Stars’ Roope Hintz Leaves Due To Injury
Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz left late in tonight’s game after taking a hard shot off his leg, and head coach Glen Gulutzan told Lia Assimakopoulos of Dallas News that there is no update at this time.
With just 1:31 remaining in regulation, in a two-goal deficit, teammate Miro Heiskanen unloaded on a one-timer. Hintz, in front of the crease, attempted to jump out of the way, but it caught him in the ankle area. The 29-year-old went down immediately and had to be helped off the ice, not putting weight on the leg. Minnesota capitalized on the play, cashing in on the empty net and putting the game out of reach.
With Tyler Seguin and Lian Bichsel both on long-term injured reserve – Seguin with a torn ACL, no less – Hintz’s injury is a significant concern. Thankfully, the team has gotten back Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene from their own injuries, but it has been a brutal stretch for Dallas health-wise. They nonetheless rank second in the league, with serious Stanley Cup aspirations.
Hintz has 26 points in 27 games this season as a bona fide top-line center. Although the Stars boast a tremendously deep roster, his status will be watched urgently with the hope that another long-term injury has been avoided. Dallas will not be in action again until Saturday, when they host the Panthers, so an update on the skilled center may not come until the weekend.
Central Injury Notes: Hintz, Duchene, Thomas, Zuccarello
The Dallas Stars will be without some significant talent ahead of the Western Conference Final rematch tomorrow night. According to team reporter Brien Rea, the Stars won’t have forwards Roope Hintz or Matt Duchene against the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night. Additionally, Jake Oettinger is also doubtful, given that he and his wife just had a child.
It’s more of the same for Duchene. The 17-year veteran will have missed Dallas’ last eight games due to an upper-body injury after tomorrow night’s contest. He’s only appeared in four games this year, scoring one goal and two assists with a 52.2% success rate in the faceoff dot.
Meanwhile, Hintz will miss his fifth straight game due to an undisclosed injury. He’s been a much bigger void to fill, given that he’s been a point-per-game player to start the campaign. Since Duchene left the lineup, the Stars have averaged two goals per game.
Other injury notes from the Central Division:
- In some positive news, the St. Louis Blues will return Robert Thomas to the lineup tonight. According to Lou Korac of the NHL, Thomas returned to practice this morning and was included in all line rushes. He’s missed the team’s last four games with an upper-body injury. Unfortunately, Thomas’s absence was notably evident, as the Blues lost all four contests.
- The positive news isn’t only isolated to St. Louis. According to Joe Smith of The Athletic, Minnesota Wild veteran Mats Zuccarello looks very close to returning. Zuccarello suffered a lower-body injury before the start of the regular season. Like Thomas, his absence has been noticeable. Despite leading the league in power-play goals, the Wild are only averaging 1.61 even-strength goals through their first 13 games.
Afternoon Notes: Pesce, Hintz, Finnie
Amanda Stein, team reporter of the New Jersey Devils, shared mid-game that Brett Pesce did not return for the second period of the team’s matinee tilt vs Colorado. The defenseman notched 6 minutes in the first but missed his final shifts of the period and did not return.
Especially given the Devils’ hot start, currently atop the league, and their consistent stream of injuries, it is certainly the hope that Pesce’s injury is not serious, and many will keep a watchful eye on further updates today.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas News wrote earlier today that Stars forward Roope Hintz will miss tonight’s game in Nashville. Given the club’s activation of Oskar Bäck earlier today, it appears the 6’4” center could appear tonight for his season debut. Meanwhile, Hintz was shaken up last night from a big hit into the boards from Taylor Hall, one which gave Hall a charging minor. Further details of Hintz’s injury have not been disclosed, but Dallas will cross their fingers that their star, currently at a point a game pace, is not out long-term.
- Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now shared earlier today a story on Red Wings rookie Emmitt Finnie, a former seventh-round-pick who has burst onto the scene. Finnie first earned a spot on the Wings’ roster which was impressive enough, but now he is featured on the team’s top line, with 8 points in 9 games. As mentioned by Allen, few seventh-rounders even make the NHL (20 since 2019) but zero have made an immediate impact like Finnie, who is right among the league’s best rookies so far in 2025-26. His contributions have helped Detroit to a great start as they aim to finally take a step back into the playoffs. Whatever may happen, Finnie’s all-around-game is showing to be an absolute steal from the Wings at 201st overall in the 2023 draft, a franchise no stranger to such throughout their history.
