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Alexander Petrovic

West Second Round Notes: Hintz, Tanev, Smith, Toews, Black Aces

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After not issuing an update in yesterday’s media availability, it is now confirmed that the Dallas Stars will be without Roope Hintz for Game 5, according to the team’s radio analyst, Bruce LeVine. Taking Hintz’s spot in the lineup will be veteran forward Radek Faksa, who has scored one goal in four games so far in this year’s playoffs.

Currently dealing with an upper-body injury, Hintz only managed to skate in 6:35 during the Stars’ Game 4 victory on Monday night, leaving the ice early into the second period. In his shift before leaving the game, Hintz was cross-checked on the right side by forward Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche. Seemingly laboring through the rest of the shift, Hintz would end up blocking a shot and then was once again cross-checked by Avalanche defenseman Sean Walker.

Although losing out on Hintz for Game 5 is a significant blow to their lineup, the team will not be without defenseman Chris Tanev or forward Craig Smith, as both were cleared to play this evening per LeVine (X Link). Similarly to Hintz, both Tanev and Smith sustained injuries in Game 4, with Tanev also joining Hintz in the locker room before the conclusion of the contest.

Other second-round notes:

  • On the flip side of the series, the Avalanche are expected to see defenseman Devon Toews return to the lineup tonight, according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN. Toews will return to the active roster after missing Game 4 due to an illness, and will now help Colorado stave off elimination for the first time this postseason. In eight playoff games so far this spring, Toews has once again been heavily utilized by the Avalanche, scoring one goal and five assists while averaging 23:46 of ice time per game.
  • Lastly, the Stars organization has recalled a trio from their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, after they were eliminated from the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs this past Sunday. Forward Mavrik Bourque, as well as defensemen Alex Petrovic and Lian Bichsel, will be joining Dallas as depth options for the time being. If the team sustains any more injuries in the coming days, Bourque is the most likely to enter the lineup as the 22-year-old is the recent recipient of the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL’s leading scorer.

Stars Recall Alex Petrovic, Derrick Pouliot

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The Stars have recalled defensemen Alex Petrovic and Derrick Pouliot from AHL Texas, the team announced Monday morning. In a corresponding transaction, the Stars returned forward Matěj Blümel to Texas to stay compliant with the 23-player roster limit.

Dallas summoned Blümel, 23, yesterday to optimize their accruable cap space limit before placing winger Evgenii Dadonov on LTIR. Blümel’s $925K cap hit was the highest of any player they had stored in the minors aside from defenseman Lian Bichsel, who is on loan to Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League. He allowed the Stars to capture their ACSL at $83.37MM, just $13K short of the salary cap.

However, defense is Dallas’ positional need with Jani Hakanpää and Nils Lundkvist sidelined with upper-body injuries. At least one recall on defense was necessary to avoid dressing 13 forwards and five defensemen against the Bruins for Monday’s Presidents’ Day matinee.

By swapping Blümel for an extra defenseman, the Stars have one backup in case of further injuries. If they want to carry an extra forward while Dadonov is on LTIR, they still can – they have $1.625MM remaining in their LTIR salary pool after executing today’s transactions. However, it would require moving Hakanpää to IR to free up a roster spot.

As such, one of today’s two recalls will make their season (and Stars) debut in Boston, likely Petrovic, who would replace Hakanpää as the only right-shot defenseman in the Dallas lineup with Lundkvist on IR. If so, it would be the 31-year-old’s first NHL game in over five years, last suiting up with the Oilers on Feb. 16, 2019.

Petrovic has bounced around the AHL since falling out of an NHL role, signing a pair of two-way deals with the Bruins and Flames before joining the Stars in 2021. He’s signed three straight one-year, two-way contracts to remain in the Dallas organization, clearing waivers at the beginning of the season in every occurrence and only seeing recalls to serve as a Black Ace during playoff runs in 2022 and 2023. Monday marks his first in-season recall as a member of the Stars.

