Penguins trade D-man Jamie Oleksiak back to Stars
Josh Dubow | The Associated Press | Posted: January 28, 2019 9:48 PM | Last Updated: January 29, 2019
Deal comes same day Dallas blue-liner Marc Methot has season-ending surgery
The Dallas Stars reacquired defenceman Jamie Oleksiak from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday in exchange for a fourth-rank draft pick.
The deal came on the same day Stars defenceman Marc Methot underwent season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage defect in his left knee.
Dallas had sent Oleksiak to Pittsburgh in December 2017 for a fourth-round draft pick. General manager Jim Nill says the Stars know him well and that Oleksiak, who played in 36 games for Pittsburgh this season, will provide depth for an injury-depleted defence.
"There's always rumours and always speculation, so you can't really dwell on it," Oleksiak told reporters Monday morning, a few hours before the deal. "That can get in your head, so I just try to come in every day and think of it as a new day when you can put in some work."
He'll now return to the team that drafted him 14th overall in 2011. Through five-plus seasons in Dallas, the six-foot-seven, 255-pounder had 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 140 games while averaging 14 minutes 45 seconds of ice time.
Methot came to Dallas from Ottawa in a trade before the 2017-18 season. Knee issues limited the defenceman to 45 games the past two seasons.