Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Curtis McKenzie

Dallas Stars Ink Justin Dowling To Two-Year Extension

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Dallas Stars have signed forward Justin Dowling to a two-year, two-way contract extension, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski. The 28-year-old, who is the captain of the Texas Stars of the AHL, will get $750K in the NHL, while getting $375K in the AHL.

Dowling, who has played 398 games with the Texas Stars in the AHL so far in his career, was a member of the 2014 Calder Cup Champion team as well as the team that went to the Calder Cup finals last season. Considered to be a hard-worker, Dowling went undrafted in 2011 and had trouble early getting a job, spending a lot of time proving himself in the ECHL before finally getting a shot with the Texas Stars where he’s been a workhorse and leader for the franchise, receiving the captain status at the start of this season after Texas lost Curtis McKenzie to the Vegas Golden Knights in free agency.

Dowling then signed his first NHL deal two years ago, back in 2017, where he is making $650K and $250K this season in the minors. The AHL veteran has scored 13 goals and tallied 47 points in 54 games with Texas this season, but also has gotten some NHL time as well as he has appeared in six games for Dallas.

 

Injury Notes: Tuch, Johns, Hayton

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Although the nature of his injury remains a complete mystery, Vegas Golden Knights forward Alex Tuch is headed to the injured reserve. The team announced this evening that the young power forward has been placed on IR, but did not add any further detail to the release. Tuch’s unavailability paired with the recent demotions of Daniel Carr and Curtis McKenzie leaves the Knights with just twelve healthy forwards and an open roster spot heading into their opener, indicating that the team will soon name a replacement to the roster, likely a recall from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Meanwhile, Tuch is eligible to return on October 8th, when Vegas travels to his hometown Buffalo Sabres. The Golden Knights will try to get Tuch back to full strength as soon as possible, as the 22-year-old recorded 37 points in his first full NHL season last year and appears primed for a breakout campaign in 2018-19.

  • The Dallas Stars clarified the status of defenseman Stephen Johns today, while also shedding light on their recent acquisition of fellow right-handed defenseman Connor Carrick. Sportsday’s Matthew DeFranks writes that Johns has been dealing with post-traumatic headaches over the past few weeks and the condition has landed him on the injured reserve. While head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that Johns could return to practice as soon as Wednesday – he has only practiced once since September 16th – but there is no timeline for his return to game action. The team will likely take it slow while Johns works through a sensitive diagnosis and in the meantime Carrick can help to pick up the slack. Johns was one of Dallas’ more consistent blue liners last season and the team will welcome him back when he is ready to go. Outside of Johns and forward Valeri Nichushkin, out day-to-day with a lower body injury, the Stars have had good luck with injuries in camp and enter the regular season with a solid depth chart of healthy players.
  • Last week, we noted that the Arizona Coyotes had reached the maximum of 50 contracts for the organization and had technically exceeded the limit with entry-level contracts for Barrett Hayton and Pierre-Olivier Joseph. However, the two youngsters were expected to be returned to juniors which would discount their contracts against the limit. While Joseph has returned to the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders, Hayton has in fact been officially named to the opening night roster, the team announced. How does such a move work? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Hayton will not count against the contract limit until he has played in the minimum ten games for his contract to toll. As such, Hayton’s stay in the desert could be predetermined to just a short nine-game stint. However, if he wins a long-term spot on the roster, the Coyotes will be pressed to trade away one or more players under contract to make space. Why give Hayton this chance considering their roster inflexibility? Arizona is currently dealing with a laundry list of injuries, with Alex Galchenyuk, Christian Dvorak, and Josh Archibald on injured reserve and Nick Merkley additionally sidelined. The recent first-round pick may present the best opportunity in the system to make up for these losses.

2018-19 Season Primer: Dallas Stars

at CDT | by 2 Comments

With the NHL season now less than a week away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Next up is a look at the Dallas Stars.

