Stars Claim Rémi Poirier

Netminder Rémi Poirier is back where he began his professional career. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Dallas Stars have claimed Poirier off waivers from the Washington Capitals.

In the team announcement, Stars General Manager Jim Nill said, “Rémi is a tremendous young man 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.”

Unconventional is one way to put it. After four years with the AHL’s Texas Stars, Dallas put Poirier on waivers before the 2026-27 season. Surprisingly, the New Jersey Devils, who already had Jake Allen and Nico Daws as their goaltending tandem, claimed him. Because Poirier was firmly blocked, and the Devils didn’t run into any early-season injury troubles, Poirier never played.

He didn’t just miss games; he barely practiced. By the time the Devils acquired Connor Hellebuyck on October 23rd, Poirier had only practiced a handful of times. After the Devils acquired Hellebuyck, Poirier really had no path forward with New Jersey.

Almost as a favor to him, the Devils traded Poirier to the Capitals on November 1st for a 2027 seventh-round pick (New Jersey traded a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Winnipeg Jets in the Hellebuyck trade). Since losing Clay Stevenson to the Jets off waivers, the Capitals have been actively looking for a new third-string netminder. Because Washington already had a healthy NHL tandem, they placed  Poirier on waivers yesterday afternoon. They were hoping he could spend the rest of the year with the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

Now, Poirier returns to the only organization he’s played for. Unfortunately, the Stars can’t send Poirier back to the AHL immediately. If Poirier had stayed with the Devils and the Stars claimed him from New Jersey, as the only team to put in a claim, they could have reassigned him without issue. However, since he was traded, the clock resets. He must clear waivers for the Stars to join the AHL.

He’s been fairly reliable in his four-year career with Texas in the AHL. Since the 2022-23 season, Poirier has managed a 70-51-16 record in 137 games with a .908 SV% and 2.76 GAA.