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Fredrik Karlstrom

Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Jack Hughes, Karlstrom

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During today’s exit interviews, New Jersey Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald gave a blunt assessment on the team’s future roster, noting that changes are needed as the team isn’t good enough as currently constructed, per team reporter Amanda Stein.

As Fitzgerald told reporters: “It simply wasn’t good enough. I believe in the core of this team, but it’s my responsibility to keep improving it. We’ve got a lot of tough choices ahead, whether that means re-signing players, making trades, or moving on from certain guys.”

Several New Jersey players are set for free agency, including Tomas Tatar, Nathan Bastian, Curtis Lazar, Daniel Sprong, Jake Allen and Brian Dumoulin. Additionally, several players are set for restricted free agency, including defender Luke Hughes, 21, who is set for a massive raise on his current $925,000 contract. Hughes was sidelined during the playoffs due to a shoulder injury and has since undergone surgery to address the issue. According to Fitzgerald, Hughes is expected to be ready in time for training camp.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • Fitzgerald also shared that the team believes Jack Hughes, Luke’s brother, has moved past his own shoulder issues following surgery, per Stein. However, Fitzgerald added that the star forward does have a lot of work ahead of him this summer to get back into game shape. He successfully underwent shoulder surgery in early March and was placed on the team’s long-term injured reserve. The Devils noted at the time of his surgery that he was expected to fully recover and be ready for training camp, so Fitzgerald’s announcement today confirms the team’s original timeline.
  • Forward Fredrik Karlstrom, most recently with the New York Islanders organization, has signed a four-year deal with Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey. Karlstrom is set to return to his home country after underwhelming in North America since being drafted in the third round by the Dallas Stars in the 2016 draft. He remained in Sweden until 2021-22 season, when he played in three games for the Stars and 65 games for their AHL-affiliate. He spent three seasons playing in the Stars’ organization but mostly suited up in the AHL. All told, he appeared in just eight NHL contests, posting just a single assist. Karlstrom did have his best AHL season last season, posting 21 goals and 44 points in 72 games for the Texas Stars. However, it wasn’t enough for the organization to retain his services, and he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Islanders last July. He appeared in 30 games for the Isles’ AHL-affiliate, posting just 13 points and a minus-nine rating.

Waiver Wire: 10/6/24

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Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.

Boston Bruins

F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel

Buffalo Sabres

D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek

Calgary Flames

G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt

Carolina Hurricanes

F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki

Chicago Blackhawks 

D Isaak Phillips

Detroit Red Wings

F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively

Edmonton Oilers

D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue

Los Angeles Kings

G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka

Nashville Predators

D Marc Del Gaizo

New Jersey Devils

F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White

New York Islanders

D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek

New York Rangers

D Matthew Robertson

Ottawa Senators

F Adam Gaudette
F Jan Jenik

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama

St. Louis Blues

D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen

Toronto Maple Leafs

G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai

Utah Hockey Club

G Matt Villalta

Vancouver Canucks

D Erik Brannstrom

Vegas Golden Knights

F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg

Washington Capitals

G Hunter Shepard

Winnipeg Jets

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan

Islanders Sign Marc Gatcomb, Fredrik Karlström

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The Islanders have signed depth forwards Marc Gatcomb and Fredrik Karlström to one-year deals. Gatcomb’s is a two-way pact worth $775K in the NHL and $125K in the AHL, per PuckPedia. PuckPedia also reported Karlström’s signing as a one-way pact yesterday, but CapFriendly has his deal as a two-way worth $775K in the NHL and $250K in the minors.

It’s the first NHL contract for Gatcomb, who turns 25 later this month. That makes him slightly too old for an entry-level contract, so this is a standard two-way deal. After finishing up a four-year stint at UConn in 2022, he’s spent the last two seasons on AHL contracts with the Canucks’ affiliate in Abbotsford, where he’s totaled 12 goals, 16 assists and 28 points in 112 games. Most of that offense came this past season, recording nine goals and 20 points in 61 games.

Gatcomb’s development has been a slow climb since his freshman year at UConn in 2018-19 when he scored just one goal in 31 games. Now an everyday fixture at the second-highest level in the North American pyramid, he’ll look to take another step forward this season after he’s presumably assigned to AHL Bridgeport during training camp.

Karlström, meanwhile, does have some NHL experience to his name. The third-round pick of the Stars in 2016 made eight appearances during brief call-ups for Dallas in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, posting one assist and a +3 rating while averaging 8:18 per night. Since coming to North America three years ago, he’s spent nearly all of his time on assignment to AHL Texas, where he compiled 47 goals and 99 points in 184 games. He played in all 72 regular-season games for Texas last year and produced a career-high 21 goals and 44 points, along with a +14 rating.