The Panthers’ 2010 second-round pick played in 263 NHL games with Florida and Edmonton between 2012 and 2019, recording five goals, 45 assists and 50 points with a -10 rating and 360 PIMs. The Edmonton native struggled in his most recent NHL showing, recording only two assists in 35 games with the Panthers and Oilers in 2018-19 while averaging bottom-pairing minutes to complement a career-worst -15 rating and underwhelming possession metrics.

Petrovic has been a stabilizing force for the Stars’ up-and-comers in Texas, though, serving as an alternate captain since arriving in Cedar Park in 2021. Through 44 games this year, he has three goals, 13 assists, 16 points, and a +5 rating. He’s coming off arguably his best two-way season as a pro in 2022-23, when he notched a career-high 27 points in 71 games and a +34 rating.

The 30-year-old Pouliot will likely serve as Dallas’ seventh defenseman until one of Hakanpää or Lundkvist is ready to return. The eighth overall selection in the 2012 draft by the Penguins has, like Petrovic, settled into a consistent minor-league role at this stage in his career. However, he does have much more recent NHL experience, recording two assists and a -1 rating in eight games with the Sharks last year and posting four assists and a +6 rating in 11 games split between the Golden Knights and Kraken in 2021-22.

Pouliot signed a one-year, two-way deal ($775K/$325K) to join the Stars on Jul. 4, 2023, and passed through waivers unclaimed during training camp. He leads Texas blue-liners with eight goals, 23 assists and 31 points in 44 games.

Dallas Stars Extend Alex Petrovic

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In a press release this evening, the Dallas Stars announced that the team has signed defenseman Alexander Petrovic to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The deal will pay Petrovic a total of $775K at the NHL level, and $375K at the AHL level.

Petrovic has had an important role in the Stars organization over the last several seasons despite not playing a game in Dallas. In 142 games spent with the Texas Stars of the AHL, Petrovic has scored a total of 14 goals and 32 assists, providing a good level of leadership to an otherwise young roster.

Before landing in Texas, Petrovic actually had quite a consistent career spent between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. In the entirety of his career at the NHL level, Petrovic has played in 263 games, scoring five goals and 45 assists overall. It has been quite some time since Petrovic suited up at the game’s highest level, as his last game was with the Oilers back in 2019.

Due to the general health of the Stars’ defensemen, Petrovic hasn’t quite had the opportunity to play a game for Dallas. However, this summer, it’s expected that fellow-defenseman Joel Hanley will be leaving the Stars via unrestricted free agency, therefore giving Petrovic more of an opportunity as a potential call-up option next season.

Dallas Stars Announce Seven More Black Aces

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Dallas Stars radio announcer Bruce LeVine tweeted this afternoon that the club has announced seven more Black Aces that will join the club for the remainder of their playoff run. The Stars already announced this morning that they would be recalling Mavrik Bourque and Rhett Gardner from the Texas Stars, now they will have seven additional teammates joining them with the big club. Texas was eliminated from the AHL playoffs this past Sunday night by the Milwaukee Admirals.

Joining the Stars from the AHL will be forwards Oskar Back, Matej Blumel, Marián Studenič, and Riley Tufte. Defensemen Alexander Petrovic, and Ryan Shea will also join the fray, as well as goaltender Matt Murray. The Black Aces generally don’t dress for games; however, they do stay ready for action just in case. They will also practice with the club as well as soaking in the experience of being around the NHL playoff atmosphere.

The addition of Petrovic is an interesting coincidence given that in the 2017 Vegas Golden Nights expansion draft the Florida Panthers gift wrapped Jonathan Marchessault along with Reilly Smith to Vegas so they could protect Petrovic and three other defensemen. Marchessault has gone on to become the Golden Knights all-time scoring leader while Petrovic struggled to stay in the NHL and has spent the past four seasons in the AHL.

These Black Aces could have a short stay with the big club as Dallas can be eliminated as early as this evening should they drop game 4 to the Golden Knights.

