This season has been rough for the Dallas Stars defense, but there’s starting to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Connor Carrick and Stephen Johns skated this morning before the Dallas Stars held practice, then John Klingberg skated with the team.
It sounds like Klingberg will be back by Saturday at the latest, which is a very welcome relief for Stars fans. He may even be back by Thursday’s game against the Blackhawks.
Klingberg has been missing since early November after getting surgery on his hand. It’s been difficult for the Stars without their top defenseman, but Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell have done their best to lead the way without him.
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As for Carrick, the latest updates have him potentially returning to the team next week. He and Klingberg had both been scheduled to return sometime around Christmas, so that’s not surprising. He’s had a long recovery after getting injured against the Red Wings in late October.
Ironically, Carrick was brought in to help out on the injury front after the team had concerns about Johns’ ability to return this season. Johns skating today is a positive thing for him, but he’s skated before during this recovery. Unfortunately, due to the nature of head injuries, it’s incredibly hard to guess when he may be ready to play. It’s possible he comes back in January, but it’s also possible he doesn’t return at all this season.
Marc Methot is also a question mark still on the defensive end. He didn’t skate today, and there haven’t been any recent updates about his timeline. Like Johns, he could potentially return relatively soon or maybe not at all this season.
With Klingberg returning this week and Carrick getting close, the Stars put Joel Hanley on waivers today. Hanley got the call in early November when Klingberg went down, and he’s done a decent job helping out the defense.
It’s not surprising to see Hanley go back down to the AHL, and Taylor Fedun will likely be next when Carrick is ready, but they did an adequate job while they were up. They had their share of mistakes, as did most players, but they were helpful in their time with the Stars. Gavin Bayreuther is also a call-up on the roster right now, but he almost made the team before the season started. He’ll probably be the last to go back down if/when Methot or Johns returns.
The Stars defense had been alright over the past six weeks, but it’s going to be great for the Stars to get Klingberg back in the line-up.