He’s the more likely of the pair to see an NHL call-up this season, but both are likely slated for Bridgeport to open the campaign.

Stars Recall Four Players From AHL

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After bringing up a trio of players (Mavrik Bourque, Alex Petrovic, and Lian Bichsel) earlier this week, the Stars have added to their taxi squad of Black Aces.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled forwards Fredrik Karlstrom, Oskar Back, and Matej Blumel along with goaltender Remi Poirier from AHL Texas.

Karlstrom saw action in Dallas in 2021-22 and 2022-23, spanning eight games in total where he had an assist but played exclusively for Texas this season.  The 26-year-old had his most productive year in the minors, notching 21 goals and 23 assists in 72 games during the regular season while averaging over a point per game in the playoffs.  That should help his case as he reaches Group Six unrestricted free agency this summer.

Back, meanwhile, is wrapping up his entry-level deal and has yet to see any NHL action.  The 24-year-old hasn’t been a big scorer in the minors – he matched his career-best with seven tallies in 59 games for Texas – but he set a new benchmark for assists with 29.

As for Blumel, he played in six games with Dallas last season, registering his first career NHL goal and point in the process.  The 23-year-old finished second on Texas in scoring this year, tallying 31 goals and 31 assists in 72 games while leading them in goals in the playoffs, adding five more in nine appearances.  Like Back, he’s set to be a restricted free agent this summer.

Poirier’s addition is strictly for extra depth as he’ll be their fourth-string netminder for the rest of the postseason.  The 22-year-old played his first full AHL campaign this year, posting a 3.18 GAA with a .904 SV% in 38 games but improved on those numbers (2.60 and .907 respectively) in seven playoff contests.  He has one year left on his entry-level contract.

Dallas Stars Extend Fredrik Karlström

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The Dallas Stars have announced a one-year, two-way contract extension for pending Group Six unrestricted free agent forward Fredrik Karlström. The financial terms of the deal were not included as part of Dallas’ announcement, but have been reported by PuckPedia. Karlström’s deal will carry a league-minimum $775k AAV as well as a $225k AHL salary and a $250k total guarantee.

Karlström, 25, was a third-round pick of the Stars back at the 2015 draft who has been a depth forward in Dallas for the past two seasons.

He took an extended development path to reach his current role, spending four full seasons in the SHL with Linkoping HC and Vaxjo Lakers. Karlström signed a two-year entry-level deal with Dallas in the summer of 2020 and was loaned back to Vaxjo for the following campaign, where he won a championship and scored a combined 35 points in 65 regular season and playoff SHL games.

After that year he decided to try his luck in North America and spent most of his 2021-22 season with the AHL’s Texas Stars. He registered a respectable 16 goals and 29 points in 65 games, helping his team reach the AHL’s playoffs. He also earned the right to make his NHL debut in an April 21st, 2022 contest against the Calgary Flames, a game where he also scored his first NHL point.

This season was more of the same for Karlström, as he was a consistent, versatile middle-six forward in the AHL while managing to competently handle fill-in duty in the NHL when Dallas was hit with the injury bug. He managed to dress in five NHL games in 2022-23, and he played well enough to earn this one-year extension that will allow him to occupy a similar role next season.

Minor Transactions: 03/01/23

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It’s been quite the day for major NHL transactions, with eight completed trades (at the time of writing) and one maximum-term extension for the captain of an original six franchise. With all the craziness that has transpired today, some minor moves have snuck under the radar. We’ll keep track of all of those moves here.

