Central Notes: Hartman, Hunt, Lyubushkin, Fuder
Despite positioning themselves as buyers for the upcoming deadline season, the Minnesota Wild have reportedly looked to move a veteran off the roster to clear out additional cap space. According to a recent article from Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff, the Wild reportedly attempted to send Ryan Hartman to the Philadelphia Flyers before acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes.
If Minnesota wants to move out salary, Hartman is likely the easiest choice. Every other notable forward on the roster has no-movement protection in their contracts, whereas Hartman only has a 15-team no-trade list. Since the Wild reached out to Philadelphia first, it’s safe to assume that the Flyers aren’t on that list. He has some experience in Philadelphia, scoring two goals and six points in 19 games for the Flyers back in the 2018-19 season.
Aside from the mild trade protection, there’s no questioning why the Wild are looking to move out Hartman. Even when healthy, he hasn’t come close to the production he had in Minnesota from 2021 to 2024. Over the last two years, the 34-year-old veteran has scored 20 goals and 41 points in 103 games, which is less than he had during the 2023-24 season alone.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Staying in Minnesota, the team could return to a fully healthy lineup on its upcoming road trip. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, defenseman Daemon Hunt, the lone remaining player on the team’s injured reserve, is expected to return relatively soon. Hunt has missed Minnesota’s last five games with an undisclosed injury. Fortunately, he’ll have plenty of time to return on the road trip as it will last seven games and 13 days.
- The Dallas Stars will be somewhat shorthanded in their matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. Earlier today, team reporter Brien Rea shared that defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin would be out of the lineup due to an illness. It’ll be the 12th game that Lyubushkin has missed this season. The eight-year veteran has registered one goal and seven points in 27 games for the Stars across the 2025-26 campaign.
- In the Western Hockey League, one of the Stars’ forward prospects was included in a trade this afternoon. According to a league announcement, the third-place Edmonton Oil Kings have acquired forward Jaxon Fuder from the Red Reed Rebels for Poul Andersen, Boris Sigachev, Brock Stevenson, and a conditional 2027 fourth-round pick. Fuder had scored seven goals and 24 points in 27 games for the Rebels before the trade.
Stars Sign Jaxon Fuder To Entry-Level Deal
The Stars have signed undrafted forward Jaxon Fuder to a three-year entry-level contract, the club announced. He had been in training camp as an amateur tryout invite. As part of the move, he’s also been formally cut from Dallas’ roster and loaned to WHL Red Deer.
Fuder, 19, was initially eligible for selection in the 2024 draft. At the time, he wasn’t on anyone’s radar. He spent his draft year in the junior ‘A’ BCHL, recording 16 points in 31 games for the Cranbrook Bucks and Powell River Kings. Only last season did he make the jump to high-level junior hockey, slotting in as a top-nine presence with Red Deer and notching an 11-15–26 scoring line in 46 games.
Dallas has had their eyes on Fuder all summer long. He was also invited to their development camp in July. His performance there and in the Stars’ rookie camp games earlier this month – he scored twice in two games against the Red Wings’ prospect group – has been enough to land him a deal.
Since Fuder will still be 19 on September 15 of this year, his entry-level contract is eligible for one slide. Since he won’t hit 10 NHL games played in 2025-26, he’ll earn his initial signing bonus but nothing else, and the deal will slide to 2026-27. He’ll be a restricted free agent following the 2028-29 season.
The Stars have three open contract slots. All of those will remain open because players subject to an entry-level slide do not count against the 50-contract limit.