Snapshots: Swayman, Benn, Gelinas, Olympics
Earlier today, Bruins president Cam Neely implied that the team had made a $64MM offer to restricted free agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman in an effort to get a deal done. It would appear that this is the first that Swayman’s camp has heard of it. SPM Sports released the following statement from Swayman’s agent Lewis Gross via various social media platforms:
Normally, I do not release statements or discuss negotiations through the media. However, in this case, I feel I need to defend my client. At today’s press conference, $64 million was referenced. This was the first time that number was discussed in our negotiations. Prior to the press conference, no offer was made reaching that level.
We are extremely disappointed. This was not fair to Jeremy. We will take a few days to discuss where we go from here.
Earlier today, it was revealed that newly-acquired backup Joonas Korpisalo would be their opening-night starter. Between that and now Swayman’s camp saying that they’ll take a few days to discuss next steps, it’s fair to say that this contract isn’t getting resolved for a little while longer.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The Stars won’t discuss a new contract in-season with captain Jamie Benn, relays Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. Don’t interpret that as a sign that one of the sides doesn’t want to do something as GM Jim Nill indicated he approached Benn to see what he wanted to do while making it clear that he sees a spot for the veteran as long as he’s in charge. However, Benn decided he wants to wait until after the season for any discussions. The 35-year-old has spent his entire 15-year career in Dallas, amassing over 900 points including 60 in 82 games last season.
- Veteran defenseman Eric Gelinas has decided to try to give it another go in North America. The AHL’s Laval Rocket announced (Twitter link) that they have invited the 33-year-old to their training camp. Gelinas has 189 career NHL appearances under his belt, the last of which came in 2016-17. He spent the following year in Laval before bouncing around, seeing time in Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and nine games with AHL Chicago over the last six seasons.
- The IIHF announced that they hope to add a three-on-three ice hockey tournament to the 2030 Olympics for both men’s and women’s hockey. These events would not replace the existing tournaments but would merely add to the sport’s representation, similar to three-on-three basketball at the recently-ended Summer Games. A decision on whether those events will be added is expected in March.
Stars Notes: Robertson, Oettinger, Benn
Star Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson will miss the bulk of training camp after undergoing surgery this summer to remove a cyst from his foot, shares NHL.com’s Bruce LeVine. LeVine adds that Robertson just started skating again, and is still expected to join the team for the start of the regular season.
Robertson has emerged as perhaps the top player on a loaded Dallas roster. He crossed the 40-goal mark in both 2021-22 and 2022-23, capping the latter year off with a career-high 109 points. Those numbers came down to Earth last season, though his 80 points still led the Stars by 13 points. He’s proven just as impactful in the postseason, combining for 48 points in 55 games over the last three playoffs.
At 25, Robertson is still a stride away from his prime years but already sits among the league’s top scorers. His health and ability to contribute will be paramount as Dallas prepares for another run toward the Western Conference Finals.
Other notes out of Texas:
- General manager Jim Nill shared in his opening day press conference that there have been no talks of an extension with goaltender Jake Oettinger, per Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest. Nill added that there are a few goalies on the open market that they’ll use to help price Oettinger, inadvertently mentioning the ongoing holdout between the Boston Bruins and Jeremy Swayman. Oettinger holds the upper hand to Swayman despite the two being the same age, with the former already achieving seasons of 50 and 60 games. He’s held strong in those outings, boasting a career save percentage of .913 through 193 games. Formerly a first-round pick, Oettinger has grabbed full control of Dallas’ starting role. He’ll look to be compensated as such as Dallas approaches a 2025 summer featuring an endless list of key pending-free agents, including Matt Duchene, Wyatt Johnston, and Jamie Benn.