Central Notes: Hintz, Lowry, Bertuzzi
While the Dallas Stars managed to secure a victory over one of the NHL’s best teams last night, their win wasn’t without cost: center Roope Hintz left the contest with an injury, and the club did not issue an update to his status other than the fact that he is still being evaluated, per Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports. The injury occurred when Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall delivered a heavy hit on Hintz – Hall was assessed a two-minute minor for charging on the play.
Should Hintz miss any time due to this injury, it would be a significant blow to the Stars, who are already dealing with injuries to other key veteran forwards. Last season’s leading scorer Matt Duchene has not played since Oct. 18 due to injury, while captain Jamie Benn hasn’t even made his season debut due to a collapsed lung. Depth forward Oskar Back, who was a full-time NHLer in Dallas last season, also hasn’t yet made his 2025-26 debut due to an undisclosed injury. Those injuries have contributed to the Stars’ somewhat underwhelming start to the season. Expected to be one of the NHL’s most dominant teams, they have a 4-3-1 record eight games into Glen Gulutzan’s tenure as head coach.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- The Winnipeg Jets have been without their captain Adam Lowry for the early part of the season due to an injury, but it appears that absence is drawing to a close. TSN’s Danielle Bain reported yesterday that Lowry was back at practice in a regular jersey, and seemed “to be inching closer to a return.” It’s an important year for Lowry in terms of his Jets future. The respected all-around center is playing out the final year of a five-year, $3.25MM AAV pact, and could end up receiving a notable pay raise. It was previously reported that the Jets, who have managed to re-sign several key contributors over the last few years (including Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Neal Pionk) have made re-signing Lowry a top priority.
- Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Bertuzzi is dealing with a day-to-day injury and is questionable to play in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings, reports Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. This development positions Bertuzzi to potentially miss a game this season for the first time, as he’s skated in all eight of the Blackhawks’ contests up to this point. The 30-year-old has played a notable role in helping Chicago get off to a fast start to the 2025-26 season, beating most industry projections en route to a solid 4-2-2 record. Bertuzzi has scored two goals and six points through eight games, and combined with the recent trade of Lukas Reichel to the Vancouver Canucks, this injury is only further testing the Blackhawks’ forward depth, although there is a chance Bertuzzi is able to play in tonight’s game.
West Notes: Hintz, Toews, Kravtsov
Stars center Roope Hintz has fully recovered from the broken foot he sustained late in the playoffs, relays NHL.com’s Tracey Myers. The injury ultimately didn’t need surgery and he will be ready to take part in training camp next month. Hintz came back for the final two games of the series before Dallas was eliminated by Edmonton but he was clearly not at his best given the injury. He finished fourth on the Stars in scoring last season after putting up 28 goals and 39 assists in 76 games while adding a dozen points in 17 postseason appearances. It was the first time in four years that he didn’t reach the 30-goal mark, something he might have been able to reach had he been fully healthy during the regular season.
More from out West:
- Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press outlines the journey that center Jonathan Toews went through to get back to being ready to give playing in the NHL another opportunity through Ayurvedic and Panchakarma treatments. The 37-year-old had to step away from playing in 2023 due to the lingering effects of long COVID and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. However, he’s ready to give playing another go now after signing a one-year deal with the Jets at the start of free agency. The agreement pays him a base salary of $2MM while he has an additional $5MM in potential performance bonuses ranging from games played to Winnipeg’s playoff success.
- There was a fair bit of interest in Canucks winger Vitali Kravtsov before Vancouver brought him back to North America, reports Thomas Drance of The Athletic (subscription link). With that in mind, the team is thought to have an internal belief that the 25-year-old will be claimed off waivers if Vancouver tries to send him to the minors. Kravtsov is coming off a strong KHL season and signed a one-year, two-way deal earlier this month. He’ll need to get into 16 NHL games this coming season to remain RFA-eligible and based on this, he might have a shot at getting there even if he’s cut from the Canucks in training camp.
