FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Stars lost Rémi Poirier on waivers in September and got him back on waivers Monday. This time Dallas claimed him from the Washington Capitals, who waived the 25-year-old goaltender Sunday with plans to send him to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported the claim early Monday afternoon, ahead of the team’s announcement. The Stars put Poirier on their NHL roster and assigned defenseman Trey Taylor to the Texas Stars, their AHL affiliate in Cedar Park, in a corresponding move.
Dallas brought Taylor up before a two-game road trip that opened Nov. 3 in Washington. That night, Miro Heiskanen took a hit along the boards on his first shift of the second period and did not return to a 6-5 win.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said the next day that the team was encouraged when Heiskanen was ruled day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
“He’s going to be day-to-day for a bit here for us,” Gulutzan said. “We’ll see how he responds today. Hopefully, he’s a little bit better tomorrow.”
Heiskanen sat out Thursday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gulutzan called him doubtful before Saturday’s game against the San Jose Sharks, and Heiskanen missed that 4-3 win too.
Taylor debuted Oct. 29 against the Montreal Canadiens. He has gone without a point in three NHL games.
Poirier rejoins Dallas after splitting the start of the 2026-27 season between Washington and the New Jersey Devils, according to the team’s release. Neither of those clubs played him in a game.
“Rémi is a tremendous young man,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said, “and we are happy to welcome him back to Dallas. He’s had an unconventional journey this season, but we are thankful to have him rejoining our organization.”
Dallas picked Poirier 185th overall, in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Stars on June 16, 2025, and the deal carries a $775,000 cap hit through the end of this season.
How Rémi Poirier Got Back To The Stars
The Stars placed Poirier on waivers at the end of training camp with the intent of assigning him to Texas. New Jersey claimed him on Sept. 27. After the Devils traded for Connor Hellebuyck, they sent Poirier to Washington on Nov. 1 for the Capitals’ own seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
After the trade, Poirier practiced as Washington’s third goaltender and sat out games as a healthy scratch until the Capitals waived him Sunday, Russian Machine Never Breaks reported.
In 2025-26, his fourth season with Texas, Poirier set career highs with 52 appearances, 27 wins, and a .912 save percentage. His record that season was 27-19-6, with a 2.61 goals-against average and two shutouts. The Stars said the 27 wins were the second-most in the AHL. His .912 mark tied for eighth in the league, per the team.
Over 137 regular-season AHL games, Poirier has a 70-51-16 record, a 2.76 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, and six shutouts. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, he is 11-9 in 23 games with a 2.42 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage, and three shutouts.
Dallas called Poirier up twice last season, and he is still without an NHL game. The first recall came in January, while Casey DeSmith was away for a family matter. The second came in February, while Jake Oettinger made his way back from the Olympics. Both times, Poirier returned to Texas.
Poirier’s Waiver Status And The Stars’ Crease
Robert Tiffin of Stars Thoughts flagged a problem with sending Poirier to Texas earlier Monday, before the claim went through. Tiffin credited Stephen Meserve with pointing out Sunday that Washington, not New Jersey, had put Poirier on waivers. Under the rule as Tiffin read it, Dallas would have to keep Poirier on the NHL roster or “put him on waivers again themselves” before he could go to Cedar Park. Not everyone agrees on that reading, according to Russian Machine Never Breaks. The Stars did not say in Monday’s release whether Poirier will report to Texas.
Dallas had a bit more than $1.2 million in cap space going into the claim, Tiffin reported, with forwards Oskar Bäck and Matt Duchene on long-term injured reserve. Duchene was hurt Sept. 30 and needed core surgery, which came with a recovery estimate of about three months. Bäck has been on LTIR since Oct. 24 with a finger injury.
Oettinger has made 13 of the 17 starts and is 9-3-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average. He has stopped 251 shots at a .906 save percentage. He also leads the NHL with three shutouts. DeSmith has started the other four, going 1-2-1 with 100 saves, a .909 save percentage, and a 2.42 goals-against average.
Dallas is 10-5-2 and second in the Central Division with 22 points. The Stars have allowed 39 goals, the fewest in the NHL.
The Stars host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center, a game that airs on FOX 4+ and doubles as the team’s military and veterans appreciation night. Dallas hosts the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.
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