- Speaking of Benn, Nill also shared that he’ll be adamant about keeping the Stars’ captain when his deal expires. The GM went as far as saying, “As long as I’m GM, [Benn] is going to be a Dallas Star,” as captured by LeVine. Benn’s average ice time has decreased in the wake of Dallas’ emerging stars, but he remains a productive piece of the lineup – posting 21 goals and 60 points this season, and 33 goals and 78 points last season. He’s also played in every Stars’ regular season game dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season. At 35, Benn’s next deal is likely to carry him to retirement. Nill wants to ensure that happens with the only club that Benn has ever played for.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Dallas Stars
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Dallas Stars.
Who are the Stars thankful for?
There were a number of different ways that we could have gone here, but it is hard to dismiss the agelessness of 39-year-old Joe Pavelski.
Many pundits thought the Dallas Stars had made a big miscalculation back in July 2019 when the club signed a then 34-year-old Pavelski to a three-year $21MM contract just ten days before his 35th birthday. And one season into the deal, it sure looked like the pundits were right. Pavelski looked lost and tired as he suffered through one of the worst seasons of his NHL career. But since that first year, he has registered 91 goals and 142 assists in 242 games.
Now part of those numbers are because Pavelski is playing fewer minutes than his career average, and he is also playing with very skilled teammates, but it is hard to discount all the intangibles Pavelski has brought to the Stars dressing room on top of being a bonafide top-6 forward. Pavelski hasn’t had to sacrifice any of his attention to detail when it comes to his defensive responsibilities and continues to remain in the conversation when it comes to Selke Trophy considerations year after year. All of this in his 18th NHL season, while he continues to play under a very team-friendly cap hit making just $3.5MM this season (plus $2MM in bonuses).
Pavelski might not be the biggest star in Dallas, but his reliability at both ends of the ice, and his ability to make everyone around him better continue to impress as he pushes towards his 40th birthday.
What are the Stars thankful for?
Their scouting staff.
Very few teams have hit on late first-round picks and second-round picks the way the Dallas Stars have over the last decade. The Stars were fortunate to pick the likes of Miro Heiskanen third overall. But most of their depth was built off smart picks later in the draft. All-star goaltender Jake Oettinger was a late first-round pick 26th overall in the 2017 NHL entry draft, Jason Robertson was selected 13 spots later at 39th overall and has emerged as a top-flight offensive talent. Roope Hintz was a late second-round pick in the 2015 draft while Wyatt Johnston was selected 23rd overall in 2021. The list goes on and it goes to show just how Dallas has built a team that can contend year in and year out.
The stars currently boast some of the best depth in the NHL evidenced by Johnston centering a third line that features Jamie Benn. They haven’t just hit on draft picks as they’ve also been able to make smart free-agent signings (see Pavelski above) and craft trades along the way. The scouts in Dallas at both the amateur and pro level have done a commendable job identifying available talent that other NHL clubs are undervaluing.
What would the Stars be even more thankful for?
Ryan Suter dialing it back.
At 39 years old it is unlikely that Ryan Suter is going to find another gear suddenly. The 11-time all-star defenseman has seen his offensive game fall into a decline since 2020, while his defensive game has been slipping away since 2015. Suter was once considered one of the top two-way defensemen in the NHL, but time has caught up to the Madison, Wisconsin native.
In Dallas, Suter has been thrust into a role that is probably outside of his current skillset as he has played significant minutes with Miro Heiskanen. Suter is averaging over 20 minutes a night, and while that is a steep decline from last season, it is still a rather large number for one of the oldest defensemen in the NHL.
The drop-in ice time has mostly come from Suter being removed from the Stars’ power play. With his speed and footwork in decline, the Stars have made the call to primarily use Suter at even strength on their top pairing. The good news for Suter is that he is partnered up with Heiskanen and can benefit from the youngster’s strong skillset. Suter hasn’t been terrible this year and has mostly been fine, but given the Stars’ Stanley Cup aspirations, it will be important that Suter finds another gear, or the Stars look for someone who can better log Suter’s minutes and perhaps bump him down the depth chart.
What should be on the Stars holiday wish list?
A defenseman.
