Stars camp injuries highlight the importance of depth starting with Tyler Seguin

May 24, 2024

There’s plenty of optimism in training camp. Players are typically in good spirits, with fresh bodies and refreshed minds, flying around the ice after months off from the physical roll brought on by NHL competition.

The Dallas Stars have had a heavy dose of that optimism, compounded by encouraging performances from veterans and young players. For a team that’s finally put itself in the center of the “legitimate contender” conversation, it’s been encouraging…

For the most part.

There’s also been a reminder of the brutal reality that faces every team.

The Stars steered mostly clear of the injury bug last year, finishing as one of the healthiest teams in the NHL during the regular season. It certainly took a turn during the home stretch, when Scott Wedgewood, Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment all missed extended time. In the playoffs, Joe Pavelski missed a series, Miro Heiskanen had a scare and Evgenii Dadonov was done prematurely. But for the bulk of the regular season, as the Stars racked up points in the standings, they were a pretty healthy team.

As they enter a new season, management, coaches and players all hope for the same, but they also know that their injury luck last year can’t be expected.

“First of all, there are going to be injuries,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said in July after free agency. “We were very fortunate last year. We’ve seen that, we’ve lived it. We know there are going to be injuries, we’ve covered that (with the forwards signings).”

Nill probably didn’t expect the injury conversation to start so soon. The Stars began training camp for two days in Cedar Park, with Roope Hintz skating alongside his longtime linemates, Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski. For the last week and a half, Hintz has not been on the ice in team practices or skates as he deals with an upper-body injury. Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said on Tuesday at morning skate at the American Airlines Center that Hintz was scheduled to skate in Frisco that day.

“Progressing, getting better,” DeBoer said. “(Skating in Frisco) is kind of the next step back but we’re not rushing him. There’s no sense. We’ve got time on our hands right now, so we’re going to use it. I don’t need to see Roope in an exhibition game. If he gets in one, great, if he doesn’t, I’m sure he’ll find a spot in our opening lineup. We’ll make some room for him.”

In addition to Hintz, Wyatt Johnston did not participate in a team scrimmage last week, as he also is dealing with an upper-body injury. Johnston did skate with a small group of players after the scrimmage and he returned to practice the following day, but has been out since, for the past week.

“He’s got a little bit of a tweak,” DeBoer said. “We thought he was through the other side of it, had a little bit of a setback. Nothing major or concerning. But same as Roope, we’re going to use the time we have on our side right now because it runs out pretty quickly once the puck drops on the season.”

During a preseason game this week, Radek Faksa took a hard hit by a Colorado player that resulted in a major penalty and game misconduct. Faksa didn’t return, which could be expected regardless of severity — given that it’s a preseason game — but Faksa was getting stitches after the game. The Stars had a day off on Wednesday so there hasn’t been an update on his status, but DeBoer didn’t seem to think it was anything too serious.

It can be hard to interpret public injury updates in the NHL. Wedgewood’s injury last season was said to be nothing too bad, but then he missed a month. It’s the preseason, so it’s entirely possible, and probably likely, that Hintz, Johnston and Faksa really aren’t dealing with anything serious. Still, any time a team is without three of its four starting centermen, it is less than ideal.

The quality of depth starts with Seguin. The 30-year-old forward has been the regular fill-in for Hintz on the top line throughout camp and in preseason games.

“Great luxury to have,” DeBoer said. “That’s what depth gives you. On any other team, he’s playing on your first line and he goes out and your replacement isn’t Tyler Seguin. It’s a great luxury that we’ve got here.”

With the Stars’ top-three forwards clearly being Hintz, Robertson and Pavelski, Seguin has served as the team’s designated No. 4 forward in the sense of filling in at a premier spot. Seguin filled in last year for Hintz for a stretch, and then did the same when called upon to fill in for Pavelski in the playoffs. He showed good chemistry on the top line, something that was on display again on Tuesday when he fed Robertson for a goal.

Just filthy, filthy stuff from Jason Robertson. I say he has a chance to make the opening night roster pic.twitter.com/Cl8ssXzu5O

— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) October 4, 2023

“He looks really good,” Pavelski said. “Looks like he’s skating well and making a lot of good little plays. He set Robo up on that goal, coming around the net, makes a nice play there. We had some reps last year so we’re kind of just stepping in. He’s slotted in nicely.”

Of course, any time Seguin has to elevate in the lineup, there is a domino effect. This is where Nill’s signing of two ready-for-lineup forwards this summer — Sam Steel and Craig Smith — looks like a smart move. Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque have both had very good camps, but neither has been so good that playing in the AHL would be wasted time. They could play in the NHL, if necessary, but can certainly benefit from some development in Cedar Park, too.

The hope is that Hintz, Johnston and Faksa are ready for the season opener, but it’s good for the Stars that, should more serious situations arise in the coming months, they don’t immediately have to turn to the kids who still might need some seasoning. That’s a benefit to the prospects and the team. Perhaps later in the season, one or both of Stankoven and Bourque will be fully ready, whether it’s because of an injury or a performance related call-up. Thomas Harley is a good comparable. Harley could have survived in the NHL if he began last year in Dallas, but taking a dip down before coming back up allowed him to thrive when he arrived. The Stars are somewhere around 15 or 16 deep in forwards with NHL talent.

There was another potential injury situation that popped up in training camp, but ended up being a false alarm. Last week, Minnesota Wild forward Pat Maroon landed on Wedgewood’s hip during the game, resulting in Wedgewood staying down for a bit. Wedgewood eventually got up, stayed in the game and has been fine ever since, but that moment was a reminder of where things could go south for the Stars.

The Stars have a solid starting tandem of Jake Oettinger and Wedgewood but there’s no great third option to turn to right now. Matt Murray and Remi Poirier would be next in line but both are suited for the AHL at this point. Oettinger is the franchise goalie, so any potential absence from him would be an obvious detriment, but Wedgewood is extremely valuable, too. The Stars spent plenty of time this offseason evaluating and planning a better workload for Oettinger after he played more minutes than any player in the NHL last year. Wedgewood is the key for allowing that plan to work.

Injuries are part of the game, something that can sometimes be forgotten until teams are forced to confront the situation. The Stars have a lot of talent, and it should all be available for when the real games begin. But for all of the unbridled optimism this Stars training camp has brought, there’s also been a reminder of reality as well.

(Photo of Tyler Seguin: Jerome Miron / USA Today)

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