The Dallas Stars and the Impact of Injuries

Tuesday night, the Dallas Stars and their fans witnessed yet another questionable hit lead to an injury of one of their best players. Trevor Daley was hit with a knee-on-knee check by Matt Martin, a forward for the New York Islanders. Martin has a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety today and a suspension is likely. For the Stars, they will most likely be without Trevor Daley for at least a few weeks and it is possible he will be shut down for the season. This only adds to their growing list of injuries to key players this season and has had a big impact on where they currently find themselves in the standings.

By no means am I making excuses for the Stars and their current position. Every team faces injuries throughout the year and the best ones find a way to get through them. For example, four of the top ten teams in “man games lost” currently find themselves in playoff position (the Stars sit in 10th in man games lost, for those wondering). However, the injuries that the Stars have suffered this season have been incredibly significant. It hasn’t just been the player that has gone out of the lineup, it is the amount of time they go out that is truly staggering here. Val Nichushkin has played four games in what could have been a breakout sophomore season. Patrik Nemeth just returned to the lineup last night after missing four and a half months of games. Tyler Seguin will have missed at least 3-4 weeks by the time he returns, if he is able to suit up again this season. Patrick Eaves has missed over half the regular season with various injuries. And now Trevor Daley could be missing for several weeks. Those are some key players who will end up missing more than just a handful of games and it has had a big impact on the team this year.

Career Years Cut Short

Before their injuries, both Tyler Seguin and Trevor Daley were on pace for their best seasons in their entire careers. Tyler Seguin was in the top-5 in the league in scoring and was threatening to bring the Art Ross trophy to Dallas. Trevor Daley was just one goal behind Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the most goals by a defenseman and likely would have been the first Dallas Star to ever score 20 goals as a defenseman. The part that really leaves a sour taste in your mouth is that both players were injured by hits that will most likely result in suspensions. You don’t ever want to see injuries happen, but when they happen to dirty and illegal hits it hurts a little more.

As Injuries Happen, Opportunities Present Themselves

The optimist in me sees these injuries as a chance for some of the younger players to prove they belong on the roster and allows them an early opportunity to audition for a spot next season as well. Here is a realistic (and way too early) look at a lineup for next season:

Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Val Nichushkin

Patrick Eaves – Jason Spezza – Ales Hemsky

Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Ryan Garbutt

Shawn Horcoff – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour

Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg

Patrik Nemeth – Trevor Daley

Jordie Benn – Jason Demers

Kari Lehtonen

Jhonas Enroth

I think that the Stars will re-sign both Patrick Eaves and Shawn Horcoff to relatively cheap contracts. Horcoff has said he really likes Dallas and wants to stay and I think the Stars see a lot of value in him as a leader. Eaves has been a great player for the Stars as he can fit up and down the lineup with ease. Enroth is a big question mark but for the sake of argument, let’s just say he is the backup next season. So what is missing from that lineup? There is no Brett Ritchie, no Curtis McKenzie, no Jryki Jokipakka. All three of those players currently find themselves in the Stars lineup due to injuries and that is allowing them to make a point. Jim Nill will almost certainly make upgrades to the lineup as well, so the room for those players will be small unless they are able to prove that they can consistently compete at the NHL level. Although the injuries have been unfortunate, it does allow some young players opportunities to prove that they belong and that can be very valuable in the development process.

The injuries this season have had a significant impact on the Stars this season but it hasn’t all been negative. These injuries have allowed young players come up and develop at the NHL level, which can be very useful. These players could very well find themselves in the lineup next season thanks to the playing time they have received. Who knows, maybe the energy of youth could even drive the Stars to the playoffs. Improbable? Definitely. Impossible? No way.

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