As mentioned above, Suter could probably benefit from a more sheltered role in the Stars’ defense core. Esa Lindell could also use some help as well as he too has had his struggles. All this points to the Stars needing to shop for another defender.
Dallas is in the fortunate position to have a decent farm system from which they could trade, and also have some young roster players that could entice teams to part with a defenseman. Although I would avoid trading Johnston if possible.
The Stars could benefit from a right-side defenseman, and while it wouldn’t improve Suter’s position on the depth chart, it would allow Jani Hakanpää to slide down into the bottom pairing. Hakanpää has had a rough start to the season and would likely welcome some sheltered minutes on a 5-6 pairing.
If Dallas opts to trade for right-shot defensemen there will certainly be options available to them. Tyson Barrie of the Nashville Predators is out there, as is Chris Tanev of the Calgary Flames. If the Stars wanted to be bolder, they could take a run at Noah Hanifin as he would slot in beautifully on their top pair next to Heiskanen.
Cap space will be an issue for the Stars, but as we inch closer and closer to the trade deadline it will become less of an issue. Dallas is on the cusp of breaking through in the playoffs and one more defenseman could be just the thing that gets them over the hump and back to the Stanley Cup finals.
Morning Notes: Benn, McGinn, Benoit
Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jordie Benn has signed a one-year contract to play for Brynäs IF in the second-tier Swedish league HockeyAllsvenskan. Brynäs IF had been in the top tier SHL for 63 years until they were relegated at the end of last season. The 36-year-old elder brother of Jamie Benn had been on a PTO with the Dallas Stars but was cut earlier this week.
The veteran of 607 NHL games spent last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs but dressed in just 12 NHL games registering a goal and an assist. Benn spent much of last year in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies where he posted two goals and four assists in 23 games while providing a veteran presence to the Marlies’ younger players. Benn was apparently close to signing with Brynäs IF earlier this summer but elected to take the Stars PTO to see if he could hang on to an NHL roster spot. Given Benn’s age and current skillset, it could be very likely that he has played his last game in the NHL.
In other morning notes:
- CBS Sports is reporting that Anaheim Ducks forward Brock McGinn has been placed on injured reserve effective October 13th. The move means that the earliest McGinn can return from his lower body injury is October 21st. McGinn had been on a day-to-day timeline with the injury but was downgraded yesterday and will likely be replaced in the lineup by recent waiver claim Ross Johnston. McGinn was acquired at the 2023 trade deadline along with a third-round pick in exchange for defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. He is expected to be a regular in the Ducks lineup despite his struggles in recent seasons. Last year McGinn posted 12 goals and seven assists in 75 games and was essentially a cap dump for the Penguins as he still has another year on his contract after this season at a cap hit of $2.75MM.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Simon Benoit for the second time this week. This comes on the heels of the club loaning Benoit to the AHL Toronto Marlies just two days ago. The moves are of little financial consequence to Benoit as he is on a one-way contract and is paid $775K regardless of whether he plays in the NHL or AHL. Benoit is certainly capable of playing in the NHL having dressed in 78 games last season with the Anaheim Ducks where he posted three goals and seven assists. However, given the Maple Leafs precarious salary cap situation he could find himself shuffled back and forth between the NHL and AHL throughout the season as the team tries to maximize salary cap space.
Dallas Stars Sign Jordie Benn To PTO
The Dallas Stars have signed defenseman Jordie Benn to a PTO that will see the 36-year-old join the team at training camp next month. CapFriendly has reported that Benn will be given a chance to earn a contract with the team that he started his NHL career with in 2011-12. The Victoria, British Columbia native is the older brother of Stars captain Jamie Benn who is coming off a bounce back season and has spent his entire 14-year-career with the team.
Jordie is coming off a season in which he struggled to remain in the NHL. Benn signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in July of 2022 and seemed poised to be their seventh defenseman. However, he struggled with his footspeed and found himself turning the puck over with an alarming frequency. Benn dressed in 12 games for the Leafs and posted just a single goal and one assist. Toronto demoted Benn and he found himself in the AHL for the first time since the 2012-13 season. He fared better with the Toronto Marlies posting two goals and four assists in 23 games but still struggled with his puck handling.