Dallas Stars Sign Alexander Petrovic

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5:30 PM: The Dallas Stars have now officially announced the signing.

4:00 PM: While the Dallas Stars are currently searching for the franchise’s next head coach, that hasn’t stopped their front office from conducting some offseason business as well. With big negotiations for Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger set to come, the team has decided to take care of some smaller business first. Earlier today, the team signed pending restricted free agent Denis Gurianov, and now CapFriendly reports that the team is re-signing an important AHL defenseman: Alexander Petrovic.

Per CapFriendly, the team has signed Petrovic to a one-year, two-way deal carrying a $750k salary at the NHL level and a $350k AHL salary, which represents a $25k raise from what the Stars paid Petrovic at the AHL level last year. Petrovic, 30, is a veteran of 263 NHL games, and while he has never quite lived up to some of the potential he flashed as a Florida Panther, he has become a reliable AHL defenseman. Petrovic got into 71 games for the Stars’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, and notched 19 points. His defensive game was his calling card and the Stars found his leadership and experience value as well, represented by the fact that he served as one of the team’s alternate captains.

While we don’t know if we’ll see Petrovic skate in another NHL game, we do know that the stability his prominent role in Texas provides will likely give him the best chance to return to the NHL in the future. There’s always room for solid defensemen on NHL rosters, so this signing provides Petrovic with an opportunity for next year to prove that he belongs back in the league he’s spent much of his career playing in.

43 Players Placed On Waivers

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As teams begin to make their final camp decisions with the 2020-21 season getting started this week, the ramifications are apparent in today’s waiver wire group. All nine players from Saturday’s waivers cleared, but that is less likely to occur Sunday with a much longer list, including some more notable names. The following players have been placed on waivers today:

Buffalo Sabres
D Brandon Davidson
F Steven Fogarty
F C.J. Smith
G Dustin Tokarski

Calgary Flames
G Louis Domingue
F Byron Froese
F Justin Kirkland
D Alex Petrovic
F Buddy Robinson

Colorado Avalanche
F Kiefer Sherwood

Edmonton Oilers
F Adam Cracknell
F Seth Griffith

Florida Panthers
G Philippe Desrosiers
F Scott Wilson

Los Angeles Kings
D Daniel Brickley
F Boko Imama

Minnesota Wild
D Matt Bartekowski
D Louie Belpedio
F Joseph Cramarossa
F Gabriel Dumont
G Andrew Hammond
F Luke Johnson
F Gerald Mayhew
D Dakota Mermis
D Ian McCoshen
F Kyle Rau

Montreal Canadiens
F Brandon Baddock
F Alex Belzile
F Joseph Blandisi
F Laurent Dauphin
D Noah Juulsen
G Charlie Lindgren
D Gustav Olofsson
D Xavier Ouellet
F Jordan Weal

New York Islanders
F Joshua Ho-Sang
F Mason Jobst

Ottawa Senators
D Maxime Lajoie

Pittsburgh Penguins
D Kevin Czuczman
F Josh Currie
F Frederick Gaudreau
G Maxime Lagace
D Zach Trotman

Among the names likely to receive attention on the wire are a trio of intriguing young players. Defensemen Noah Juulsen and Maxime Lajoie and forward Josh Ho-Sang have all seen NHL action in the past and have shown promise but for different reasons are now available to claim. Juulsen in particular looked like a long-term permanent piece on the Montreal blue line, but vision issues brought on by head injuries knocked him out of the 2018-19 season after 21 games with the Habs and limited him to just 13 AHL games in 2019-20. The Canadiens clearly want to see him get in some game action before returning him to the NHL roster, but another club may have more faith in the young defenseman, who allegedly is back at full strength. After 56 games with the Ottawa Senators in 2018-19, including a hot scoring start, Lajoie was somewhat inexplicably reduced to just six games with the team this past season. A versatile all-around defenseman who has already shown in a small sample size that he can hack it in the NHL, Lajoie could certainly draw interest from a team more willing to give him another chance. Ho-Sang, a first-round pick of the Islanders back in 2014, is on the outs with his club. A future in New York seems non-existent for a player whose effort and attitude have been called into question. His limited action last season also doesn’t help his case.  Yet, Ho-Sang’s skill is apparent and that alone is a cause for pause for teams scouring the waiver wire.