Last Season: 42-32-8 record (92 points), sixth in the Central Division (missed the playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $4,445,835 per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Blake Comeau (free agent, Colorado), F Erik Condra (free agent, Tampa Bay), D Joel Hanley (free agent, Arizona), G Anton Khudobin (free agent, Boston), F Michael Mersch (free agent, Los Angeles), D Roman Polak (free agent, Toronto).

Key Subtractions: D Andrew Bodnarchuk (free agent, Red Bull Munchen, DEL), F Brian Flynn (free agent, St. Louis), D Dan Hamhuis (free agent, Nashville), G Mike McKenna (free agent, Ottawa), F Curtis McKenzie (free agent, Vegas), D Greg Pateryn (free agent, Minnesota), F Antoine Roussel (free agent, Vancouver),

[Related: Stars Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F Tyler Seguin — The Stars have placed all their faith in Seguin to lead the team to the playoffs and beyond this summer when they signed the 26-year-old to an eight-year, $78.8MM extension this summer. While that $9.85MM AAV doesn’t kick in until the 2019-20 season, the team hopes that Seguin is finally ready to take that next step as an NHL elite player.

The center did post a 40-goal season for the first time in his career, but he has only surpassed 80 points once in his career. While he is expected to man the top line once again alongside veteran Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov, the team hopes he can take that next step and be a consistent 80 or 90-point player the team truly needs.

Key Storyline: What the team needs more than anything is secondary depth at forward. While the first line was impressive offensively, the remaining lines were the opposite of that as few players stepped up and showed they can score goals. The team had hopes last year that players such as Radek Faksa, Brett Ritchie, Jason Spezza and Martin Hanzal would make up the remaining bulk of the scoring, but none of them did. While Faksa’s defensive game took big strides, he still posted just 33 points last season. Ritchie was even worse, posting just seven goals and 14 points. Spezza’s game went down as well, going from 50 points in 2016-17 to 26 points last year, while Hanzal struggled with injuries all season.

This year, the team has hopes that they can get a solid return from 23-year-old Valeri Nichushkin, who played the last two years in the KHL, and now returns. They still hope Spezza can bounce back, while the team has high hopes that Mattias Janmark, Faksa, Tyler Pitlick and Comeau can increase that scoring. Whether that will happen is questionable as Nichushkin put up very pedestrian numbers in the KHL while he was away, so assuming he posts big numbers seems unlikely, while the 35-year-old Spezza will have to prove that the game hasn’t passed him by.

Overall Outlook: While the goaltending seems to be more solidified as the team replaced backup Kari Lehtonen with Khudobin, who should be a better stopgap if starter Ben Bishop goes down with another inconvenient injury and a much stronger defense with the addition of 19-year-old Miro Heiskanen and a more confident Julius Honka, the team has a solid defense behind him. Add in a new coach in Jim Montgomery, the team has a lot of promise, but where that offense will come from is a question that the team will have to prove if they have any chance in competing in a very competitive Central Division.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What To Expect From Tomas Tatar In 2018-19

at CDT | by 2 Comments

A seemingly innocuous interview with Vegas Golden Knights free agency prize Paul Stastny actually ended up revealing quite a lot about the strange state of one of his new teammates. SinBin’s Ken Boehlke writes that Stastny, while appearing on the Golden Knight’s podcast, was asked who he believes his line mates could be this season. His answer: Alex Tuch and Erik Haula. Stastny made no mention of Vegas’ big trade deadline acquisition, Tomas Tatar, and Boehlke infers that this could mean trouble for the young forward moving forward.

If Stastny’s prediction proves true, then he, Tuch, and Haula would join the surefire top line of William Karlsson between Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith in the Knights’ top six. That would leave Tatar with a bottom-six role and Vegas is not exactly shaping up to have an offensively inclined group in that bottom half. Tatar will be joined by veteran grinders Ryan Reaves, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and William Carrier who all seem slotted for a fourth line role. That would leave Tatar with Cody Eakin and one of a number of prospects or fringe players on the third line. Among the candidates are Oscar Lindberg, Tomas Nosek, Ryan Carpenter, Daniel Carr, Tomas Hyka, and Curtis McKenzie. None of that group truly inspires confidence as the final piece of the line with Tatar and Eakin. This begs the question: what role does Tatar have on this team?