  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. He fills the vacated spot on their roster left by today’s trade of Shayne Gostisbehere to the Carolina Hurricanes. The 21-year-old native of Belarus has played in 54 games for the Roadrunners this season, often as a top-four defenseman. He’s a 2019 second-round pick who got his first taste of NHL action last year, when he played in 32 games in Arizona, scoring three points. He’s a quick, aggressive defenseman who will get a chance to put some quality games on tape as he looks to establish himself as a full-time NHLer.
  • Forward Ben Meyers and defenseman Brad Hunt have been recalled from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles to their NHL affiliate, the Colorado Avalanche. Hunt will be paired with Jack Johnson on coach Jared Bednar’s bottom-pairing, while Meyers will likely be a healthy scratch, according to a team release relayed by The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. Meyers, a top college free agent signing last spring, has scored just one point in 32 NHL games this season (he has nine points in 17 AHL games) while Hunt, 34, has six points in 32 games this season and 21 points in 24 games at the AHL level.
  • In the wake of the team’s stunning acquisition of legendary goaltender Jonathan Quick last night, the Blue Jackets have loaned netminder Jet Greaves to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. The 21-year-old departs Columbus’ roster without having yet played in an NHL game. He’s an undrafted OHL product who split last season between AHL Cleveland and the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings and has started 29 games for the Monsters this year.
  • The Dallas Stars have placed veteran forward Luke Glendening on injured reserve, retroactive to February 17th. In addition, the Stars called up forwards Frederik Olofsson and Fredrik Karlstrom, as well as netminder Matt Murray. Both Olofsson and Karlstrom have been shuffled from the AHL’s Texas Stars to Dallas quite a few times in recent weeks, while the 25-year-old Murray is still seeking his first NHL game.
  • In the shadow of their two parent organizations’ far more major trade, the AHL affiliates of the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks (the Hartford Wolf Pack and Rockford IceHogs, respectively) have made an AHL trade. Hartford has acquired Adam Clendening, who played 31 games for the Rangers in 2016-17, in exchange for Zach Jordan. In 48 games for Rockford this year Clendening has played in a top-four role and scored 24 points. Meanwhile, Jordan, 26, has spent most of the year in the ECHL save for one game spent with the Wolf Pack.
  • The Wolf Pack made another trade, sending forward Alex Whelan to AHL Cleveland. The 25-year-old turned pro in 2020-21 after a solid four-year collegiate career at Quinnipiac. He played full-time last season for Hartford, scoring 16 points in 62 games, but has spent time in the ECHL this season. He’ll get a fresh start in Cleveland and help the Monsters deal with the significant injury disruptions they have faced this season.
  • Point-per-game SHL defenseman Theodor Lennstrom is leaving Sweden for next season. Per a team announcement, Switzerland’s HC Geneve-Servette has signed Lennstrom to a two-year deal, running through the 2024-25 season. Lennstrom has played the last two seasons for Farjestad BK, scoring 14 points in 19 playoff games last season on their run to an SHL Championship victory. Lennstrom also won the Champions Hockey League with Frolunda in 2019-20 and will hope to add to his trophy cabinet in the Swiss league.
  • Ludvig Larsson is set to leave Rogle for Orebro, according to a report from SportExpressen. The former Pennsylvania State Bulldog and Binghamton Devil has scored 15 goals and 26 points this season for Rogle, and has proved himself to be a quality winger in the SHL. Now 27 years old, he’ll head to Orebro, the club of Leo Carlsson, a player projected to go near the top of the 2023 NHL draft.
  • With Anaheim Ducks prospect Calle Clang set to cross the Atlantic for next season, Rogle are finalizing negotiations to find a new goaltender. Per a report from SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson, they are set to bring in 2017 Colorado Avalanche fourth-rounder Petr Kvaca, an accomplished three-year starter in the Czech league. Kvaca was named the Czech Extraliga’s best netminder in 2020-21, when he posted a .924 save percentage in 41 games. He has a .925 in 41 games this season, and is a promising investment for a Rogle team looking to return to the top end of the SHL standings.
  • Philipp Lindner, an everyday defenseman and alternate captain for Austrian club Villacher SV, has tacked on two years to his contract with the ICEHL team, bringing its expiration date to the end of the 2025-26 season. The 27-year-old is a veteran of nearly 350 games in Austria’s top league, a competition that includes clubs from multiple Central European countries, and has scored 24 points in 42 games this season.
  • Now an established regular contributor in the Czech Extraliga, 21-year-old David Vitouch has earned a two-year extension with his club, HC Sparta Praha.  Despite his relatively young age he already has over 150 games of experience in Czechia’s top pro league, and has scored 12 points in 50 games this season.

Roster Notes: Kings, Shore, Stars

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The Los Angeles Kings have announced via a press release that forward Carl Grundstrom has been activated off of injured reserve, while forward Trevor Moore has been placed on the injured reserve. Grundstrom returns from a rather lengthy stay on the IR, having not played since January 11th against the San Jose Sharks. A very physical player, Grundstrom is known to rack up over 100 hits a season, adding a certain physicality to the bottom six of the King’s lineup.

Unfortunately for the Kings, they will lose an important piece of their roster for the near future. Since being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2019-20 season, Moore has really come into his own in Los Angeles. Scoring a career-high of 23 points in his first full year with the Kings in 2020-21, Moore followed that up with his coming out party in 2021-22, scoring a total of 48 points last year. After that impressive run, the Kings decided to keep Moore around long-term, signing him to a 5-year, $21MM contract, ending after the 2027-28 season. Continuing close to a 0.5 PPG pace this year, Moore will be leaving a hole in the King’s roster.

