Dallas Stars Recall Dustin Jeffrey; Re-Assign Chris Mueller to AHL

With Dallas Stars forward Erik Cole potentially still on the shelf for tonight's key game against the Winnipeg Jets, the Stars have shuffled the minor-league forwards they have on the roster they have as a replacement.

On Monday morning, the Stars recalled forward Dustin Jeffrey from the Texas Stars of the AHL while simultaneously sending down Chris Mueller, who had filled in the past several games as Alex Chiasson, Shawn Horcoff then Cole were out of the lineup.

Jeffrey, listed at 6-1, 205-pounds, has played 12 games with an assist with Dallas this season after being picked up on waivers from Pittsburgh last fall. Mueller, 5-11, 210, has played eight games without registering a point.

All the AHL recalls the Stars have used until this point are reportedly of the emergency version (i.e., they do not count against the four call-up limit after the trade deadline passes). The rules for such things are rather complicated, however, and the Stars would likely not be able to field a full 20-man contingent tonight without someone up from the AHL (be that Jeffrey or Mueller) should Cole be unable to play,

Since it's so confusing, I went right to the source, and here's what I found out.

@ErinB_DBD It's a swap, but it's still an emergency recall. Someone with the Stars called it an "emergency replacement."

— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) March 24, 2014

Fair enough. That's a pretty sure sign that Cole will not be available for the Stars again tonight as well.

Here's the official release from the team:

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has recalled forward Dustin Jeffrey from the Texas Stars, Dallas’ development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team also announced that forward Chris Mueller has been reassigned to Texas.

Jeffrey, 26, has earned 10 points (4-6=10) and a +6 plus/minus rating in 21 games for Texas this season. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound forward has skated in 22 NHL games with Dallas and Pittsburgh this season, recording two assists. With Dallas, he has appeared in 12 games and recorded one assist.

The native of Sarnia, Ontario was originally drafted by Pittsburgh in the sixth round (171st overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft and was claimed off waivers by Dallas on Nov. 17, 2013.

Mueller, 28, has posted seven shots in eight games for Dallas this season. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound forward leads Texas with 14 power play goals this season and ranks fourth overall in point scoring with 54 points (24-30=54) in 58 games played in the AHL.

The native of West Seneca, New York was signed by Dallas as a free agent on July 8, 2013.