Even if you don’t put much stock in Stastny’s comments, there is no doubting that Tatar has been less than impressive since being traded to Vegas from the Detroit Red Wings. The three-time 45+ point scorer only registered six points in 20 games down the stretch for the Knights and was a frequent healthy scratch in the postseason, adding just two points in eight games. Tatar is a strong possession player who has proven to be a capable goal scorer in the past, but lacks the two-way game to make a living in a checking role. At $5.3MM, in addition to the trade cost of three high draft picks, it is hard to imagine that Vegas wants to play him in that role either. Tatar needs to find a fit on this roster, either on the second line with Stastny or as a transformative presence on the third line. The Golden Knights are far more shallow up front this season than they were last year and can hardly afford to deal with ineffective or inconsistent play from their biggest trade investment to date. If Tatar does struggle, he may easily wind up wearing out his welcome with the Knights as he did with the Red Wings.

Golden Knights Re-Sign Lagace, Sign Fucale And Carr

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Vegas Golden Knights are keeping the goalie pipeline well-stocked and continue to add competition at forward. As beat writer David Schoen details, winger Daniel Carr and goaltender Zach Fucale join Paul Stastny, Nick Holden, and Curtis McKenzie as newcomers to Vegas. Keeper Maxime Lagace has also re-signed with the team on a one-year, two-way deal worth $650K. Carr signed a one-year, one-way deal worth $750K, while terms for Fucale have not yet been disclosed.

Carr and Fucale are coming over from the Montreal Canadiens organization, and should help to fill out the roster for the Chicago Wolves. Vegas won’t have the luxury of the St. Louis Blues sending their prospects to the Wolves any longer, meaning Vegas needed to add some players to the roster. Fucale gives them another goaltending option, though the 23-year old still hasn’t been able to find much consistency since turning pro. Last season he posted just an .890 save percentage for Laval. Carr on the other hand made a mark for the Canadiens, scoring 16 points in 38 games. That production may give him a chance at the Vegas roster, though it’s obviously not a guarantee.

Lagace made his NHL debut for the Golden Knights this year, filling in while the team was dealing with multiple injuries. In 17 games he posted just an .867 save percentage, but did enough to keep the team afloat through the early part of the season. They’ve rewarded him with another year, though it would be need to be another dire situation to see him in the NHL.

Golden Knights Sign Forward Curtis McKenzie

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Vegas Golden Knights add another name to the mix up front, signing former Dallas Stars forward Curtis McKenzie. Sportsnet’s Rich Dhaliwal reports that it is a two-year, $1.5MM contract for the high-scoring AHLer. At just $750K AAV, McKenzie should compete for a regular job next season as an affordable depth option.

The 27-year-old already has some NHL experience as he has played in 99 games so far in his career, including 53-game season for the Stars during the 2016-17 season in which he tallied six goals and 16 points. However, he was not able to crack Ken Hitchcock’s rotation last year, spending the majority of his season with the Texas Stars where he posted 25 goals and 48 points, including being a major factor in the Texas Stars’ playoff run that got them to the Calder Cup Finals. He tallied 11 goals and 20 points in 22 playoff games.

The AHL veteran will have a tough time winning a spot on the Golden Knights bottom-six, but will be a great depth option as well as beef up their minor-league system as the one-year expansion team still has much work to add to their prospect pool.

AHL Success Found On Different Paths For Toronto, Dallas

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The AHL Calder Cup Finals could be determined tomorrow night as Toronto takes a 3-2 series lead into the final game in Texas. The Marlies are coming off a powerful 6-2 victory in Game 5, and will count on goaltender Garrett Sparks to try to take them home with a league championship. The Stars could easily be up in the series if a few more bounces had gone their way, showing just how close the two teams are.

