Dallas Notes: Ritchie, Faksa, Pitlick, Oleksiak, Smith
The Dallas Stars announced they have placed winger Brett Ritchie on injured reserve today retroactive to Oct. 30. He suffered an upper-body injury and while he was listed as day-to-day, the newest update suggests he could miss up to another week with the injury.
The 24-year-old wing has struggled so far this year with just one goal and one assist in 12 games this year. Ritchie ranked fourth on the team last year, potting 16 goals in 78 games. The 2011 second-round pick has just 15 shots on goal in those 12 games and has seen his average ice time drop to 12:03, down from a career average of 13:00.
The move was made as the team suddenly has been hit with a flurry of injuries, with center Radek Faksa and Tyler Pitlick both being listed as doubtful for Monday’s home game against the Winnipeg Jets, while veteran center Martin Hanzal is listed as questionable, according to NHL.com’s Sean Shapiro. Putting Ritchie on IR will allow the team to make a roster move and call up a player from the Texas Stars either later today or tomorrow.
Faksa, who suffered an apparent leg injury in Saturday’s game, also has been showing improvement in his game, picking up a goal and an assist in their win over the Buffalo Sabres. Pitlick is also listed as doubtful with an upper-body injury, but no other clarification, according to Shapiro.
- Shapiro also tweets the team may turn to defenseman Jamie Oleksiak in an emergency and ask him to play the forward position on Monday. Oleksiak has only appeared in eight games so far this season and has been a healthy scratch for the last two.
- Scott Burnside of NHL.com writes that head coach Ken Hitchcock praised the play of Gemel Smith as the team’s most improved player after Saturday’s game. Despite struggling to get on the scoreboard in the first few games that he’s been in, the 23-year-old was instrumental in aiding the team’s four-goal first period Saturday as he picked up his first two assists of the season. His rushes on net helped open up goal scoring opportunities on both Faksa’s and Stephen Johns goals in that period. “He’s a hockey player,” Hitchcock said of Smith. “He acts like a hockey player and plays like a hockey player. You don’t have to tell him twice. He has a feel for the game and does a lot of things that just help you win hockey games. He’s underrated offensively and he’s competitive and really good on the boards. He builds you good minutes every night.”
NHL Snapshots: Penguins, Karlsson, Oleksiak, Callahan
The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins released a statement saying they will attend an invitation from President Trump to come to the White House. No date has been announced.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Dallas Stars
Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Dallas Stars
Current Cap Hit: $75,196,355 (over the $75MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Devin Shore (One year remaining, $870K)
D Julius Honka (Two years remaining, $863K)
Potential Bonuses
Honka: $500K
Total: $500K
Despite a disappointing season a year ago, the Dallas Stars did have some young players who showed some promise. Shore was one of those players. A second-round pick in 2010, the 23-year-old had a decent first year with the Stars, scoring 13 goals and adding 20 assists and playing in all 82 contests. What Shore did not get much of was ice time, as he averaged just 14:08 on the ice. That may change this year as there are many who believe he could be a top-six forward right now. Honka is another player who got a little bit of time with the Stars last year. The 21-year-old defender, their first-round pick from 2014, has already fared well with the AHL’s Texas Stars. He scored seven goals and added 24 assists in 50 games with them and got 16 games with Dallas at the end of the year and picked up five points. He is a likely candidate to make the team this year.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
G Kari Lehtonen ($5.9MM, UFA)
D Dan Hamhuis ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Antoine Roussel ($2MM, UFA)
D Jamie Oleksiak ($965K, RFA)
D Patrik Nemeth ($945K, RFA)
D Greg Pateryn ($800K, UFA)
D Stephen Johns ($725K, RFA)
F Curtis McKenzie ($700K, UFA)
F Brian Flynn ($700K, UFA)
F Mattias Janmark ($700K, RFA)
F Adam Cracknell ($675K, UFA)
That’s a long list, but the team really has few major worries about re-signing free agents next season. Lehtonen was a buyout candidate this offseason after the team had too many goaltenders. Instead, they held onto him to be their backup, but at $5.9MM, that’s an expensive backup who played 59 games and had a save percentage of .902. The team will rejoice at their salary cap savings next season. As for Hamhuis, the 34-year-old blueliner will need to have a big year if he wants another contract.
The 27-year-old Roussel is a different story. Everything depends on how he plays, but Dallas would like to see more offense than 12 goals from him to go with his 115 penalty minutes he picked up last year. The same holds true for Oleksiak, although he will be a restricted free agent, but the 24-year-old defenseman must show he can win a full-time job. He only managed 41 games last year. Johns, however, will likely be retained next year. He managed to get into 61 games last year and currently expected to make the team.
