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Oskar Back

Central Notes: Johansson, Heiskanen, Back, Colton

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Minnesota Wild winger Marcus Johansson was not in the lineup for today’s 4-3 overtime loss against the Golden Knights, the team announced prior to the game. Johansson left in the third period of game three with an undisclosed injury and did not return to the contest. Prior to today’s game, head coach John Hynes did not provide an update on his injury or a potential timeline for his return.

With Johansson out, veteran Vinnie Hinostroza was added to the lineup and recorded 11:57 of total ice time. Johansson, a fixture in the Wild’s top six, registered 34 points in 72 games on the season. The 34-year-old also brings a wealth of playoff experience to the table, playing in 112 career playoff games with 46 points. His return would be big for the Wild as the series is now tied 2-2.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • Dallas Stars defender Miro Heiskanen will not play in tonight’s game four matchup against the Avalanche, per Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas News. Heiskanen recently rejoined practice first time since sustaining his knee injury in late January, and Friday’s practice was the closest he’s been to a full participant, Assimakopoulos notes. In 50 games on the season, the 25-year-old scored five goals and 25 points from the point. He’s also showcased an ability to elevate his game in the playoffs, including last season where he produced six goals and 16 points in 19 games. Coach Pete DeBoer also noted that forward Oskar Back will be a game-time decision after suffering an injury in game three. If he is unable to go, the door will be open for Mavrik Bourque to slot back into the lineup.
  • Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar confirmed that forward Ross Colton is making progress with his lower body injury, but that Colton will remain out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, per Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports. Colton sustained his injury in game one of the series and has not been able to dress since. In 61 regular season games this season, Colton produced 16 goals in 29 points.

Stars Sign Oskar Back To Two-Year Extension

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The Stars have signed center Oskar Back to a two-year, $1.65MM extension, the club announced Thursday. The 24-year-old was slated to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and, after signing a one-year deal to remain in the Stars system last summer, became eligible to sign an extension just yesterday.

It’s been a lengthy road to relevancy for Back, who Dallas picked up in the third round of the 2018 draft. After he spent his first three post-draft seasons suiting up in his native Sweden, he signed his entry-level deal with the Stars in April 2021, one year before his exclusive signing rights were set to expire.

Back spent the entirety of his entry-level deal in the AHL, where he slowly upped his offensive production en route to becoming one of the Baby Stars’ best two-way forwards. He posted 19 goals, 69 assists and 88 points in 196 games with a +29 rating over his three years on the farm, including a career-high 36 points in 59 games during the 2023-24 campaign.

With Dallas looking internally to find some cost-effective options for their bottom-six forward group, they re-upped Back on a two-way deal in June to keep him off the restricted free agent market. A strong training camp meant he avoided waivers and made the Stars’ opening night roster. He’s played in 31 of Dallas’ 36 games and hasn’t served as a healthy scratch since early November.

In his first NHL look, Back has been a fine fourth-line piece. He has a goal plus eight assists for nine points with a +4 rating, all the while averaging 11:17 per game and winning 55.6% of his draws. He hasn’t been particularly physical despite carrying a 6’4″, 203-lb frame, only recording 13 hits.

That lack of physicality hasn’t kept Back from recording strong possession impacts, though. His usage has trended defensive at 5-on-5, but the Stars have still managed to control 54.9% of shot attempts with him on the ice compared to 52.1% without him. He’s also received some fringe penalty-kill usage, averaging a tad over a minute per game shorthanded.

Back will now remain in Dallas through the 2026-27 campaign on an affordable $825K cap hit. It’s indeed a one-way deal, Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports confirms. Among players on the Stars’ active roster, 13 are now under contract for next season.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Stars, Oskar Bäck Agree To Two-Way Deal

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The Stars have agreed to a one-year, two-way deal with center/right wing Oskar Bäck, per a team release. It carries a $775K cap hit and pays him $120K in the minors with a $135K guarantee, PuckPedia reports. He’ll return for his fourth season in the Dallas organization after wrapping up his entry-level contract this year.

Dallas is the only NHL home Bäck has known. The Stars picked up the Swedish forward in the third round of the 2018 draft, signing him to an entry-level contract three years later. He played out the entirety of the deal with the AHL’s Texas Stars, where he’s put up 88 points (19 goals, 69 assists) in 196 games.

2023-24 was a high point for Bäck, who recorded career highs with 29 assists and 36 points despite making only 59 appearances, his fewest since joining the AHL club. He’s a good-skating pivot with NHL size at 6’2″ and 205 lbs, but his lack of goal-scoring ability means he’s yet to receive an NHL call-up. The Karlstad, Sweden native is a skilled playmaker, though, and could be a depth NHL option at some point in the right situation.

Given he’ll be 25 next summer, Bäck will almost certainly reach UFA status early as a Group VI free agent. He’ll have accumulated enough professional seasons to hit the open market early while playing fewer than 80 career NHL games. Therefore, it’s an important season for Bäck to try and at least earn a recall to earn another big-league opportunity in 2025-26 and avoid heading back to Europe.

The Stars are up to 33 out of a maximum 50 contracts signed for 2024-25 after re-upping Bäck, per CapFriendly.

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.

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