Interestingly though, they are built very differently. While Toronto is relying on youth and inexperience to create wave after wave of attack, Texas is squeezing some incredible hockey out of some veteran talent. The Marlies (and the whole league) for instance, are led in scoring by the 23-year old Andreas Johnsson who has 20 points in 14 playoff games after re-joining the team following the Maple Leafs’ first-round exit. The seventh-round pick has developed into an elite offensive player at the minor league level, and is expected to take a full-time role on the Maple Leafs next season.

On Johnsson’s top line is the 24-year old AHL rookie Miro Aaltonen and 20-year old Carl Grundstrom, who has now played more minor league playoff games than regular season contests. Both have 12 points in 18 games, but have looked even more dangerous since Johnsson’s return. Second in Marlies scoring is Trevor Moore, the 23-year old NCAA signing that has suddenly turned from AHL afterthought to postseason sensation. It seemed unlikely that Moore had much of an NHL career path, but the Maple Leafs may have to reconsider after an outstanding playoffs.

The Stars on the other hand are using their veteran experience to keep the series close. Captain Curtis McKenzie is second in playoff scoring with 19 points in 20 games, and leafs all players with 10 goals. The 27-year old has been a part-time NHL player for Dallas the past few seasons, but has always found great success in the minor leagues. He’s joined near the top of the leaderboard by 27-year old Justin Dowling, 29-year old Brian Flynn and 34-year old Travis Morin, all former NHL players who have plenty of experience in the minor leagues. The Stars were extremely well prepared for the Marlies when the series started, and have caught their young defense corps several times playing a little overly aggressive.

It’s not like the Stars don’t have youth on their roster, or that the Marlies don’t have experienced AHL players. But there is a clear divide in the top producers from each club, something that will be interesting to follow as the series gets back underway tomorrow night. If anyone can stay calm and stave off elimination, a group of veteran players who have seen it all would be a good bet. McKenzie and his club will have a tough test corralling the youth of the Marlies though, as the NHL has learned with the Maple Leafs young group over the last few seasons.

Free Agent Focus: Dallas Stars

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Dallas’ free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Mattias Janmark — No one was sure how Janmark would respond after missing the 2016-17 season with a knee injury, but the 25-year-old took that next step in his development with a solid season for the Stars this season. No longer hampered by a degenerative knee condition, Janmark put up 19 goals and 34 points this season and found himself on the team’s second line by the end of the season.

The question is what is the young forward worth after a bounce-back season? A quality two-way forward, he has forced his way up the lineup this year, often playing big units for a struggling offense. However, with the season he’s had, don’t be shocked if Janmark has some leverage going into negotiations this summer.

F Devin Shore — Considered to be a key piece for the Stars youth movement, Shore had a solid season as a bottom-line forward as he saw his ice time increase by over a minute between the last two years. The 23-year-old put up 11 goals and 32 points last year, but also had 125 shots and 71 hits on the year. The only down side about Shore’s season is his minus-30 plus-minus ratio, way down from a year ago on a team that was better offensively this season.

Other RFA’s: F Jason Dickinson, G Philippe Desrosiers, F Remi Elie, D Dillon Heatherington, D Stephen Johns, F Gemel Smith, F Cole Ully.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Greg Pateryn — Despite a career so far serving as a team’s seventh defensemen, Pateryn found a full-time role with Dallas in 2017-18. The 27-year-old blueliner found his way into the Stars packed defensive lineup and earned the key role as a shutdown defender alongside Dan Hamhuis and often led the team in minutes played. While just posting 13 points in 73 games, Pateryn was quite invaluable and likely can get a big raise as an unrestricted free agent next season.

However, would Dallas consider bringing him back? A favorite of Ken Hitchcock doesn’t necessarily mean that Jim Montgomery would be willing to give him the same role. On top of that, Dallas has more young defenders than ever with John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Johns, Julius Honka and the addition of last year’s first-round pick Miro Heiskanen. Is there a full-time role for Pateryn or would he be better off looking for a bigger role elsewhere?