Dallas Notes: Benn, Hintz, Lundkvist, Oettinger
For the first time in his career, longtime Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn is heading for free agency. That said, Benn told reporters he intends to play next season — and plans to do so with the Stars, per Taylor Baird of NHL.com.
The Stars’ captain said, “I’m going into the summer planning on playing next year. I don’t see myself going anywhere else. This is all I know. Hopefully, we can figure something out.”
Benn has played all 1,192 of his games in Dallas. The soon-to-be 36-year-old ranks second only to franchise legend Mike Modano in several key categories, including games played, points, goals, and shots on goal. He also secured the franchise’s only Art Ross Trophy when he posted 87 points during the 2014-15 season.
This past season, Benn proved he can still contribute in a bottom-six role, finishing with a respectable 16 goals and 49 points. However, his production dipped in the postseason, where he managed just three points in 18 games.
Elsewhere with the Stars:
- GM Jim Nill confirmed that forward Roope Hintz sustained a foot fracture after being slashed by Edmonton Oilers’ defenseman Darnell Nurse in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final, according to Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. The injury kept Hintz out of Game 3, and while he was on the ice for Games 4 and 5, the injury limited the defensively responsible forward. The slash was originally called a major penalty; however, the referees later downgraded it to a minor, much to the frustration of coach Pete DeBoer. Nill also confirmed that defenseman Nils Lundkvist was recently cleared by his surgeon for full contact in practice. Lundkvist underwent shoulder surgery in February that was originally labeled as a season-ending procedure. However, DeBoer noted at the start of the playoffs that Lundkvist could have potentially returned if the Stars made a deep enough run. While Lundkvist ultimately wasn’t able to return, it appears he’ll have a clean bill of health heading into next season.
- DeBoer also noted that the coaching staff discussed potentially sitting goalie Jake Oettinger for Game 4 of the Western Conference Final, citing his heavy playoff workload (more than any other goalie) and the fact that he was dealing with an “upper-respiratory thing,” per Assimakopoulos. The 26-year-old started strong in the playoffs but cooled off considerably against the Oilers. His postseason ended abruptly in Game 5, when he allowed two goals on the first two shots he faced in a 6–3 loss that eliminated the Stars.
Central Notes: Marchessault, Ylonen, Hintz, Blackhawks
Jonathan Marchessault’s first season in Nashville didn’t exactly go as planned. Like many Predators who underachieved, his offensive numbers dipped, with his goal total being cut in half from 42 to 21 while his 56 points were his lowest since the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign. With things not going well this year, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the belief is that the 34-year-old is open to moving on. He’d be an intriguing addition for teams looking to add some firepower up front but the fact he has four years left on his contract (even at a reasonable $5.5MM price tag) could scare some suitors off, while Marchessault can also partially control his fate with a 15-team no-trade clause.
More from the Central:
- As expected, Predators pending RFA Jesse Ylonen has officially signed with SHL Djurgarden, per a team release. He was linked to landing a deal in Sweden last week. The 25-year-old was on Montreal’s roster full-time last season but he played exclusively in the minors this year, splitting time between farm teams in Tampa Bay and Nashville. Between the two squads, Ylonen put 12 goals and 23 assists in 66 games. Ylonen has two years of team control remaining but with arbitration eligibility. Considering the term of this agreement is two years, the likeliest outcome is that the Preds simply non-tender Ylonen next month.
- After missing Sunday’s game with a leg injury, Stars center Roope Hintz was back in the lineup tonight against Edmonton. He took the place of Evgenii Dadonov who was a healthy scratch. Hintz entered the night tied for second on Dallas in points with 11 through 15 games after putting up 67 in 76 games during the regular season.
- The Blackhawks made it official today that Anders Sorensen and Michael Peca will serve as assistants on Jeff Blashill’s staff, moves that were reported last week. Meanwhile, it appears the third and final spot is close to being filled as well as Blashill told reporters today including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link) that they’re close to getting that vacancy filled. Whoever is hired will be taking the place of Kevin Dean who is not returning next season and will likely be tasked with working with their young defensive group.