Dallas Stars Sign Jamie Oleksiak
The Dallas Stars have signed another restricted free agent, inking defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to a one-year $965K contract for 2017-18. Oleksiak was eligible for salary arbitration but chose not to file after his disappointing season.
Oleksiak, 24, played 41 games this season for the Stars and registered just seven points. He still hasn’t developed into the hulking shut down defender the Stars had hoped for when the selected him 14th overall, and can’t seem to keep himself in the lineup for a whole season. This year he spent a ton of time in the press box as a healthy scratch, and has just 119 games since his debut in 2012-13.
With Marc Methot added to the Dallas defense corps, there doesn’t seem to be a regular role for Oleksiak once again. The team has a glut of defenders already established, while Julius Honka is also poised to make his mark in the NHL. It’ll be tough for Oleksiak to pass anyone on the depth chart.
There has been times that moving Oleksiak to forward has been discussed, though it doesn’t seem like that is a realistic option at this point. Instead, the 6’7″ defender—who actually has more skill with the puck than some may think—will have to take a big step forward in his development. That’s not uncommon for players of his size, but it’ll have to come soon.
Defensive Logjam In Dallas Not Concerning
The Dallas Stars are in an enviable position, but one that might prompt a trade in the near future. After years of drafting heavily on defense, their prospect pool at the position is incredibly deep. Heading into training camp, at present, they will have at least 9 defensemen fighting for 7 roster spots. Theoretically, the could keep 8 on the roster for a time and keep only one spare forward, but ultimately, someone is going to lose out.
As of today, the team has Marc Methot, John Klingberg, Dan Hamhuis, Esa Lindell as their highest paid defenders. They also have Patrik Nemeth, Greg Pateryn, and Stephen Johns signed to NHL contracts, who are all over the age of 25 and would be waiver eligible if the team attempted to waive them for AHL use. There is also the still promising Jamie Oleksiak, an RFA who still needs to negotiate his contract. Finally, Julius Honka looks ready to take an NHL roster position after spot duty in Dallas last season. There are also more defensemen on the horizon, including the steal of a first-round pick of this season, Miro Heiskanen. Heiskaen is likely to return to his native Finland, but less talented players have forced teams to keep them on board. So, who makes the team? And will anyone be on the move?
Discounting the most expensive four, Nemeth and others should be concerned about being usurped. It seems that Honka has proven everything he can at the AHL level, and with his talent could end up outclassing everyone not named Klingberg or Methot with a good camp showing. Still, he can be moved down without needing to clear waivers. Oleksiak has shown real flashes as a former first-round shutdown player, but Pateryn and Nemeth both ended up playing a similar number of contests last season, and are second-rounders themselves. Despite limited action, their possession numbers were solid (49.9% and 51.3% respectively Corsi For) and there aren’t major faults in either players’ games. Oleksiak still has kinks to work out in his game, but his size (6’7) is probably just too tempting to move him at the tender age of 24. Johns played more games of any of the others, and brings a physicality that will likely endear him to new head coach Ken Hitchcock, despite his other shortcomings.
Ultimately, this is a camp that will be brutally competitive. The Stars won’t want to lose any of these players for nothing. Teams are always looking for youngish defenders on the cheap, and both Pateryn and Oleksiak would fit that bill nicely. Hamhuis would be tempting to move out, but he still eats a ton of minutes and provides veteran leadership to a young group. Lindell isn’t safe either, and moving his salary ($2.2) would be more helpful than unloading the cheap Pateryn or Johns. At the end of the day, it’s a wonderful problem to have, as depth at the position is always integral when players go down to injury. The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Heika is probably correct in his prediction that the organization will allow the situation to sort itself out on its own. Internal competition can be healthy, and by September many teams will be desperate to fill defensive holes on the cheap. Still, it will be a fascinating situation to watch develop.
Stars Sign Miro Heiskanen To Entry-Level Contract
The first top ten signing of the 2017 NHL Draft class is in the books, as the Dallas Stars have signed third overall pick Miro Heiskanen to his first pro contract. The team announced that the 17-year-old Finnish defenseman has signed on for the maximum entry-level deal of three years and $925K per.
An entry-level deal does not officially begin to toll until the player skate in 10 NHL games and Heiskanen’s deal does not necessarily imply that he is bound for the big leagues in 2017-18. However, the swiftness with which GM Jim Nill and the Stars got this deal done does seem to imply that the plan is to get Heiskanen started right away. The two-way puck-mover was considered one of the most pro-ready prospects in the draft and was always going to be given the chance to compete for a job in camp. With Heiskanen in town for the Stars’ development camp this week, it was the perfect time to get the deal done and show the youngster that they believe he can make a difference right away.
