Tyler Seguin Injury Update For The Dallas Stars
Tyler Seguin has suffered an injury and will miss time for the Dallas Stars in their playoff series against the St. Louis Blues. As noted by Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News, it appears that Seguin will miss at least the first two games in the Stars’ upcoming series.
An Achilles injury had sidelined Tyler earlier this season. In March, Seguin’s Achilles tendon was lacerated. He underwent surgery to repair that injury and missed 11 games.
Stars still waiting for Tyler Seguin to get back on the ice https://t.co/HBNi8xkjog
— ESPN NHL coverage (@ESPN_NHL) April 26, 2016
As is typical in today’s NHL, the nature of Seguin’s most recent injury has not been revealed. Teams are very private with the information regarding a player’s injury, especially an injury to one of their stars. In the playoffs, that guarded approach is amplified as the fear that the opponent will attack any weakness is increased.
According to a report on the ESPN website, Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff indicated that the lower-body injury Seguin recently suffered was different but related to the Achilles injury. It was intimated that the injury could be a result of the intensity of play recently following a month of missed time on the ice.
In any case, we do know that Tyler Seguin is not skating yet. As Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill indicated to SportsNet, once Seguin does begin skating, it will take some time before he can get back and ready to play for the Stars.
“He’s day-to-day, and once he gets on the ice, it’s probably four to five days from there.”
#Stars GM Jim Nill gave an update on Tyler Seguin’s status. https://t.co/7mYl6VFzNQpic.twitter.com/2V9jhk21Dx
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 27, 2016
So Dallas can expect to at least begin their series against the Blues without Seguin. Since Seguin’s initial injury to his Achilles tendon in March, the Stars have gone 11-4 without their star centerman.
The Stars were able to have success in Seguin’s absence, no doubt. Just as the Pittsburgh Penguins carried on without the services of Evgeni Malkin for a large period of time this season, Dallas has won without Seguin, at least for a period of time. As reported by Mike Johnston on the SportsNet website, Jim Nill is proud of his team for soldiering on without their top pivot.
“From the top player all the way through, they have responded to Tyler’s injury and we have played some of our best hockey after that.”
Would Dallas be better off with Tyler Seguin on the ice? You can’t really make a strong argument that they wouldn’t. Although he does need to be healthy, having him on the ice when he isn’t ready to play would be a detriment to the team. Stars GM Jim Nill won’t let that happen.
Seguin’s contributions to the Stars offensively have been clear even through periods of injury. Having played in 72 regular season games, 10 less than the maximum, Tyler was still within the top 10 for goals scored in the NHL with 33. When you are missing that kind of production, it is bound to have an impact on your team’s game plan.
With Seguin shelved, the Stars will continue to look to their leading goal-scorer in winger Jamie Benn. Dallas will also look to fellow centerman Jason Spezza to continue to step up in Tyler’s absence. Spezza had tied Seguin for second on the Stars in goals scored this season, with 33, albeit in three more games. So far in the playoffs, Spezza has also been second to Benn in goals with four total.
While missing Seguin will affect Dallas, they have proven that the team can step up and win while he mends. Meanwhile, Stars players and fans will be hoping that Tyler recovers quickly.
[Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]