  • After trading away Jesse Puljujarvi to the Carolina Hurricanes this morning, Devin Shore has been recalled by the Edmonton Oilers from their AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors. Playing in under nine minutes a night this season, Shore has scored a total of five points in 33 games. Only 28 years old, Shore is now in his 8th season in the NHL. Not serving on the powerplay or penalty kill once this year, Shore will likely see limited action with the Oilers in the coming days.
  • Continuing on their carousel, the Dallas Stars announced that they have once again loaned forwards Frederik Olofsson and Fredrik Karlstrom back to their AHL affiliate Texas Stars. As he is loaned back to the minors for the 8th time this season, Olofsson has managed to suit up in 17 games for the Stars. Registering only four points on the year, Olofsson has been used sparingly by Stars’ head coach Peter DeBoer, failing to average over 10 minutes of action a night. Similarly, Karlstrom will be loaned back to Texas for the 5th time this year. Having served in only three games this year for Dallas, Karlstrom has been employed much the same as his Swedish counterpart.

Morning Notes: Miller, Stars, Flyers, Jets

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The Vancouver Canucks have a third of their roster on injured reserve, and now another player is hitting the trainer’s table. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reports that J.T. Miller did not travel with the team to Dallas and is dealing with an injury that could keep him out a week.

Miller, who will turn 30 in a few weeks, is still producing offensively despite the team’s struggles this season. He has 20 goals and 54 points in 59 games, but fans are already pulling their hair out when considering his future contract. Miller’s seven-year, $56MM kicks in next season, making him the highest-paid player on the Canucks.

  • The Dallas Stars have completed their daily transaction, recalling Fredrik Karlstrom and Frederik Olofsson from the AHL. The team continues moving players back and forth between games, banking as much cap space as possible before this Friday’s deadline. Dallas has accumulated enough space to make a significant move without the help of long-term injured reserve.
  • Elliot Desnoyers is back up with the Philadelphia Flyers, though he isn’t on the ice at morning skate, according to Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. After making his NHL debut on Saturday with the Flyers, he returned and played with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last night, registering an assist and four shots on goal.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have sent Axel Jonsson Fjallby back down, which could mean that Nino Niederreiter is ready to join the team after a short immigration issue. The club will take on the Los Angeles Kings at home tomorrow night and could sure use the offensive punch of their newest acquisition. The Jets were shut out yesterday and have now scored just four goals in their last three games.

Dallas Stars Recall Fredrik Karlstrom, Fredrik Olofsson

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Feb 20: Round and round we go. Karlstrom and Olofsson have been recalled once again.

Feb 19: The Dallas Stars have announced that forwards Fredrik Karlstrom and Fredrik Olofsson have been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars.

Karlstrom was originally recalled on February 16th, and played in two games for the Stars, while Olofsson was recalled yesterday to play in that day’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The pair flanked Stars fourth-line center Radek Faksa at the bottom of head coach Peter DeBoer’s lineup last night, and they each played limited minutes in their time on the Stars’ roster. After the Stars lost 4-1 to one of the NHL’s worst teams, it seems the Stars are shuffling their roster in order to get a different look in their bottom six.

Karlstrom, 25, heads back to AHL Texas where he’s had a solid sophomore season. After scoring 16 goals and 29 points last year, the 2016 third-round pick has picked up right where he left off, and has scored eight goals and 21 points in 40 games this year.

Karlstrom turned pro in 2021-22 after a successful final SHL season with the Vaxjo Lakers, where he scored 25 points in 51 games and helped his team capture the SHL championship. He’ll now head back to Texas to possibly step back into a top-six role, a role he’s occupied at times this season.

As for Olofsson, this reassignment ends a short one-day stay on the Stars’ roster. Olofsson already has 14 games played for Dallas this season and is averaging just under ten minutes of ice time per game in that sample size.

The former University of Nebraska-Omaha star is in his first season as a pro in North America, fresh off of an impressive two-year run with IK Oskarshamn of the SHL.

While he’s unlikely to be thrilled to have spent such a short time in the NHL, the 26-year-old has firmly established himself as a preferred call-up option for the Stars, and will likely find his way back onto their roster once again before the season concludes.

Dallas Stars Recall Fredrik Karlstrom

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The Dallas Stars continue to scroll through depth forwards in the organization, this time recalling Fredrik Karlstrom from the minor leagues.

The 25-year-old Swede played three games for the Stars last season but has yet to appear at the NHL level this year. Through 40 games in the minor leagues, the 6’3″ center has eight goals and 21 points but offers a big, defensively-sound option for the Dallas bottom six.

It’s been something of a revolving door on the Stars fourth line this season, forcing them to rely heavily on their top group. Marian Studenic and Denis Gurianov played fewer than ten minutes on Tuesday night in a loss to the Boston Bruins, and neither one contributed to the penalty kill.

To be an effective presence there, you don’t need 15 minutes and a bunch of offensive zone starts, but it’s been obvious that the coaching staff hasn’t trusted certain players this season. Perhaps Karlstrom can work his way into the rotation and change that.

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