Dallas won’t help stock roster
CEDAR PARK — The Texas Stars won’t be getting reinforcements from the Dallas Stars for the playoffs.
It had been speculated that Valeri Nichuskin, Dallas’ first-round rookie, might be sent to Cedar Park in a “paper transaction” on Wednesday, which would’ve made him eligible for the AHL playoffs next month. But Dallas general manager Jim Nill said there was “no thought” of that happening.
“All the guys that have been up here with (Dallas) have been here all year, they deserve to be here,” Nill said in a conference call Wednesday. “We’ve got a lot of good guys down in Austin that need to play.”
To be sent down after the NHL’s trade deadline, players had to be on an American Hockey League roster at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Dallas took advantage of that rule during the 200910 season, when Jamie Benn was assigned to the AHL and played for Texas in the playoffs. During that playoff run, the now-Dallas captain registered 26 points in 24 games, helping Texas reach the Calder Cup Finals.
Sceviour gets exten
sion: Dallas didn’t open up space for Colton Sceviour at the trade deadline, but the right wing is in the franchise’s future plans after signing a two-year contract extension last Saturday.
“It came up pretty quick,” Sceviour said. “With the trade deadline coming up, they wanted to lock down and see what they had. To have a multiyear deal is big for me. I haven’t had one of those since my entry level contract.”
It will be a pay raise for Sceviour, who’s making $105,000 on a twoway contract this season. He’ll make $600,000 during the 2014-15 season, followed by $700,000 in 2015-16. The deal is a oneway contract, meaning he’ll earn the same salary in the NHL or AHL. Strange box score: The box score from Texas’ game against the San Antonio Rampage on March 1 might be difficult to navigate once the teams resume play March 27 in San Antonio.
Texas was leading 2-0 with 12:01 remaining in the first period when the game was suspended due to unsafe ice. It was the first game since a monthlong break for the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, and Rampage for- ward Matt Gilroy’s skate blade snapped in a hole.
Teams won’t have to field the same roster and San Antonio will have a new goalie when play resumes. Jacob Markstrom started the game and allowed two goals on four shots before the game was suspended. He was traded by the Florida Panthers to the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week in exchange for Roberto Luongo.
Late Wednesday: The Stars defeated the Abbotsford Heat for the second time this week as Cameron Guance scored in overtime to take a 4-3 victory late Wednesday night. Brendan Ranford had two assists to push the Stars (35-16-3-5, 78 points) to five points ahead of Abbotsford, and a single point ahead of Grand Rapids in the Western Conference.