A quick look at the Dallas depth chart certainly shows an opportunity for Heiskanen to make the team and have a considerable role this season. There are many names with NHL experience on the Stars’ roster, but few that made much of an impact for the team that finished ahead of only the Colorado Avalanche in goals allowed in 2016-17. Defenseman John Klingberg is the leader of the blue line and an elite offensive defenseman, but he is a right-shot. Up-and-coming Julius Honka, a smaller, quicker clone of Klingberg, is also a right-shot. Stephen Johns, who played in the fourth-most games of any Stars defender, is also a right shot. Dallas is solid on the right side, but there are plenty of questions on the left, where Heiskanen plays. Recently-acquired Marc Methot is obviously a lock for the top pair. Esa Lindell had a strong rookie season and will surely play a major role for the Stars. Veteran Dan Hamhuis has a disappointing first season in Dallas; the veteran puck-mover skated in 79 games, recording just one goal, and was scratched for the other three. He’ll likely lose play time and take on a smaller role next season, but his contract would be hard to move, so Hamhuis will likely remain in Dallas nonetheless. That final spot on the left side could belong to Heiskanen. In a puzzling move, Nill traded Jordie Benn, Stars captain Jamie Benn‘s older brother, to the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline for another right-hander, Greg Pateryn, and a fourth-round pick, leaving a hole on the left side. Jamie Oleksiak and Patrik Nemeth, both high picks in recent years, are still relatively young at 24 and 25 respectively, but were unable to seize their opportunities last season, struggling to produce points and frequently making mistakes in their own end. With a good showing in camp, Heiskanen could be able to make a case that he is more ready for a starting role than Oleksiak, Nemeth, or the aging Hamhuis. It may cause a logjam on the blue line in Dallas and force a move, but having a 17-year-old push out under-performing veterans is a problem that Nill won’t mind having.
Free Agent Focus: Dallas Stars
The free agent period is now less than a week away from opening up. Several prominent players are set to hit the open market and many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Here is a breakdown of the Dallas Stars’ free agent situation.
Key Restricted Free Agents: D Esa Lindell. The 23-year-old has only played one full year in the NHL, but has quickly established himself as a top-four blueliner and now already needs to get paid. While Dallas is looking into acquiring a top defenseman such as Washington’s Karl Alzner, Lindell is already inked into the lineup and the young defender should only get better with experience. His six goals and 12 assists may just be the beginning. His AAV of $925,000 should go up quite a bit.
F Radek Faksa. With the disappearance of several key veterans like Cody Eakin and Patrick Eaves, among others, there are numerous holes in the Stars’ lineup and locking up Faksa should be a top priority for the franchise. Faksa, the team’s first-round pick in 2012, completed his first full season with the Stars this year, finishing with 12 goals and 21 assists, while playing on the team’s third line. Making $1.34MM last year, Faksa should get a solid raise.
Other RFA’s: D Mattias Backman, D Nick Ebert, G Henri Kiviaho, G Maxime Lagace, F Mark McNeill, D Patrik Nemeth, D Jamie Oleksiak, F Brett Ritchie, F Gemel Smith.
Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Patrick Sharp. The veteran winger is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he missed time due to a concussion and then had season-ending hip surgery in March. Because of that, Sharp, a four-time 30-goal scorer finished with eight goals and 10 assists in 48 games. While at 35 years old, no one is expecting a 30-goal season, Sharp could still be good for 15-20 goals. The Stars, needing to fill holes at the forward position, have shown interest in bringing him back. While it’s highly doubtful, he’d be able to get the $5.9MM contract he had last year, he still could receive a solid offer from a team needing a veteran scorer.
Ales Hemsky: The 33-year-old veteran is also coming off multiple injuries in which he missed more than four months of play due to hip and groin injuries. The veteran center only managed to get into 15 games for seven points. However, he had 13 goals and 39 points one year ago and could be worthy of bringing back on a short-term deal to fill a bottom line slot. While Hemsky made $4MM last year, he may need to take a low-level “prove it” offer.
Other UFA’s: F Jiri Hudler, G Justin Peters, D Dustin Stevenson.
Projected Cap Space: The Stars have $52.5MM invested in 15 players, so they will have to fill in multiple holes with the remaining $22.5MM in available cap space, although they have several restricted free agents they need to re-sign. However, assuming Dallas buys out goaltender Antti Niemi, the team should have even more room to work with. The Stars have high hopes to sign a top free agent such as Alzner to their defense. However, the team may also add some veterans on shorter-term deals to plug the holes for another year.
