qualify Landon Bow, Tony Calderone and Josh Melnick, making them unrestricted free agents on Friday.

The four qualified players shouldn’t surprise at all, given their huge impacts on the team this season. Perhaps L’Esperance is the name that will be less known, but he has been so dominant for the Texas Stars of the AHL that he was always going to be retained. The 25-year-old undrafted forward has 55 goals in his last 112 AHL contests while also playing 21 games in the NHL over the last two seasons.

Bow, 25, is probably the biggest surprise among the unqualified, though only because of the lack of other options in the system. The undrafted goaltender has been a full-time member of Texas for the last three seasons but posted just an .895 save percentage this year. Colton Point will be ready to take over some of the load at the AHL level but unless the Stars add another NHL goaltender and leave Jake Oettinger in the minors, they’ll need to fill out their depth chart with someone. Perhaps Bow can be brought back on an AHL deal after the dust settles.

Offseason Keys: Dallas Stars

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The offseason is now upon us with the Stanley Cup being awarded earlier this week.  Having covered all of the teams that missed the postseason or were eliminated before the Stanley Cup Final, let’s take a look at the teams in that final matchup, beginning with the Stars.

The Stars managed to qualify for the seeding portion of the NHL’s Return to Play on the backs of solid defensive play and goaltending as only three teams scored fewer goals than they did before the pandemic hit.  While their offensive scuffling continued for parts of the playoffs, they were able to get past Calgary, Colorado, and Vegas before ultimately falling to Tampa Bay and did so with their backup goalie in net for the overwhelming majority of the postseason.  Accordingly, GM Jim Nill’s keys to a successful offseason largely revolve around taking care of his own players (while he waits on Rick Bowness to decide if he wants the full-time coaching job) rather than trying to make any significant splashes in terms of adding top talent from elsewhere.

Re-Sign Or Replace Khudobin

With Ben Bishop only able to make three playoff starts, Anton Khudobin was forced to carry the load.  While he had struggled in the undisputed number one role in previous opportunities over the years, he made the most of it in the playoffs, posting a 2.69 GAA with a .917 SV% in 25 games played.  He already was on his way to being one of the more intriguing unrestricted free agents between the pipes.  With this performance under his belt, he certainly has cemented himself as one of the top free agents available which is great news for him, but not so much for Dallas.

Bishop has been limited in recent years in terms of starts, making no more than 51 in any of his three seasons with the Stars.  Part of that is due to injury but part of it is also managing his workload.  He turns 34 next month and still has three years left on his contract.  Khudobin, a backup that is capable of playing more of a 1B role, was a perfect fit in that sense.  But now the Russian has a chance to command a cap hit that could be close to the $4.916MM AAV that Bishop carries on his deal.  With several other players to re-sign (more on them later on), they may not be able to afford to keep Khudobin, especially if they want to try to add least add another forward to give them a bit more scoring depth.

The good news for Dallas here is that there is no shortage of free agent options available and by all accounts, there are a few netminders available in trades as well.  But they’re not their first choice – they’ve made it clear already that keeping Khudobin is their priority – so if they have to pivot elsewhere, they will have other options to consider.  If they can find a way to keep Khudobin at a rate that works for them though, that’d be even better.

Work On Heiskanen Extension

Last season, Miro Heiskanen narrowly missed out on being a finalist for the Calder Trophy.  This year, he was even better before the pandemic hit before taking his game to another level for most of the playoffs to the point where he’d have been a strong candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy had the Stars defeated the Lightning.  With two years out of three now completed on his entry-level deal, he’s now eligible to sign a contract extension.  It’s safe to say that this is going to be high on Nill’s priority list.

There aren’t a lot of great comparable options for Heiskanen as, quite frankly, there aren’t many highly-drafted defensemen that have done what he has this early in his career.  The best options are probably Thomas Chabot (9.82% of the cap at the time of signing) and Aaron Ekblad (10.27%).  In current-year figures, that’s an approximate range of $8MM per year and $8.37MM.  For someone that can play upwards of 25 minutes a night (he logged nearly 26 per game in the playoffs) and contribute significantly at both ends of the ice, a price tag in that range makes sense, even with the cap being flattened out.  There’s no point in working on a bridge contract one year out from the deal being up; it’s a long-term pact or nothing.

Getting something done now would take the pressure off both sides for next season and give Nill some extra certainty of his 2021-22 cap situation which could come in handy depending on whether or not he’s interested in adding a player or two signed beyond next season.  It’s something that’s easier said than done but getting Heiskanen’s extension done sooner than later would be a big accomplishment.

Re-Sign Key Youngsters

The list of their restricted free agents isn’t the longest but each of their three young regulars present intriguing cases that will need to be addressed.

Radek Faksa’s bridge deal has come to an end and the center is now a year away from unrestricted free agency.  While his offensive game hasn’t progressed like they would have hoped, he has become a capable checking pivot at the very least that can still chip in with a few goals here and there.  He can opt for arbitration which would take him to UFA status next offseason so if Dallas wants to keep him on a multi-year deal, they’ll have to deal with this case before too long.

Denis Gurianov’s presence on the roster to start the season was uncertain after spending most of his first two seasons in North America in the minors.  By the time the pandemic hit, he led the team in goals with 20.  In the playoffs, he was even better with 17 points (9-8-17) in 27 games.  All of a sudden, he has gone from a player on the fringes to a key part of their attack.  Still, given the small track record, how willing will either side be to commit to a long-term deal?  A one-year deal could be the safer play here and would also give them a bit more cap room to try to add someone in the coming weeks.

As for Roope Hintz, he was their breakout performer in the 2019 postseason and carried that into this year where he had 33 points (19-14-33) in 60 regular season games before going quieter in the playoffs with just two tallies.  His track record is a little longer than Gurianov’s overall but they may not be willing to lock him up long-term yet either.  Both he and Gurianov aren’t arbitration-eligible so these could linger if not dealt with quickly.

It would be difficult for Nill to try to add to this group without knowing what these three will cost along with signing another goalie so getting these done in the near future would certainly be ideal for the Stars.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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