Benn has never been the quickest of skaters, but he isn’t a bad one. However, like most players pushing 40, he has lost a step or two along the way. He doesn’t offer much offensively but he still reads the game well and can contain opponents when the play slows down.
Dallas likely doesn’t have room for Benn to play in the team’s top 6, however, he could crack the Stars lineup as a seventh defenceman. Injuries happen, and as teams have shown over the last few years, it’s never a bad idea to have 8-10 NHL caliber defenceman to rely on in case injuries begin to stack up.
Evening Notes: Dadonov, Luostarinen, Senators
Dallas Stars radio host Owen Newkirk has confirmed that Dallas Stars forward Evgenii Dadonov will miss game 6 tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights. Dadonov continues to be sidelined by a lower body injury and hasn’t dressed for the Stars since suffering the injury in a game 3 loss. Dadonov fell awkwardly after colliding with teammate Roope Hintz in the first period of that game and didn’t return. Very little is known about the injury other than Pete DeBoer telling the media that Dadonov would be out longer than day-to-day but not for the rest of the playoffs.
Dallas will get some good news as they look to extend their Western Conference Finals series to a seventh and deciding game. Captain Jamie Benn will return to the lineup after serving his two-game suspension for his cross check on Mark Stone.
In other evening news:
David Dwork of The Hockey News tweeted that Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is confident that the club will have center Eetu Luostarinen in the lineup when they take to the ice for game 1 of the Stanley Cup final. Luostarinen was injured in game 4 of the conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes but isn’t expected to miss any games. The 24-year-old set career highs this season with 17 goals and 26 assists in 82 games and has been one of the Panthers top defensive forwards.
Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that league sources believe that there will be an agreement in place for the sale of the Ottawa Senators by this Friday. Garrioch quotes a league source that was told one of the bidders believes that Steve Apostolopoulos has the highest bid right now. Once a winning bid is selected and an agreement is made, the next step would be to have the deal be approved by the NHL’s executive committee. This step could drag the process into the summer making for an interesting draft and free agency period for Senators management. This comes at a crucial time for the on-ice product as the clubs young core will be looking to take that next step come the 2023-24 season.
Jamie Benn Suspended For Two Games
The NHL Department of Player Safety has handed down a two-game suspension to Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn as a result of a cross-check to the neck of Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone early into last night’s Game 3 of the Western Conference Final.
As mentioned in our coverage earlier this morning of the news of Benn’s hearing, the initial play resulted in a major penalty and game misconduct for Benn.
In a video statement, NHL Player Safety described the play as Stone pursuing the puck through the neutral zone and appearing ready to engage with Benn. However, as Stone closed in, Benn made a decision that would ultimately lead to his suspension.
Benn chipped the puck up the wall, attempting to maneuver around Stone and gain the offensive zone. In the process, though, Stone was sent crashing to the ice. Seizing the opportunity, Benn then proceeded to deliver a forceful cross-check to Stone’s head and neck area.
Player Safety emphasized that Benn was in complete control of the play and deliberately chose to execute the dangerous cross-check on a prone player. Their decision to suspend Benn stems from their assessment of the incident as an unnecessarily dangerous act carried out with sufficient intent and force to warrant supplemental discipline.
It should be noted that Benn has a history of fines, having been fined four times over the course of his 1,030-game NHL career. This is his first offense to elevate to the level of suspension, however.
The suspension will see Jamie Benn sidelined for the Stars’ next two playoff or regular season games, meaning if the Stars are eliminated in tomorrow’s Game 4, Benn’s suspension will carry over to the first game of the 2023-24 season.
It’s a large loss for Dallas, who will need two straight wins to extend their season to the point where Benn can return. His 11 points in 16 games are tied for fourth on the team in scoring, and his 33 goals and 78 points in the regular season were his highest total since 2017-18.
