Dallas Stars send 7 players packing in major roster cut

Michael Sgarbossa is out of Dallas Stars camp as head coach Glen Gulutzan watches the roster get much tighter.

Dallas announced a 7-player transaction wave Thursday, trimming several names from its training camp group as the club moves closer to its opening-night roster.

Sgarbossa was released from his professional tryout, ending his push for a contract. Forward Ellis Rickwood was also released from his amateur tryout.

The bigger move came with 5 players heading to the Texas Stars in the AHL: Jack Anderson, Emil Hemming, Dylan Hryckowian, Artem Shlaine and goaltender Arno Tiefensee.

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That group includes several young players who entered camp with an opportunity to make an impression but will now continue their development one level down.

The transaction graphic makes the message unmistakable: 2 releases at the top, followed by 5 loans to Texas as Dallas clears bodies from camp.

The Stars posted the full transaction card here: https://x.com/DallasStars/status/2103145163673444703

Dallas Stars roster battle gets much tighter

For Gulutzan, every cut now changes the math. Fewer players in camp means more meaningful practice reps, clearer line combinations and fewer bodies standing between bubble players and an NHL job.

Dallas has also been getting results during the preseason. The Stars are 3-0-0 after Wednesday's 2-0 win against the Minnesota Wild, giving the coaching staff a strong backdrop for evaluating individual performances.

The Sgarbossa decision stands out because a PTO carries a simple camp equation: force management to keep you around or leave without a contract. Dallas has now made its call.

Hemming and Hryckowian are different cases. Their moves to Texas keep them inside the organization, where both can chase bigger minutes instead of fighting for limited NHL deployment immediately.

Tiefensee's reassignment also reduces the goaltending crowd, while Anderson and Shlaine join the AHL group as Dallas continues separating NHL candidates from players ticketed for development time.

With another preseason meeting against Minnesota coming Friday, the remaining roster battle is now harder to ignore. Seven names are gone, the locker room has more space, and the next Dallas cut could carry even bigger consequences.

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