The Dallas Stars Will Have Options Once Tyler Seguin Is Healthy

As Tyler Seguin continues to rehab, the Dallas Stars continue to go deeper into the Playoffs. The team could have a hard decision to make once he’s healthy.

The Dallas Stars just recently finished up their first round series with the Minnesota Wild. As they prepare for their next series against the St. Louis Blues, they are reminded of the absence of Tyler Seguin.

On Mar. 17, in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Seguin’s Achilles tendon was sliced by a skate, forcing him to undergo surgery and ending the rest of his regular season. He was adamant about being ready once the Playoffs rolled around, but Game 1 against the Wild was played without him.

In Game 2, Seguin made his return. With his ice time at 15:40, Seguin registered four hits and just one shot. He was obviously not 100 percent and certainly did not have the edge that we had seen from him throughout the season. Later on, we learned that Seguin had suffered from another injury relating to his Achilles. He went on to miss the rest of the series and has not skated since then.

Now, as the Stars get ready for the Blues, they can’t help but wonder how much longer it will be before Seguin is ready to go. During their season series with the Blues (1-1-3), the Stars had goal totals of zero, one, two, three and four. The offensive side of things has not been an issue for the Stars in the playoffs so far, but with a far better defensive team coming up, they’ll need all hands on deck.

Stars GM Jim Nill spoke on Seguin’s progression since Game 6 of the first round and there wasn’t good news, as Seguin is still unable to skate.

He will still be a few days away from playing after skating for the first time, meaning he is most likely going to miss at least the first 2-3 games of the series.

That brings up an interesting situation and it raises the question as to if the Stars should bring Seguin back once he’s healthy or if they should simply shut him down for the season.

Now hear me out on this one. The games aren’t going to get any easier for the Stars as they go deeper and deeper into the playoffs. The intensity rises higher and the physical nature of the game grows stronger as a series progresses. Seguin did not look great in Game 2 against the Wild and he most likely wouldn’t look great for a while if he makes his way back to the ice this season.

For the Stars as a team, they have not been at a peak level of play, but they certainly haven’t been playing bad either. Nill mentioned that in his most recent Seguin update (via SportsDay):

"“I have to give a lot of credit to our team for stepping up. From the top player all the way through, they have responded to Tyler’s injury and we have played some of our best hockey after that.”"

They’ve missed Seguin on the power play since he serves as a major threat on the left side of the ice, but other than that, their offense has had no problem scoring goals.

One last thing to think about would be the player that loses his spot on the team should Seguin return. In Game 2, it was rookie Mattias Janmark, who has been a bright spot on the roster all season long.

On the other side of things, you have to consider the fact that it’s the playoffs, something that Seguin has quite a bit of experience handling. He also serves as a major decoy at times due to his sensational offense.

If he’s available to play, it would be hard to leave one of the best goal-scorers in the league out of the action.

More dfw sports: Second Round Series Breakdown

It’s obvious that Tyler Seguin was a major part of the Stars’ success throughout the regular season, but with the type of injury he has, the team will have a big decision to make once he is healthy again.