Jamie Benn To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
It was not a good night for the Dallas Stars. Already down 2-0 in their third-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, the team allowed Jonathan Marchessault to get free in the left circle and wire home his seventh goal of the playoffs. Less than a minute later, captain Jamie Benn would let his frustration get the better of him, delivering a cross-check to a prone Mark Stone.
The incident would result in a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for Benn, who played just 42 seconds in a must-win game. The Stars would lose 4-0, fans would throw trash onto the ice, forcing team president Brad Alberts to issue a public apology, and now, all but eliminated, will likely be without Benn for at least another game.
Benn will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today to determine if supplemental discipline is required.
The Stars captain refused to take questions after the game, and may not get another chance to hit the ice, should a suspension come down the pipe. Vegas managed just 16 shots on goal last night but still somehow cruised to an easy victory, inching them closer to another Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Benn had a brilliant bounce-back season with 78 points in 82 games (his highest total since 2018) but has struggled to find the back of the net in the playoffs. He now has three goals in 16 games while recording 51 penalty minutes.
Nominees Announced For 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association has voted on the award since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2023.
Past winners of the award include Carey Price (2022), Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), and Jaromir Jagr (2016).
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Jakob Silfverberg
Arizona Coyotes – Clayton Keller
Boston Bruins – Nick Foligno
Buffalo Sabres – Craig Anderson
Calgary Flames – Mikael Backlund
Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Martinook
Chicago Blackhawks – Alex Stalock
Colorado Avalanche – Andrew Cogliano
Columbus Blue Jackets – Boone Jenner
Dallas Stars – Jamie Benn
Detroit Red Wings – Robby Fabbri
Edmonton Oilers – Derek Ryan
Florida Panthers – Patric Hornqvist
Los Angeles Kings – Pheonix Copley
Minnesota Wild – Mason Shaw
Montreal Canadiens – Alex Belzile
Nashville Predators – Cody Glass
New Jersey Devils – Dougie Hamilton
New York Islanders – Zach Parise
New York Rangers – Jimmy Vesey
Ottawa Senators – Derick Brassard
Philadelphia Flyers – Nick Seeler
Pittsburgh Penguins – Kris Letang
San Jose Sharks – Nikolai Knyzhov
Seattle Kraken – Brandon Tanev
St. Louis Blues – Sammy Blais
Tampa Bay Lightning – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Toronto Maple Leafs – Mark Giordano
Vancouver Canucks – Brock Boeser
Vegas Golden Knights – Phil Kessel
Washington Capitals – John Carlson
Winnipeg Jets – Sam Gagner
Evening Notes: Stars, Letang, Samsonov
The Dallas Stars are off to a strong start under new head coach Pete DeBoer, and they’re looking to get stronger. Per TSN’s Darren Dreger on tonight’s edition of Insider Trading, the Stars are still looking to add a top-six forward, preferably to play with Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment.
They’ve had a rotating cast playing on the wing with those two, and although Seguin and Marchment have played well, they’d obviously like some added depth and to get a player that boasts chemistry with them. Jamie Benn is having a resurgence in limited minutes, scoring 26 points in 23 games, and they’d prefer to keep his ice time down below 15-16 minutes. If nothing comes to fruition, the strong performances of youngsters Ty Dellandrea and Wyatt Johnston should still safeguard their depth scoring.
- Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has been in and out of the lineup recently, and he’s missing another contest tonight. Letang is absent from their game against the Carolina Hurricanes with an undisclosed illness, the team announced before puck drop. It’s his second missed game of the season after missing a game earlier this month, also with an illness. He revealed weeks ago that he had been battling an illness for a stretch of games; whether or not this is a related illness is unclear.
- Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov says he’s pain-free after his knee injury and is “ready to play,” according to TSN’s Mark Masters. Head coach Sheldon Keefe pumped the brakes on his status, however, saying the team would check on him tomorrow to determine his return to play. The young netminder, who had a strong start to the season, has missed nearly a month.