As for a more polished possible pick-up, Jordan Weal leads the pack as a veteran of over 200 NHL games who has posted an 82-game scoring pace of 25 points or more in three straight seasons. Seth Griffith is also no stranger to being passed around via waivers and Frederick Gaudreau is coming off a career-high 55 NHL appearances last season and has strong scoring numbers throughout his AHL career.

This waiver group could also provide goalie depth for a team in need (see: New Jersey Devils). Andrew Hammond, Louis Domingue, Dustin Tokarski, and Charlie Lindgren are all veteran net minders with NHL experience who could provide some stability in net.

Calgary Flames Sign Four Players

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The Calgary Flames have brought in several depth players, re-signing Buddy Robinson and adding Alexander Petrovic, Byron Froese and Zac Rinaldo. Froese has signed a two-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $725K, Rinaldo has inked a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K, Robinson has signed a one-year, one-way contract worth $700K and Petrovic’s contract details have not yet been released.

In fact, Petrovic hasn’t been an effective option in the NHL since the 2017-18 season. Once a regular in the Florida Panthers lineup, he suited up just 37 times between Florida and Edmonton in 2018-19 and then spent the entire 2019-20 season with the Providence Bruins. Still just 28, he’ll serve as minor league depth for the Flames next year.

Robinson meanwhile is a veteran AHL scorer, who put up 32 points in 45 games this season for the Stockton Heat. He did get into five games at the NHL and even played in a playoff game for Calgary, but is not expected to spend much time at the highest level.

Boston Bruins Waive Steven Kampfer

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Monday: Kampfer and T.J. Tynan, who was also placed on waivers, have cleared according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Both can now be sent to the minor leagues.

Sunday: In an inevitable move, the Boston Bruins have announced today that veteran defenseman Steven Kampfer has been placed on waivers. The team hopes that he will clear waivers and can be reassigned to AHL Providence, but the team is taking a risk by exposing the ten-year pro. Kampfer has been held scoreless in four games so far this year, but recorded six points in 35 games with Boston last year and added another point in three playoff games.

The decision to waive Kampfer was inevitable not due to his play, but due to the roster crunch in Boston. Kampfer, who began his career with the Bruins back in 2010, returned to the team before last season as part of the return from the New York Rangers in exchange for Adam McQuaid. Kampfer was seen by many as a throw-in, but ended up playing a crucial role in 2018-19. Beginning the year as the team’s eighth defenseman, Kampfer was the only one of that eight who did not miss time due to injury in a season that featured 12 different defensemen for Boston. Kampfer was also the only one of those 12 who was not under team control beyond the end of the year. That changed in June, when the Bruins first move after the Stanley Cup Final was to re-sign Kampfer to a two-year, $1.6MM deal. The length and non-minimum value of the deal was a nice reward and promise of commitment for Kampfer’s hard work that season.

However, the contract was likely also created with impending waiver exposure in mind. The Bruins knew that with seven bona fide NHL defenders under contract – Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, John Moore, Matt Grzelcyk, and Kevan Miller – and the emergence of Connor Clifton as an NHL option, the odds that Kampfer could stick on the NHL roster all year was slim. They hoped that the extended term or slightly higher cap hit could dissuade teams from claiming Kampfer to serve in that same valuable depth role. Last week, when Clifton lost his waiver exemption and Moore returned from injury, it became clear that this theory would soon be tested.