Snapshots: Brown, Hintz, Koppanen
Oilers winger Connor Brown left today’s victory over Dallas with an upper-body injury. He was injured late in the second period on a hit from Alex Petrovic. Speaking with reporters postgame (video link), head coach Kris Knoblauch indicated that there was no immediate update on Brown’s status. The 31-year-old has been a quality secondary scorer in the playoffs with five goals and three assists in 14 games despite being questionable for a few games with another injury. If Brown isn’t available for Tuesday’s matchup, one of Viktor Arvidsson or Jeff Skinner would likely take his place in the lineup.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- With Roope Hintz being a late scratch against Edmonton, Stars head coach Peter DeBoer was asked after today’s game about his status. He noted (video link) that the center wasn’t particularly close to being able to play and had he been close, he would have played. Hintz took the pregame warmup but left only a few minutes in and DeBoer’s comments appear to call into question Hintz’s potential availability on Tuesday. Hintz has five goals and six assists through 15 playoff games, good for a share of second in team scoring heading into today’s loss.
- Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggests that pending UFA winger Joona Koppanen would be wise to move on in free agency this summer in a move that could work well for him and the Penguins. The 27-year-old played in 11 games with Pittsburgh this season, scoring once while adding 23 points in 56 AHL contests with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. While Koppanen can kill penalties, Kyle Dubas tends to prefer a lot of depth which could put him further down the depth chart if he were to re-sign compared to some other teams where a path to a recall could be easier to reach.
Roope Hintz Unavailable For Game 3
2:03 p.m.: Hintz is out for Game 3, the Stars’ Bruce LeVine relays. Back will re-enter the lineup in his place.
1:01 p.m.: The Stars may have center Roope Hintz in their lineup for today’s matinee Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the Oilers after all. He’s a game-time decision after taking a slash to the left skate from Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse that prematurely ended his Game 2, head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters today (including Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News).
Hintz needed assistance getting off the ice after the slash from Nurse early in the third period, which initially yielded a major penalty but was reduced to a minor upon review. Nurse was also not subject to supplemental discipline for the play.
After a tough postseason showing in last year’s run to the WCF, Hintz has looked more like his usual self in the 2025 playoffs. He’s put up a 5-6–11 scoring line through 15 games, tied for second on the team in scoring with Thomas Harley, and is tied for the league lead in playoff power-play goals with three alongside teammate Mikael Granlund. Only Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston are seeing more ice time per game among Stars forwards than Hintz, who’s logging 17:47 on a nightly basis.
Most of Hintz’s scoring came in the first round against the Avalanche, though, namely a four-point effort in Game 6. He’s managed just one assist in his last five games dating back to Game 4 of the second round against the Jets. They’d prefer him healthy and effective to break a true deadlock so far in the West Final, which is tied 1-1 with the Oilers and Stars also tied in aggregate scoring at 6-6.
If Hintz can’t play, either Mavrik Bourque or Oskar Back will enter the lineup in his stead. Bourque hasn’t played since Game 4 of the first round, while Back has just three appearances in the second round and WCF combined – he did play in Game 1 before being replaced by Colin Blackwell in Friday’s loss.
West Notes: Nurse, Hintz, Connelly, Wakely
According to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety isn’t expected to bestow supplemental discipline to Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse for slashing Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final. Nurse was assessed a minor penalty on the play.
The news is disconcerting for a few reasons. The penalty was retaliatory, and Hintz was visibly injured after the play. Not only did Hintz leave Game 2 early in the third period, but it’s unknown if he’ll play in Games 3 or 4.
According to independent writer Robert Tiffin, Dallas head coach Peter DeBoer was noncommittal when asked if Hintz would travel with the team to Edmonton. Hintz’s absence would likely prove a major loss for the Stars, as he’s scored five goals and 11 points in their 15 postseason contests this year.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- One of the Vegas Golden Knights’ top prospects is on the move in the WHL. The new Penticton Vees selected Trevor Connelly from the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL Expansion Draft and will own his rights for the foreseeable future. It won’t matter much, however. Connelly played for the NCAA’s Providence College last season before signing his entry-level contract on the first day of April. Since he will not be returning to the NCAA, it is highly unlikely that Connelly will move back to the Canadian major junior leagues anytime soon.
- Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reported that Oilers prospect Dalyn Wakely has secured a school in the NCAA. He’ll join the University of Massachusetts-Lowell after spending one year with the OHL’s Barrie Colts. The former 2024 sixth-round pick scored 23 goals and 58 points in 55 games for the Colts this past season.