Potential Return of Injured Players Poses Intriguing Roster Questions
Evgenii Dadonov and Jani Hakanpaa could return soon. If they do,who's the odd man out?
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports - Potential Return of Injured Players Poses Intriguing Roster QuestionsWith the postseason approaching, having a healthy team is critical for a deep run.
The Dallas Stars are currently missing two players heading into Wednesday's final regular-season game against the St. Louis Blues at American Airlines Center. Forward Evgenii Dadonov has been on the long-term injured list (LTIR) since February with a lower-body fracture. Defenseman Jani Hakanpaa hasn't played since March 20 as he battles a lower-body injury.
Dadonov has been skating over the past week. According to Stars coach Pete DeBoer, Dadonov is a game-time decision against the Blues, although he had a full practice Tuesday.
Hakanpaa's status is more unclear. DeBoer told reporters at Tuesday's practice he's not quite ready to put Hakanpaa back in action Wednesday and did not give a firm date for a return. While DeBoer stopped short of calling this a setback, he is clearly exercising patience and has no intention of rushing Hakanpaa back.
The situations of the two players pose different questions regarding roster makeup heading into the playoffs. When/if Dadonov comes off LTIR, who will he replace? If Hakanpaa gets back in the lineup, who becomes the healthy scratch?
After Dadonov was placed on LTIR, Logan Stankoven was called up from the Stars' AHL development affiliate, and the 47th overall draft pick in 2021 has played well. In 23 games, Stankoven has 14 points (6-8-14). He got off to a great start, picking up at least one goal in four of his first six NHL games and eight points over his first two weeks.
Stankoven has hit a bit of a dry spell in scoring, with his last point coming against Colorado April 7. But he continues to do other things well: hunting pucks, forechecking, creating turnovers and setting up his linemates for quality chances.
"Every guy wants to score goals," Stankoven said Tuesday. "As long as the team's winning and I can keep contributing in other ways, then that's a positive. Goals are going to be even harder to come by in the playoffs, so that's all part of it."
What does DeBoer do when Dadonov comes off the injured list? Could Stankoven be the sacrificial lamb and be sent back down?
The good news is that may not be necessary, thanks to some fancy maneuvering with the salary cap. Stars assistant GM Mark Janko told the Dallas Morning News last week the team should be able to stay under the cap while keeping Stankoven in the fold.
"I think we did a really good job," Janko told DMN. "We were happy with the way we were able to manage it so that we would be able to have that flexibility without having to send Logan, who would really be one of the only guys we could be able to send down."
The Stars have made numerous moves since Dadonov was placed in LTIR to remain under the salary cap should he be able to return before the regular season ends.
When Dallas acquired defenseman Chris Tanev at the trade deadline, general manager Jim Nill was able to get him at 75% salary retained rather than 50%. The Stars also loaned Stankoven back to the AHL's Texas Stars nine times between February 21 and March 17. Each time Stankoven was sent down, the club not only stayed under the cap, but accrued more space each time. If Dadonov returns from LTIR before the end of the regular season, the Stars will have about $41,000 in cap room left.
As for the postseason, the NHL does not require teams to have a salary cap or roster limit. This would allow DeBoer to rotate healthy scratches among his forwards.
Ty Dellandrea, who has played in just 26 games for the Stars this season, would be the most likely candidate. Dellandrea, who has five points (3-2-5), hasn't played since April 6 against the Chicago Blackhawks.
After Hakanpaa went out in March, Nils Lundkvist has been periodically paired with Ryan Suter in the defensive rotation. But Lundkvist has seen his ice time reduced recently, with DeBoer choosing to use a shorter rotation. Lundkvist has averaged just over 13 shifts and 9.52 TOI over his last five games. He has 19 points (2-17-19) in 58 games this season.
DeBoer was asked about Lundkvist's reduced ice time last week.
"This isn't a story about Nils Lundkvist," DeBoer said at practice last Friday. "He's a small part of what we're doing here. It is what it is. We're winning a lot of games, we're finding a way to win. Not everyone's gonna play the same amount of ice time."
Read between the lines, and it seems obvious Lundkvist will join Dellandrea as a healthy scratch more often than not when Hakanpaa is deemed ready to play. He was acquired in a 2022 trade with the New York Rangers for a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 draft and conditional fourth-round selection in 2025. The Stars may have hoped for better output from Lundkvist, particularly as a scoring defenseman. But with the development of Thomas Harley and Miro Heiskanen, Lundkvist's opportunities to contribute have become fewer.
These aren't easy decisions to make, regardless of how a player is performing. It's hard to second-guess DeBoer, since he seems to push all the right buttons with player management more often than not.
Being at or near full strength will be an important component for the Stars as they prepare for the postseason grind. It gives DeBoer more latitude in determining who gets more ice time. As frustrating as it may be for players who find themselves sitting in the stands watching instead of playing, it's always nice to have options.
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