The Dallas Stars will be without two regulars as the team announced today that defenseman Marc Methot will miss four to six weeks after having his knee scoped today, while center Martin Hanzal will miss three to seven days with a hand injury.
The Methot injury explains the team’s minor transaction earlier today when the team recalled defenseman Julius Honka. The 32-year-old Methot had missed the previous four games with what was described as a lower-body injury. He attempted to practice on Friday, but had to leave the ice after just 15 minutes. Methot has been a fixture in the Stars’ defensive rotation all season since the team acquired the veteran from the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2020 second-round pick. While Methot has not accumulated a point in 15 games, the veteran has averaged 19:23 of ice time and has a -1 plus/minus rating.
Hanzal has been a disappointment so far after the team signed the 30-year-old this offseason to a three-year, $14.25MM deal. He has just a goal and two assists in 17 games so far this season, although there were reports that his play was starting to improve, especially in the team’s victory over the Florida Panthers last Tuesday.
This forces Hitchcock’s hand into playing Honka, good things will come from this injury for Dallas