Dallas Stars Issue Several Injury Updates
There’s no question that the Dallas Stars were severely impacted by injuries throughout the 2025-26 season. The Stars had the fourth-most injuries of any team this season, behind the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and New York Islanders. In today’s end-of-season media availability, the General Manager Jim Nill revealed a laundry list (via Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News) of specific injury information the Stars dealt with throughout the regular season and postseason.
Nill disclosed new injuries or details regarding 18 players on the roster, from the preseason to the present. Some injuries were already known, such as Tyler Seguin‘s ACL tear, Jamie Benn‘s collapsed lung, and Miro Heiskanen‘s torn oblique, but several others were also mentioned.
The biggest news is that star forward Mikko Rantanen suffered a torn MCL in the Olympics. Missing more than a month of action, Rantanen dropped from a 1.27 P/G average before the international tournament to a 0.80 upon his return. His point production went up mildly during the playoffs, but it was clear that Rantanen wasn’t his usual self.
Nill admitted that Rantanen came back as quickly as he could, which likely hurt his recovery process. Fortunately, the Stars aren’t expecting that he’ll need surgery this summer.
Both players that Dallas acquired at the trade deadline were also dealing with injuries. Nill alerted that both Michael Bunting and Tyler Myers were dealing with groin injuries in the regular season. That could be a key reason as to why neither player transitioned well to the team after being acquired by the Stars.
He also offered injury updates on those on the team who suffered longer-term injuries throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Matt Duchene was dealing with a concussion earlier in the season that cost him most of October and all of November.
Roope Hintz, who became ill at the Olympics, suffered a double hamstring tear in his first game back on March 6th. Unfortunately, as he was attempting to make another comeback, Hintz reaggravated the same injury. In a similar vein, Radek Faksa, who was also injured in the Olympics, apparently suffered a concussion. Additionally, while he was recovering from concussion symptoms, Faksa was stepped on by a skate and had a serious laceration in his foot that cut some ligaments. There’s a chance he’ll need surgery again this offseason.
Further down the forward corps, Nill shared that Oskar Back lost 10 games in October due to a wrist injury, Nathan Bastian broke his finger toward the end of the regular season, Adam Erne sprained his MCL in December, Arttu Hyry suffered a high ankle sprain in the playoffs, and Sam Steel endured a groin injury during the regular season.
On defense, the most notable news was the injury specifics to Thomas Harley and Lian Bichsel earlier in the season. According to Nill, Bichsel fractured his leg and ankle in late November, costing him nearly a third of the regular season. Nill added that Bichsel suffered a shoulder sprain in the playoffs, but that isn’t expected to have any long-term consequences.
Meanwhile, Harley, who lost 12 games of the regular season, suffered a broken foot in November. Nils Lundkvist, who hasn’t played since getting a facial laceration against the Minnesota Wild, was also suffering from concussion symptoms from the same play. Additionally, Nill shared that Lundkvist fractured his leg and ankle earlier in the year, costing him 30 games. Lastly, Nill told the media that depth defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin had a shoulder injury throughout the regular season.
Dallas has reached a point where losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in overtime is considered a disappointing year. Still, given the overwhelming amount of injuries the same faced during the regular season and playoffs, it’s impressive that the Stars managed to win 50 games this season and finish third in the league standings. They’ll want to emphasize rest and recovery for their players this offseason and look to get back for the 2026-27 campaign as a healthy group.
Photo courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.
Stars Notes: Seguin, Benn, Heiskanen, Bourque
After an impressive 50-win, 112-point regular season, the Dallas Stars looked like legitimate Cup contenders heading into the postseason. However, their run came to an abrupt and disappointing end after being eliminated in six games by the Minnesota Wild in a Round One divisional matchup back on April 30th. This afternoon, the Stars held their end-of-season press conferences, giving fans their first look at where the organization stands as they begin to shift focus toward the offseason.
Stars center Tyler Seguin provided an update, via Abby Jones of DLLS Sports, on his ACL injury that he sustained back on December 2nd in a game versus the New York Rangers, saying the goal is to be ready by training camp ahead of the 2026-27 season. The recovery diagnosis is around 9 months, but Seguin claims to be feeling good. Stars captain Jamie Benn added his remarks, saying he has all the confidence in the world in Seguin’s recovery. “He is already in the gym, skating and grinding through the rehab process,” said Benn, which is positive news for Stars fans just four days removed from a disappointing first-round exit at the hands of Minnesota.