Snapshots: Oleksiak, Crosby, Sheary, Stephenson, Shipachyov
The Stars are facing an interesting decision when it comes to their back end and the upcoming expansion draft. John Klingberg and Esa Lindell are expected to be protected which leaves one opening for several blueliners who are at risk of being exposed. One of those is Jamie Oleksiak and Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News opines that the hulking rearguard should not be protected over youngster Stephen Johns even though the early thought seems to be that they may be leaning towards doing so.
GM Jim Nill has been extremely patient with Oleksiak, their first round pick back in 2011. Big defenders often have a longer learning curve and that seems to be their thinking with him, who has played a limited role the last two years. Heika argues that the team would be better off trying to deal him and protect Johns but it stands to reason that Oleksiak’s limited playing time over the past two seasons (just 60 games combined) could potentially make dealing him a bit more of a challenge.
Other notes from around the league:
- Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary both passed their baseline tests and are listed as game-time decisions for tonight against Washington, NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika was among many to note (all Twitter links). Crosby didn’t take part in the morning skate but head coach Mike Sullivan advised that doing so is normal for him. Both players were diagnosed with a concussion following Game Three on Monday night.
- The Capitals announced that they’ve re-assigned center Chandler Stephenson back to Hershey of the AHL in advance of their second round series getting underway against Providence today. Stephenson was recalled to the big club back on May 1st but didn’t see any action with Washington in this stint. He did, however, get into four games with the team in the regular season, being held off the scoresheet while averaging just shy of nine minutes of playing time per game.
- Vadim Shipachyov’s decision to join the expansion Golden Knights came as a surprise to some but Elliotte Friedman suggested to Sportsnet 590 in Toronto (audio link) that a big factor was their willingness to give him a second guaranteed year, something that other teams weren’t willing to do. The 30 year old has yet to play outside of Russia and while his KHL numbers this year were quite strong (26-50-76 in 50 games), it appears most teams around the league weren’t completely convinced that they’d be able to translate to NHL success.
Stars Notes: Niemi, Oleksiak, Sharp
Although Stars goaltender Antti Niemi struggled considerably in his last three outings (allowing 11 goals in 71 minutes in that span), head coach Lindy Ruff isn’t afraid to use him again in the near future, he told Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
Dallas has been juggling between Niemi and Kari Lehtonen on a regular basis as they look for at least one of them to get on a run but that has yet to happen as both have been well below average this season, hardly what the Stars were expecting when they made them the highest paid goaltending duo in the NHL.
Lehtonen has received the last three starts but he too has allowed 11 goals in that span (though to be fair, he played 177 minutes in those games). Accordingly, Niemi may not have to wait that much longer before he gets another look.
More from Dallas:
- Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak is expected to miss another 7-10 days as a result of his hand injuries, notes Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge (Twitter link). Oleksiak has been out of the lineup since January 11th. After spending most of the season as a healthy scratch early on, the 24 year old had been starting to play more before getting sidelined. On the season, the 2011 first round pick has played in 20 games this season, scoring five goals while adding an assist. If the Stars opt to sell at the trade deadline, Oleksiak would be in a prime position to take on a bigger role down the stretch.
- Right winger Patrick Sharp dealt with a lot of motion sickness issues while dealing with two separate instances of post-concussion symptoms, writes Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago. He noted that he has been much more comfortable since returning back in late December and put up a productive month in January with five goals and five assists in 13 games. If Dallas falls out of the playoff hunt, Sharp becomes a potential trade candidate but he will likely call the shots on a move as he can be dealt to just ten teams (while also carrying a pricey $5.9MM cap hit).
Central Moves: Nemeth, Schmaltz
With Jamie Oleksiak expected to miss 3-6 weeks after suffering a hand injury on Tuesday, the Dallas Stars have recalled Patrik Nemeth from his conditioning stint. The defenseman played four games for the Texas Stars, scoring three points.
Nemeth was recently listed as the most likely Stars player to be traded by Mike Heika’s mailbag. The 24-year old has somehow only played 84 games in the NHL in his career, despite being with the team for long stretches. Remember he was the player who lost almost an entire season to a deep laceration in 2014.
It’s still not clear if he will be inserted into the lineup on a regular basis, as Stephen Johns took Oleksiak’s place immediately. The 24-year old Johns may be more valuable in the spot since he is one of two right handed defensemen on the roster (John Klingberg being the other).
In Chicago, the team has decided to call up Nick Schmaltz as insurance for Artem Anisimov‘s illness. The team is carrying only 12 forwards, and if Anisimov couldn’t go would have had to dress seven blueliners.
Schmaltz was signed out of the University of North Dakota this spring after two very successful seasons. The 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Schmaltz has played 26 games for the NHL club this season. Just 20-years old, Schmaltz has shown he may be a little raw for the league but has a huge ceiling.