The Stars will spend the next two nights against the team that beat them to the top of the Central Division last season, and they will do it without any near-term hope of getting Matt Duchene back.
Dallas announced Monday that Duchene underwent core surgery and is expected to miss roughly three months, NHL.com reported. The 35-year-old center has not played this season. He was hurt in training camp, and after a setback before the final preseason game, the club moved him to long-term injured reserve on Oct. 1, retroactive to Sept. 29, according to Pro Hockey Rumors.
Coach Glen Gulutzan said the staff had hoped rest would be enough. "He had some issues and we thought we could take some time and work through them, and then we couldn't," he told DallasStars.com. "So we got another look at it and the collection of those minds decided: 'Let's take care of it instead of trying to work through it.'"
Gulutzan said he expects the return to be smoother than last season's, when Duchene missed 25 games with a concussion, because the steps of a physical recovery are known.
What the Stars are without
Duchene had 16 goals and 29 assists in 57 regular-season games last season, then led Dallas in playoff scoring with two goals and seven assists in a six-game first-round loss to Minnesota. He has 71 goals and 192 points since joining the Stars for the 2023-24 season and signed a four-year, $18 million extension before last season, Sportsnet reported.
Mikko Rantanen said the forwards would have to share the load. "Obviously, nobody can do what Dutchy does, but we can get together as a group and some guys can get a bigger role," he said.
Some short-term reinforcements may be close. Joel Kiviranta and Radek Faksa, both working back from injuries, were on the ice Monday and may be options Tuesday, the team said.
Two straight against the Avalanche
The Stars (2-2-1) host Colorado at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at American Airlines Center, then play the Avalanche in Denver on Wednesday. Colorado finished last season with 121 points to the Stars' 112.
