After 22 months Johns returns
Defenseman Stephen Johns appears on track to return to the Dallas Stars lineup Saturday for the first time in 22 months.
Johns, who returned from a conditioning assignment with Texas of the AHL, was not active Thursday for a game but will travel with the Stars for their next one at Minnesota.
He has not played in an NHL game since March 29, 2018, because of posttraumatic headaches.
“There’s a good chance he’ll play Saturday,” interim coach Rick Bowness said, “so we’ll evaluate that [Friday] and Saturday morning.”
Johns had a goal and three assists in two games for Texas.
The Stars could be in need of a defenseman after Miro Heiskanen didn’t play the second half Thursday in a 4-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres because of an upperbody injury. Bowness said Heiskanen’s availability is considered day to day.
Hurricanes
All-Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton will be out indefinitely because of a broken left fibula. He had surgery the day after being injured Thursday night in a 3-2 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was hurt in the second period while chasing down a puck along the wall in the neutral zone when he was tangled up with Columbus’ Kevin Stenlund. He fell awkwardly with his leg bent underneath him. He was a week away from attending his first NHL All-Star Weekend in St. Louis.
Predators
Forward Viktor Arvidsson was fined $2,000 by the NHL under the league’s rules regarding diving and embellishment. NHL Rule 64 was designed to penalize players who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties.
Bruins
Boston waived 14-year veteran David Backes. Backes has scored 245 goals with 309 assists in 944 NHL games, spending the first 10 years of his career with the St. Louis Blues and the past four in Boston.
A two-time U.S. Olympian, he was an All-Star in 2011, and the following season he was the runner-up in the Selke Award voting. Backes, 35, has just one goal and two assists in 16 games with the Bruins this season. The team said it wants to assign him to Providence of the American Hockey League.