With Miller still working toward a return to health, top defensive prospect Urho Vaakanainen playing well in a recent NHL stint, and veteran Alexander Petrovic excelling in Providence, the Bruins could survive the loss of Kampfer if he was to be claimed. However, the team could potentially need him more next year, after the likely free agent departures of Miller and Petrovic and possible retirement of Chara. Kampfer’s hard-working style and defensive awareness paired with considerable experience makes him a valuable asset, even if he is not getting regular ice time. For that reason, more than a few teams will entertain making a claim, especially contenders with depth concerns on the blue line. The Bruins can only hope that the other 30 teams decide he is not worthy of an NHL roster spot, even though the defending Eastern Conference champs proved otherwise last year.

Boston Bruins Sign Alex Petrovic

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When the waiver list came out today, an interesting name was listed under the Boston Bruins section. That name was Alexander Petrovic, who had been in Bruins’ training camp on a professional tryout. Being placed on waivers indicated that the Bruins had signed the defenseman, and indeed CapFriendly has confirmed the one-year, two-way contract. Petrovic will carry a $700K cap hit in the NHL, though he is ticketed for the Providence Bruins after waivers process tomorrow.

Petrovic, 27, played just 35 games last season split between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, recording two points. Originally a second-round pick by the Panthers in 2010, his game has deteriorated in recent years after previously being a full-time option for the team. In 263 regular season games he has just 50 points, but will still provide plenty of experience and depth for the Bruins should they run into injury trouble.

You can bet that the Bruins wouldn’t want him in the lineup on a nightly basis, but adding a player with that much NHL experience for a minimum salary basically comes with zero risk. It does however take them another slot closer to the 50-contract limit, as they now sit at 48.

Kevan Miller Confirmed To Miss Start Of Season

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Last month, the Boston Bruins revealed that defenseman John Moore would miss the beginning of the regular season due to off-season shoulder surgery. At the time, they also mentioned that Kevan Miller was also at risk of missing the start to the year while continuing to recover from a fractured knee cap. The team has now followed that up with confirmation that Miller will not participate in the preseason and will not be ready to begin the season, per NBC Sports Boston.

Miller, 31, struggled through a litany of injuries last season that caused him to miss 43 regular season games and the Bruins’ entire playoff run. It was the fractured knee cap that cost him the stretch run and postseason and severely limited his off-season training. GM Don Sweeney stated that Miller is not even ready to begin skating with the team yet and is a ways away from a return at this point. Even once he is healthy, one has to question what Miller’s role will be in Boston moving forward. The physical rearguard was clearly slowed by his injuries when active last season, recording just seven assists, playing a less intense style in his own end and, as a result, logging his lowest average ice time since his rookie season. Given his injury history and continuing concerns, the Bruins extended fellow righties Connor Clifton and Steven Kampfer to multi-year deals this off-season, while the newly extended Charlie McAvoy and yet-to-be-signed Brandon Carlo are clearly the future on the right side of the blue line. Entering a contract year, it seems unlikely that Miller has a future in Boston and could find it hard to earn starts and ice time over his potential 2020-21 replacements once he returns.

While Miller and Moore are out, the Bruins’ depth should be capable of shouldering the burden. McAvoy is back under contract and the team will likely move on Carlo soon. In fact, Sweeney mentioned that the absences of Miller and Moore could allow the Bruins to employ Long-Term Injured Reserve if necessary to sign Carlo. Those two plus Clifton and Kampfer give the Bruins good options on the right side. On the left side, captain Zdeno Chara has faced his own injury concerns this off-season, but it is looking optimistic for a healthy start to the season. Torey Krug, Matt Grzelcyk, and numerous promising minor league prospects provide options behind him as well. The team will also host Alex Petrovic on a PTO in camp, who would provide even more stability as an experienced stay-at-home defenseman. Whoever returns earlier from injury between Miller and Moore will likely have a leg up in winning back regular play time, while the other could struggle to carve out a role. The four years remaining on Moore’s contract do give him an advantage over Miller though, again putting into question the immediate future of the injury-prone veteran.

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