Other RFA’s: D Andrew Bodnarchuk, F Brian Flynn, D Dan Hamhuis, G Kari Lehtonen, G Mike McKenna, F Curtis McKenzie, D Andrew O’Brien, D Brent Regner, F Antoine Roussel, D Reece Scarlett.

Projected Cap Space: With $17.6MM in available cap space (not including the possibility of the cap increasing), the Stars have some cap space and few major commitments to their own free agents. After wading deep into the free agent market a year ago when they signed Alexander Radulov and Martin Hanzal, which had mixed results, the team could consider making another run at another forward as that is where the team needs the most depth.

Of course, the Stars top priority will be to extend star Tyler Seguin this offseason, which will have a huge impact on the team’s future. However, the team could use a quality winger such as James van Riemsdyk, James Neal or David Perron on their second line, which the team needs to rebuild for the coming season.

Minor Transactions: 12/2/2017

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In minor moves today:

  • The floundering Buffalo Sabres have made a move, calling up forward Hudson Fasching from the AHL’s Rochester Americans, per a team report. The Sabres have failed to score a goal in each of their past three games and face the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins, again today as the second half of a home-and-home. Buffalo could use all the help they can get and Fasching is tied for the team lead in goals in Rochester and uses his big frame to create opportunities around the net. The former University of Minnesota star has not proven himself in the pros quite yet, but could earn a regular role in the NHL if he jump starts the Sabres’ season (or at least scores a goal).
  • The Dallas Stars announced that they have recalled forward Curtis McKenzie from AHL Texas. McKenzie has been back and forth multiple times already in 2017-18, but hasn’t had the opportunity to play for Dallas despite leading the Texas Stars with 10 goals and 68 shots in 19 games. The 2009 draft pick hasn’t exactly been an offensive juggernaut at the next level though; he recorded only five points in his first 39 NHL games, but at least took a step forward last season with 16 points in 53 games. Many expected McKenzie to have a full-time role after gaining so much experience last year, but it hasn’t happened for him just yet. Perhaps a strong showing – should he get the opportunity – on this latest recall could keep him in Dallas for a longer, more involved stay.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have recalled defenseman Mark Alt from Lehigh Valley of the AHL.  He sits second on the Phantoms in points by a defenseman with nine through 16 games.  He’s also no stranger to being with the big club as this is his third recall already this season.  He has played in six games with the Flyers, being held off the scoresheet while averaging just over 13 minutes per night.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have promoted defenseman Jamie McBain to the big club, per a team release.  The veteran has yet to play with the Lightning this season but has picked up 11 points in 21 minor league contests.  He has plenty of NHL experience under his belt though with 348 career games split between Carolina, Buffalo, Los Angeles, and Arizona.  His promotion was needed with fellow blueliner Braydon Coburn being listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Minor Transactions: 11/23/17

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Even though there aren’t any games today in the National Hockey League, the movement up and down from the minor leagues never stops. We’ll keep track of all the day’s transactions right here.

  • The Edmonton Oilers have sent Ryan Stanton to the AHL, after just a single day with the club. Stanton was up with the team but didn’t dress for last night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, as he waits to make his Edmonton debut. The veteran of 120 NHL games cleared waivers at the beginning of the month, so can be sent up and down for the time being without needing them again.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have called up goaltender Marek Langhamer on an emergency basis, after starter Antti Raanta was forced from last night’s game with an upper-body injury. Langhamer has one NHL appearance under his belt, but has played well in limited action for AHL Tucson this year. Scott Wedgewood is expected to start in Raanta’s absence.
  • Another day, another transaction for Julius Honka, who has been recalled once again by the Dallas Stars. The promising young defenseman was sent down just yesterday by the team when they needed some help up front in case of injury. Curtis McKenzie and Mike McKenna have both been sent to the AHL in a corresponding move.
  • Samuel Blais has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues, potentially giving the 21-year old another shot at the NHL. Blais made his debut for the club earlier in the season, recording his first NHL point just over a month ago. The sixth-round pick has flourished offensively since the Blues drafted him in 2014, and has 13 points in 11 games for the San Antonio Rampage this season in the AHL.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top