In one of the more puzzling moves in recent memory, the Dallas Stars reversed last year’s deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins re-acquiring defenseman Jamie Oleksiak in exchange for the same fourth round pick that was originally given to Dallas last year.
Oleksiak essentially played a full season with Pittsburgh since the original trade – skating in 83 regular season games with the Penguins – and put up a respectable eight goals and 25 points. He has 11 points in 36 games with Pittsburgh this season.
The 26-year-old is expected to play on the Stars third pairing and kill penalties. The move was made after the Stars announced defenseman Marc Methot is out for the season after undergoing another knee surgery.
Oleksiak is a former first round pick by Dallas when the club took the 6-foot-7 defenseman with the No. 14 pick in the 2011 draft. Oleksiak is still young having just turned 26 years old last month. He is signed through the 2020-21 season.
Brian Roe is the founder and head writer of The Roe Report. He spent five years working for the Dallas Stars and has been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more. Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.
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