The Dallas Stars announced today that they have acquired defenseman Jeremie Poirier from the Calgary Flames in exchange for defenseman Gavin White.
At face value, this appears to be a transaction more focused on each club’s AHL affiliate, with limited immediate NHL implications. Neither player involved in this deal has made his NHL debut.
While this trade has limited relevance to the NHL depth charts of each involved team, the transaction is a significant one for each of the two involved prospects. Both Poirier and White are pending RFAs, and by landing in new organizations, they each get a clean slate to prove themselves in front of a new set of hockey decision-makers.
Poirier is the bigger name involved in the trade, just based on his pedigree as a prospect. The Flames selected Poirier in the third round of the 2020 draft, 72nd overall out of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. The Flames’ selection of Poirier was lauded at the time, as the public sphere ranked Poirier far higher than where he was ultimately picked. The No. 8 pick in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft, Poirier was the No. 26 prospect in the 2020 draft class according to Elite Prospects, No. 22 according to TSN’s Craig Button, and No. 33 on Bob McKenzie’s list for TSN.
Early in his pro career, it looked as though the media’s higher ranking of Poirier was entirely justified. He scored 41 points in 69 games in his debut AHL campaign, was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie team, and looked to be on the cusp of making a real push for an NHL call-up. After that season, he was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Flames’ system by Corey Pronman of The Athletic, who called his debut pro campaign “very successful,” but added that Poirier’s “big issue” was his defensive play.
Ultimately, while Poirier maintained his quality play in the offensive zone, scoring 42 points in 71 games in 2024-25, he was never able to develop his defensive game to the point where the Flames felt comfortable trusting him with a spot on their NHL roster.
With his on-ice value entirely concentrated in his ability to generate offense from the back end, the fact that he’s only managed six points in 35 AHL games this season is likely what spelled the end for his tenure in Calgary. Poirier was the Wranglers’ top power play quarterback in prior years, but other prospects have entered the picture, such as Hunter Brzustewicz and more recently Zayne Parekh, which has cost him that spot.
Because his development appeared to have stalled in Calgary, it’s no surprise the team elected to move on from Poirier at this point. By trading him now instead of simply non-tendering him this summer, they get the chance to add a defenseman from outside the organization and evaluate whether he’s a fit to retain beyond this season. They also do a favor to Poirier, who thanks to landing in a new organization, gets a fresh opportunity that could help his development and renew his push for an NHL role.
Unlike Poirier, White, the defenseman headed to Calgary in this trade, does not have a past as a top-rated prospect. The Stars selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, and he’s spent the entirety of his pro career with AHL Texas, outside of a handful of games in the ECHL.
Although White played a limited role in each of his first two AHL seasons, his development trajectory looks positive. Through 23 games this season, he’s averaging a greater dosage of minutes than he received last season, and is even appearing regularly on the Stars’ penalty kill.
As a right-shot defensive defenseman, White holds almost the exact opposite kind of profile as Poirier, meaning his addition might better fit the current construction of the Wranglers’ defense. He’ll get the chance to establish a role in Calgary and will hope to play well enough to earn an extension once his entry-level deal expires this summer.
