Roope Hintz has been openly pulling for Patrik Laine, even if Dallas never made the move. In a conversation with Ilta-Sanomat reporter Teem Suvinen, Hintz said he speaks with Laine every day and doesn’t understand why his friend still hasn’t even landed a tryout.
“I’m (Roope Hintz) really upset for him. His last season was ruined by injury, and he still can’t play,” Hintz said.
He also made it clear he would have welcomed Laine in Dallas.
“There would be seven of us Finns! That would probably be some kind of record. But it’s not in my hands, Hintz says.”
That idea never got off the ground. Instead of chasing the bigger swing, the Stars went with a lower-cost addition when general manager Jim Nill signed David Perron on Oct.
- The deal was for one year at the league minimum of $850,000, and it came after Matt Duchene was sidelined for three months following core muscle surgery.
The timing is awkward in one sense: Dallas has the exact kind of opening Laine could fill. Through eight games, the Stars had 19 goals, a pace tied for 27th in the NHL, according to NHL.com.
Their power play had produced just three goals on 20 chances, with only eight teams worse. Meanwhile, nobody was giving up fewer goals per game than Dallas, which had allowed 12 in eight games.
That is the profile of a team that could use a pure finisher. Laine has 85 career power-play goals, and Hintz said he still believes Laine can score 40 or 50 goals. He also said he doesn’t push him on contract matters because Laine already hears enough about that.
The two know each other well from Tampere. Hintz came up with Ilves in Liiga, while Laine played for Tappara, the city’s rival club. Laine was also at Hintz’s wedding in August 2024.
Still, Laine’s market has been slow to move. In North America, his free agency has been tracked as a list of possible landing spots, with TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reporting that the Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings have discussed him.
Laine has not played in an NHL game since Oct. 16, 2025, and Montreal did not return him to the lineup after core muscle surgery. He is training in Florida while he waits.
Dallas, though, chose certainty over upside. Perron brings a different kind of value: availability.
He played 65 games last season for the Ottawa Senators and Red Wings, finishing with 13 goals and 28 points. Over the last three seasons, Perron has appeared in 184 NHL games, while Laine has played 75.
The Stars believe Perron fits what they need at even strength. Gulutzan said Monday that he and Nill decided to add Perron after Duchene’s surgery and Oskar Bäck’s broken finger. Captain Jamie Benn said Perron gives the team a little more scoring touch, and The Hockey News described the signing as a low-risk bet on forward depth.
Glen Gulutzan also pointed to Perron’s work along the boards and his hockey sense, per NHL.com. Perron has 812 career points and a Stanley Cup ring from St. Louis in 2019.
Laine, on the other hand, is the bigger power-play weapon by a wide margin. His 2024-25 total on the man advantage beats Perron’s last three seasons combined, 15 goals to 14.
But those minutes are already crowded in Dallas. Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson, Miro Heiskanen and Hintz all average more than three minutes of power-play time per night, according to NHL.com, and nobody else gets much more than one.
For Laine to matter there, he would have to take one of those spots.
Perron also comes with his own questions. He turns 39 in May, and his production has slipped from 47 points in 2023-24 to 28 in 2025-26. Even so, Dallas appears to have prioritized the player it can count on rather than the one who would have brought the bigger ceiling.
Duchene’s surgery was the same one Laine had a year ago. Dallas will wait three months for Duchene, while Laine’s agent, Andy Scott, told LeBrun this month that his client is healthy and skating every day. For now, though, the Stars have chosen the safer path - and Laine’s list of landing spots keeps getting shorter.
In Other News...
Stars Lose A Key Defensive Piece At The Worst Time
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Lindell was hurt blocking a shot in Saturday's win over Chicago, a play that underscored both his value and the risk that comes with those heavy defensive assignments. Dallas will now have to manage without one of its steadier pieces for at least the short term, and the timing could hardly be worse as the Stars try to keep their rhythm intact. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Let A 2-1 Lead Slip As Stars Take Over Late
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Mikko Rantanen was the difference throughout, giving Dallas the kind of star turn that can erase a good road result in a hurry. The game featured plenty of power-play looks for both sides, yet neither club could cash in during regulation, leaving the outcome to be decided when the Stars finally broke through at the end. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Comeback Put Bostons Coaching Trust In The Spotlight
Bostons early-season surge has given Marco Sturm a lot to feel good about, especially with the Bruins leaning on young players in bigger roles than many expected. The clubs 7-2-1 start has reflected that trust, and for much of the opening month, Sturms willingness to let emerging talent grow on the job has looked like a strength rather than a gamble.
The late-game choices against Dallas added a different layer to the conversation, though, because the Bruins were trying to protect a lead and the Stars kept pressing until the game flipped on them. Sturm has earned the benefit of the doubt with how the season has begun, but the finish against Dallas also hinted at the kind of bench-management questions that tend to surface once the standings tighten and every decision gets magnified. [Read more 🡒]