Tyler Seguin’s Injury Luck
There may be no player on the Dallas Stars with worse injury luck than Tyler Seguin. In a season where injuries have ravaged the Stars’ roster, he is now the latest victim — in the most severe fashion yet.
The Stars forward will miss months and possibly the rest of the season with an ACL injury, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan announced Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, Tyler, he’s got an ACL [injury], and he’ll be out for months,” Gulutzan said. ”We didn’t get great news [Wednesday]. I haven’t spoken to Tyler yet, but probably just letting everybody know that he’s going to be out for a significant amount of time, probably the rest of the season.”
Impact on the Team
The Stars are still awaiting more information from doctors on the exact timeline of Seguin’s recovery and whether he could be available for the playoffs.
Seguin suffered the injury in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the New York Rangers. Less than two minutes into the road contest, Seguin went down awkwardly after a collision with Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who appeared to have fallen on Seguin’s right leg.
Seguin needed to be helped off the ice, couldn’t put much weight on his leg and never returned.
Seguin’s Career and Injuries
The 33-year-old forward was off to a strong start to his 16th season in the NHL, recording seven goals and 10 assists in 27 games. He played in his 1,000th NHL game on Oct. 30 in Tampa, Fla., an impressive feat given all he’s had to overcome in his career.
Seguin played in only 20 regular-season games last season, missing the majority of the season for hip surgery he had around this time last year. Seguin returned for the last game in the regular season and the playoff run.
In 2016, he suffered a sliced Achilles tendon that sidelined him for the rest of the regular season. He missed all but three games in the 2020-21 season because of hip and knee surgeries.
Contract and Future
Seguin’s contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2027, but given all the serious injuries he’s faced, it’ll be a question of how much longer his career can continue.
“I didn’t live it with him last year, but I did talk to our leadership group here and what I did know is just how hard and the effort that he put in to come back last year and how diligent he was,” Gulutzan said. “He’s a great pro, and he’s a great leader for us. He’s been a guy, quite frankly, that I’ve been maybe the most impressed with, just his leadership ability when I’ve come in here.
“This is tough news for our whole group.”
Injury Bug
The Seguin news is just the latest toll a relentless injury bug has taken on the Stars this season. Oskar Bäck, Jamie Benn, Lian Bichsel, Matt Duchene, Adam Erne, Thomas Harley, Roope Hintz, Nils Lundkvist, Ilya Lyubushkin and now Seguin have all missed time this season because of injury.
The Stars learned ahead of Tuesday’s game that Bichsel would be out the next 6-8 weeks for surgery to repair a lower-body injury. Duchene, Erne, Harley and Lundkvist also remain out of the lineup.
As of Tuesday, the Stars have had 107 games lost this season because of injuries. It ranked eighth in the NHL.
Replacing Seguin
Gulutzan said Nathan Bastian will enter the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils in place of Seguin but a number of players will have to step up to replace his production.
“You’re gonna have to have other guys step up,” he said. “If Dutchy comes back, he’s gonna have to take some of that. [Mavrik Bourque] is gonna get more opportunity. There’s gonna be more opportunity for more guys, and you’re gonna see who takes it.”
The Stars will also be able to use at least some of Seguin’s salary cap to add an additional player to the roster. In previous years, if Seguin were placed on long-term injured reserve, the Stars would have been able to use his full $9.85 million cap hit. They did so to bring in Mikko Rantanen last season when Seguin had hip surgery.
But a new rule implemented at the start of this season introduced season-ending long-term injured reserve. If a player is given that designation, a team can use his full cap hit. Otherwise, the LTIR benefit is limited to the previous season’s average league salary, which is $3,817,293.
The new rule also requires all teams to be fully cap compliant by the start of the playoffs.
Conclusion
Tyler Seguin’s injury is a significant blow to the Dallas Stars, and it remains to be seen how the team will respond to his absence. With a long history of injuries, Seguin’s career is at a crossroads, and it’s uncertain how much longer he can continue to play in the NHL.
FAQs
Q: How long will Tyler Seguin be out with his injury?
A: Seguin will miss months and possibly the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
Q: What is the impact of Seguin’s injury on the Dallas Stars?
A: The Stars will have to find a way to replace Seguin’s production, and other players will have to step up to fill the void left by his absence.
Q: Can the Stars use Seguin’s salary cap to add another player to the roster?
A: Yes, the Stars can use at least some of Seguin’s salary cap to add another player to the roster, but the amount they can use depends on whether Seguin is placed on long-term injured reserve or not.
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