It will be interesting to monitor how Dallas handles Seguin’s contract situation. While his production remains solid, the 34-year-old has only played in 47 games over the last two seasons. In those 47 games dating back to the 2024-25 campaign, Seguin has 16 goals and 22 assists for a total of 38 points. At a $9.85 MM cap hit through next season, Dallas has little margin for error. If Seguin can stay healthy and return to play a full 82-game season, that number is far easier to justify, but another shortened season due to injury could force the front office to make some difficult decisions regarding Seguin’s future.
Additional Stars notes:
- During today’s press conferences, Benn did not provide any comment on his playing future, saying he will take time to see how his body feels physically and go from there, reported by Brien Rea of Victory+. The 17-year veteran is coming off a frustrating first round against Minnesota, where he was held pointless in the six-game series and finished a -7.
- Jason Robertson was asked about where things stand with his contract, stating he’s somewhat optimistic about negotiations with Dallas, but also reiterated that “it’s a business,” and said he learned that lesson four years ago in his last negotiation, according to Robert Tiffin of D Magazine. Roberston also provided some reflection on his 2025-26 season and said he felt it was the biggest step of his career, via Lia Assimakopoulos of Dallas News. The 26-year-old pending RFA had 45 goals and 51 assists in 82 games played, good for the team lead in scoring.
- The Dallas star defenseman Miro Heiskanen provided an injury update today, informing the press that he suffered a torn oblique muscle in the team’s April 9th matchup against the Wild, toward the end of the regular season. Heiskanen noted the injury was slowly improving each game, but he aims to get healthy and back to 100% over the summer, via Robert Tiffin of D Magazine. Heiskanen had two goals and four assists in the six games against Minnesota.
- Stars pending RFA Mavrik Bourque was asked today about his future with the team, saying he wants nothing but to be a Star heading into the 2026-27 season, as reported by Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports. Borque felt he finally took the big step the team wanted to see six years after drafting him 30th overall back in 2020. Bourque helped fill the production void in the top six with the absence of Seguin, posting career highs in goals (20), assists (21), and points (41). Dallas is certainly hopeful this is a sign of bigger things to come for the 24-year-old center.
Should Stars Re-Sign Benn; Hyry Not Available For AHL Series Against Chicago
Stars captain Jamie Benn is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, the same fate he faced last year before signing a one-year deal to remain in Dallas. While Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News believes that the organization would be willing to bring him back, there would need to be some tough discussions first as he’s now coming off his second straight subpar playoff performance. He’ll be 37 when next season starts so while he could still hold his own in a bottom-six role during the regular season but will those postseason struggles give them enough pause to start the search for a new captain? If not, Benn is eligible to once again sign a bonus-laden deal as long as it’s a one-year pact. He did so last summer, accepting a $1MM base salary with up to $3MM in bonuses, $2MM of which were reached and will count against their salary cap in 2026-27 thanks to them ending the year using LTIR.
- Still with the Stars, forward Arttu Hyry won’t be available for AHL Texas in their series against Chicago, relays 100 Degree Hockey (Twitter link). The 25-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the fifth game of the Dallas-Minnesota series earlier this week and while it was initially thought that it was a day-to-day issue, it appears that’s not the case. Hyry was on Texas’ roster at the trade deadline, meaning that Dallas can send him down once he’s cleared to return. He had 19 points in 27 AHL games along with five points in 20 NHL appearances during the regular season.
Mikko Rantanen Fined For Cross-Checking
- Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen was fined $5K for cross-checking Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced today. The infraction came during last night’s contest between the two teams, one that saw the Wild end the Stars’ season. Rantanen had a strong campaign for Dallas, scoring 77 points in 64 games. He put up seven points in the team’s six-game series loss, but his overall impact left some, including Mark Lazerus of The Athletic, wanting more.
Stars Expected To Scratch Tyler Myers In Game 6
With their first-round matchup against the Minnesota wild on the line, the Dallas Stars appear set to scratch defenseman Tyler Myers for Game 6 per Lia Assimakopoulos of Dallas News. Dallas acquired Myers ahead of the Trade Deadline in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2029 fourth-round pick. The deal moved Myers to his hometown Stars after seven seasons with the Vancouver Canucks.
Myers has been a quiet addition to the Stars lineup. His results were nearly even through 16 regular season games. Myers was on the ice for six goals for and six goals against, as well as 5.07 expected-goals for and 5.01 expected-goals against. He also racked up three assists. It seemed he had a firm grip on a third-pair role headed into the postseason but Myers’ performance has quickly run cold. He has no points and a minus-five in five games this series. His biggest impact to the lineup has been in the physical game – he leads all Stars defensemen with 11 hits this postseason – but even that boost came to a screeching halt when Myers went without any hits in Game 5.
Without a physical boost or much play-driving, Myers filled a quiet 14 minutes of ice time on Tuesday – just one game after playing 27:25 in the Stars’ overtime loss to Minnesota on Sunday. Now, he’ll fall out of the lineup entirely, with Alexander Petrovic set to take his place. Petrovic ranked second on the Stars blue-line with 88 hits in 54 games. He also recorded 10 points, 47 penalty minutes, and 77 shot blocks.
Dallas is in need of another physical force to try and stop Minnesota’s high-tempo stars. They will hope Petrovic can meet that need more directly, after Myers missed the mark in their last outing. How Petrovic performs could shape Dallas’ lineup through the rest of the postseason but likely won’t have an effect beyond the summer, with Myers signed to a reasonable $1.5MM cap hit through the 2026-27 season.
Stars’ Jamie Benn Fined For Cross-Checking
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has announced that Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn has been fined $2,604.17, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman.
The incident occurred during the third period of Tuesday’s Game 5, with the Stars trailing 3-1. Just seconds after taking a high hit from Hartman, Benn retaliated by delivering a cross-check to Hartman’s ribs before a second, more dangerous blow connected with the back of Hartman’s head. While the Wild forward was visibly dazed, officials assessed minor penalties to both players, with an unsportsmanlike conduct for Hartman and cross-checking for Benn.
This fine brings another entry in the Department of Player Safety’s file on the Stars’ captain. Benn is no stranger to postseason discipline; most notably, he received a two-game suspension during the 2023 Western Conference Final for a similar cross-check to the neck of Vegas’ Mark Stone. Just last season, Benn was also fined the maximum for roughing Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele during the second round.
The decision to opt for a fine rather than a suspension follows a consistent, albeit controversial pattern for the league this season. The Department of Player Safety has been hesitant to hand out postseason bans, previously issuing maximum fines to players like Ryan Strome and Seth Jarvis for similar high-sticking or cross-checking infractions in high-stakes games.
While Benn avoids a seat in the press box for Game 6, his “repeat offender” status and history of targeted hits in the playoffs continue to be a talking point. With the Stars now facing elimination and trailing 3-2 in the series, they will need Benn to keep his emotions in check as they head back to Minnesota.
Snapshots: Ehlers, Nikishin, Hintz, O’Rourke
The Carolina Hurricanes are trending toward a much-needed health surge. Following their first-round sweep, signs are pointing toward a return of both Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman Alexander Nikishin. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour is hopeful that both will be available for the beginning of Round Two.
Nikishin is currently in the concussion protocol following a heavy hit in the series clincher. The week-long layoff between rounds is expected to provide ample time for him to clear the NHL’s mandatory steps.
Ehlers was sidelined recently with a lower-body ailment and is reportedly making significant progress to rejoin the top-six for Game 1 against either the Philadelphia Flyers or Pittsburgh Penguins. Ehlers registered one assist in three games in the opening round series against the Ottawa Senators.
Additional snapshots:
- The Dallas Stars’ postseason hopes have hit a significant snag. Forward Roope Hintz is reportedly unlikely to suit up for the remainder of the first-round series against the Minnesota Wild. Hintz has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since early March, and despite hopes for a playoff return, head coach Glen Gulutzan confirmed the top-line center has resumed skating. His absence leaves a massive void for the Stars’ offensive transition and penalty kill as the series intensifies.
- Prospect defenseman Kade O’Rourke has officially been denied exceptional status by Hockey Canada (via Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff). Despite a dominant 42-point campaign with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens, the 15-year-old defenseman will not be eligible for this summer’s OHL Priority Selection. He is now projected to be the consensus first overall pick for the 2027 OHL Draft. He would have been the first player granted exceptional status since Landon DuPont in 2024.
Vladislav Kolyachonok Connected To KHL’s Dinamo Minsk
According to a report from Belarus, defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok, currently of the AHL’s Texas Stars, is considering a return to the KHL next season. The KHL’s Dinamo Minsk currently holds his contractual rights, and he must rejoin them unless his rights are traded.
That’s something the Minsk attempted to do at this year’s trade deadline. Dinamo reportedly attempted to bring Kolyachonok back last summer and began assessing interest around the league after a contract did not materialize. CSKA Moscow and Traktor Chelyabinsk were known to have interest, though no trade took place.
It wouldn’t be entirely surprising if Kolyachonok headed back to the KHL this summer. The 24-year-old blueliner has played for four different teams over the past two years, jumping from the then Utah Hockey Club, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, and Dallas Stars, mostly changing hands on the waiver wire.
Despite being a second-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2019, Kolyachonok has never quite lived up to his draft billing. He has never been known as an offensive threat, usually earning his value as a mean-spirited defender who played with intense physicality.
He’s been a quality performer in the AHL, scoring 14 goals and 57 points in 184 games with a +14 rating and 90 PIMs. Still, despite having multiple opportunities, he hasn’t made such an impact in the NHL. Since debuting in the 2021-22 season with the Coyotes, Kolyachonok has scored five goals and 17 points in 84 career games with a -5 rating, averaging just below 14 minutes of ice time per night.
Additionally, he hasn’t demonstrated sufficient physicality to maintain his position for long. Over his 84 career NHL contests, he’s blocked 88 shots and delivered 77 hits. Additionally, his career 47.0% CorsiFor at even strength, and -6.5 Expected +/- show he’s typically been a net negative when on the ice.
It’s been a while since he played in the KHL, but Dinamo wouldn’t be an unfamiliar environment. He spent the 2020-21 season there on loan from Arizona, scoring one goal and six points in 46 games with a -3 rating.
Latest Stars Injury Updates
Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan updated the media on the status of multiple injured Stars players today. Star defenseman Miro Heiskanen did not skate today but that was only since it was a scheduled maintenance day – he will play in game five against the Minnesota Wild tomorrow. Nils Lundkvist, who suffered a deep facial laceration, won’t play tomorrow, but Gulutzan expressed optimism that he’d be back before the end of the series. Roope Hintz, who has been sidelined since March 8 with a lower-body injury, is progressing and skating on his own but doesn’t have an imminent expected return date.
With Lundkvist set to miss game five, the Stars will have to replace his spot in their lineup. He was partnered with Thomas Harley on Dallas’ second pairing. Gulutzan said the decision hasn’t been made as to who will take the open spot on the defense tonight. The Stars have three defensemen on their roster to choose from: right-shot blueliners Ilya Lyubushkin and Alexander Petrovic, and left-shot defenseman Kyle Capobianco. The front runner for the role is almost certainly Lyubushkin, a veteran of over 500 NHL games who got into 14 playoff games for Dallas last season.
- 2014 Dallas Stars first-round pick Julius Honka signed a contract with HC Ajoie of the Swiss National League, according to a team announcement. The signing will allow Honka to join his younger brother, former Carolina Hurricanes prospect Anttoni Honka, who was also the team’s top scorer. The older Honka brother played last season with the NL’s Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, and has been in the Swiss league since 2023. Honka last played in North America in 2020-21, for the AHL’s Texas Stars, and last appeared in the NHL with Dallas in 2018-19.
Nils Lundkvist Suffers Deep Facial Laceration
In the second period of tonight’s game between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist left the contest after taking a skate to the face. Lundkvist was fighting for a puck with Michael McCarron toward Dallas’ net, and McCarron’s skate hit Lundkvist in the left cheek as both were falling to the ice.
Initially, there was some hope that Lundkvist could get a few stitches and get back to the game. The Stars announced that Lundkvist was “questionable” to return, although he ultimately never did before Dallas lost in overtime. In an update after the game from Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News, head coach Glen Gulutzan described the injury as far more serious, saying Lundkvist suffered a deep facial laceration and he didn’t know whether he had already gone to the hospital.
- Moving to the other side of the now-even series between the Stars and Wild, the latter team was without Mats Zuccarello for the third consecutive game. Michael Russo of The Athletic indicated that Zuccarello had been elevated to a game-time decision for tonight’s contest, but was still battling lingering effects from being elbowed in the head by Dallas defenseman Tyler Myers.