Trevor Daley’s Absence Is Proving His Worth In Long Run

After scoring his eleventh goal of the season Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars defenseman Trevor Daley found himself caught up in an undisclosed injury.

As Saturday rolled around, the Dallas Stars were set to face off against the Washington Capitals, and it was decided at the morning skate that Trevor Daley would not be ready. After the game, Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said that Daley Would not be ready until after the All Star Break which lasts from January 23rd – 25th.

Trevor Daley, 31, is currently the Dallas Stars longest tenured player on the team. He has not played a single game of his NHL career with any other team besides the Stars, which adds up to 731 NHL games played since being drafted by Dallas in the second round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Through his span, he has scored 62 goals and notched 152 assists, which totals up to 214 points. He is one of, if not the best Dallas Stars defenseman, and provides the Stars offensive game with some quality numbers as well.

Though Daley will only miss three games, including the game last night against the Capitals, it is notable that the Stars will face a struggle without him.

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In addition to Trevor Daley’s astounding contributions on the offensive side of the puck, he is also a key leader on the defensive side. Jyrki Jokipakka/David Schlemko will be the substitute for Daley over the next two games, and that could be cause for a delay.

Without Daley, the Washington Capitals almost found a way to win Saturday night. The Stars became sloppy in their own zone after taking two separate two-goal leads, and the Capitals converted on an exposed Kari Lehtonen a few times, including a few breakaways and open centering feeds. Lehtonen had to make a few dire saves in order to keep the advantage in the Stars favor, and they escaped with a 5-4 victory. But Lehtonen’s stats suffered, and he ended with a save percentage of .875 and a goals against average of 4.00. Lehtonen will most likely be named the starter for the Blackhawks game Sunday evening, and will need all the help he can get, and then some.

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Daley helps out in leading the defensive corps and eating up a majority of minutes every game, but without him, the young blue line looks to defend itself. The Stars now face two hot offensive teams in the Chicago Blackhawks, a team they have yet to beat this season on a back-to-back, followed by the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. The Stars defense will need to find a way to fill the massive gap that has formed in Daley’s absence. These two games are highly valuable in the Stars race to get back in a playoff spot, and without Daley, it will be difficult to pull them off.

Leave your comments and questions below, and as always, thanks for reading! Go Stars.