Dallas Stars Daily Links: Bridging the Janmark Gap

Happy Friday, everyone!

The Dallas Stars’ front office are big fans of Mattias Janmark, and Janmark very much enjoys playing in Dallas. So why was he only signed to a one-year deal on Wednesday?:

Wallen entered negotiations looking for a two- or three-year deal for his client, something that would bridge him into unrestricted free agency. But Wallen wasn’t able to get the financial commitment he was looking for with lingering concerns about Janmark’s genetic disorder, Osteochondritis Dissecans, and the surgically repaired knee that caused him to miss all of the 2016-17 season.

Coupled with the facts that Erik Karlsson rumors are still swirling and Janmark will be an RFA following this season, the Jim’s and Janmark’s camp decided that this was the right contract for the time being:

Essentially this becomes a prove-it season for Janmark. It’s a chance to prove his knee history is behind him, and a chance to prove he’s a legit a top-six forward and he should be paid like one.

Assuming he checks all those boxes, Janmark will have set himself up well for a much larger payday and long-term stability as an RFA again next summer.

See more from Sean Shapiro about Janmark and Gemel Smith at his usual spot. [The Athletic]

Stars Stuff

Sean Shapiro answered some fan questions:

Way to go, Victor E. and Marty!:

Valeri Nichushkin looks strangely like Rob Gronkowski at the 10-second mark of this clip:

Curious as to what Stephen Johns has been doing lately? We have good news for you!:

The ‘stache looks pretty sweet, but they could have given Tyler Seguin a bit more flow:

Around the League

Transactions and such:

• Mark Jankowski is staying in Calgary for two years. [NHL]
• Dan Hamhuis is out of Big D and back to the Nashville Predators on a two-year deal. [NHL]
• Continuing the two-year deal trend, Jake Virtanen is headed back to the Vancouver Canucks. [NHL]
• Brett Kulak got a one-year deal from the Calgary Flames in arbitration. [NHL]
• Jason Zucker got a very nice five-year contract from the Minnesota Wild. [NHL]
• MacKenzie Weegar (great name) inked a one-year deal with the Florida Panthers. [NHL]
• Finally, Tristan Jarry signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins to be their backup goaltender. [NHL]

Toronto Maple Leafs fans will be happy to hear this:

He had so much promise:

Trevor Linden’s timing to leave the Canucks seems pretty strange given the stage of the rebuild that the team is in:

Here’s a little stats tribute to Jarome Iginla in wake of his retirement announcement: