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Dallas Stars Announce Playoff Injuries, Remove Interim Coaching Tag

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Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill has finally spoken to the media about the injuries their team suffered through the return to play, and it is quite the list. From Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, captain Jamie Benn was playing through a shoulder injury. Blake Comeau suffered a separated shoulder, Jason Dickinson suffered foot and ankle injuries. Radek Faksa broke his wrist, while Roope Hintz suffered an injured hip and fractured ankle. Esa Lindell and John Klingberg were playing through hand and shoulder injuries, respectively, while Ben Bishop had undergone knee surgery in May. Tyler Seguin, who perhaps took the most criticism for his play in the postseason, suffered a torn labrum in his hip and will be out for the next four months. Anton Khudobin, who played throughout and was the team’s playoff MVP, had surgery to relieve numbness in his hands because of a nerve issue.

Nill also announced that Rick Bowness will return as head coach and removed his interim tag. Bowness took over when Jim Montgomery left the Stars midseason and took the team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals despite this long injury list. He’ll return to try again, though it’ll have to be without his postseason star.

Khudobin, 34, will test free agency according to Nill, who explained that their cap situation couldn’t handle bringing him back at the price he is going to command. More than just your average backup, Khudobin proved that he can be the perfect 1B for a contending team looking for elite goaltending, even if he may not be able to handle the full load of a starter. In 30 regular season games he posted a pristine .930 save percentage and would likely have won the Conn Smythe trophy if the Stars had been able to find a way to win the Stanley Cup.

Dallas Stars Issue Qualifying Offers

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The Dallas Stars have issued qualifying offers to Radek Faksa, Denis Gurianov, Roope Hintz and Joel L’Esperance, keeping their rights in the organization. The team decided not to qualify Landon Bow, Tony Calderone and Josh Melnick, making them unrestricted free agents on Friday.

The four qualified players shouldn’t surprise at all, given their huge impacts on the team this season. Perhaps L’Esperance is the name that will be less known, but he has been so dominant for the Texas Stars of the AHL that he was always going to be retained. The 25-year-old undrafted forward has 55 goals in his last 112 AHL contests while also playing 21 games in the NHL over the last two seasons.

Bow, 25, is probably the biggest surprise among the unqualified, though only because of the lack of other options in the system. The undrafted goaltender has been a full-time member of Texas for the last three seasons but posted just an .895 save percentage this year. Colton Point will be ready to take over some of the load at the AHL level but unless the Stars add another NHL goaltender and leave Jake Oettinger in the minors, they’ll need to fill out their depth chart with someone. Perhaps Bow can be brought back on an AHL deal after the dust settles.

West Notes: Ellis, Sissons, Hayton, Hintz

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The Predators have slipped to the bottom of the Central Division, a place that hardly anyone would have seen them being in at the start of the season.  However, some help could be on the horizon as Adam Vingan of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Ryan Ellis skated today for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury back on January 1st at the Winter Classic.  Ellis is second on the team in ice time at over 23 minutes a night while his 0.72 points per game average is the second-highest of his career.

Meanwhile, Vingan adds in a separate tweet that while center Colton Sissons won’t play tonight, he could return as soon as Thursday against New Jersey or Saturday against Vegas.  He has missed the last month due to a lower-body injury.  The Predators have an open roster spot so they won’t need to send anyone down in order to activate Sissons off injured reserve.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Coyotes center Barrett Hayton has yet to play since suffering a shoulder injury back at the World Juniors but it appears he’s nearing a return. Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic notes that the 19-year-old is skating with the team but has yet to be cleared for contact though head coach Rick Tocchet indicated that Hayton could be cleared soon.  The number five pick in 2018 has had a very limited role in Arizona this season, playing in just 14 games.
  • Dallas winger Roope Hintz is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, reports Mike Heika of the Stars’ team website (Twitter link). The injury was sustained in his first shift against Tampa Bay on Monday.  The 23-year-old has been productive in his first full NHL season; his 15 goals lead Dallas heading into Wednesday’s game against Toronto.

Dallas Notes: Zuccarello, Spezza, Hintz

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The Dallas Stars were eliminated from Stanley Cup contention by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, and today held their final media availability. For one player at least, the focus was on his pending free agency and whether he would be open to return. Mats Zuccarello was acquired at the trade deadline and made quite the impact on the Stars lineup, and now the team must decide if he’s worth extending. One of the conditions on the trade was that a 2020 third-round selection will upgrade to a first if the diminutive forward re-ups with Dallas, another variable that needs to be taken into account.

For his part, Zuccarello expressed to reporters including Sean Shapiro of The Athletic that he was happy the Stars showed faith in him with the trade. He even told Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that he likes knowing “when someone believes in you and wants you.” The 31-year old recorded three points in his two regular season games with the Stars, and 11 in 13 postseason contests.

  • Jason Spezza is another pending free agent up front, and will turn 36 before he hits the open market. Two years in a row Spezza was unable to hit the 10 goal or 30-point threshold during the regular season, but after being made a healthy scratch early was actually quietly effective in the playoffs. Spezza dismissed any notion of retirement today when he told Shapiro that he plans on playing next season. The veteran forward noted that free agency will be a new experience for him, given the long-term deals he has signed in the past.
  • Roope Hintz, who is far from an unrestricted free agent after emerging as a rookie sensation down the stretch and into the playoffs, revealed that he played game seven with a broken foot. Hintz had been spotted in a walking boot earlier in the week, but incredibly logged nearly 24 minutes of ice time in the marathon double-OT game. The 22-year old forward looks like he will be a mainstay in the Dallas top-six for many years after his performance, which resulted in eight points in 13 games and some memorable defensive efforts.

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