Aarif Deen
After spending three years with the Colorado Avalanche, Joel Kiviranta is on his way back to the only team he had played for before that.
The Dallas Stars.
Kiviranta signed a one-year deal with the Avs’ Central Division rival on Wednesday for $1 million. He spent the first 163 games of his career with the Stars before playing 186 with the Avs. His most notable achievement with Dallas came in his first career playoff game.
During the 2020 second-round series against Colorado, Kiviranta was inserted into the lineup in a winner-take-all Game 7 because of an injury to then-Stars forward Andrew Cogliano. Kiviranta ended up scoring two goals in regulation, including the late game-tying tally to force overtime. He finished the hat trick in the extra period to eliminate the Avalanche.
His best regular season was in 2024-25 with the Avs, where he posted 16 goals — including a hat trick — and 23 of his 69 career points in 79 games. His stint with the Avs began with a professional tryout in September 2023, which eventually led to a contract a handful of months later, after he recovered from a training camp injury.
Kiviranta was a consistent depth forward with the Avalanche during his tenure. This past season, he was often used on the fourth line with some combination of Jack Drury, Parker Kelly, and Logan O’Connor.