The Dallas Stars won’t exactly be living up to the team’s nickname when the 2020-21 NHL season faces off as two of their star players will be on the sidelines. The club expects to be without number one goaltender Ben Bishop and top-scoring forward Tyler Seguin when play resumes due to each player’s recent surgery. According to the Stars, both Bishop and Seguin will need approximately five months to recover.
The 33-year-old Bishop, who missed most of the squad’s playoff run this summer due to a torn meniscus, went under the knife on his right knee on October 21st. Meanwhile, Seguin, recently underwent surgery to have his hip and a torn labrum taken care of. Bishop played just three playoff games last season and visibly struggled when in net. He posted a goals-against average of 5.43 with a record of 1-2 and 84.4 save percentage in his three outings.
This was well below par when compared to his regular-season performance in which he went 21-16-4 in 44 contests with a save percentage of 92.0, a 2.50 goals-against average and a pair of shutouts. The Stars have good depth in net though as Anton Khudobin took over in the crease for Bishop in the playoffs. He helped the team reach its first Stanley Cup Final since the 1999/2000 season with a mark of 14-10, a 91.7 save percentage, a 2.69 goals-against average and one shutout in 25 appearances. However, the Stars fell just short by losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
The 28-year-old Seguin notched 13 points in 26 playoff outings this season when the centre contributed two goals and 11 assists. This was also off the pace compared to the regular campaign in which he chipped in with 17 goals and 33 helpers for 50 points in 69 games to lead the team. Although he wasn’t 100 per cent healthy, Seguin missed just one playoff encounter this year, but hasn’t missed a regular-season contest since 2015/16.
Jim Nill, general manager of the Stars, told the media that Seguin’s original date for surgery was delayed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. He also stated that the team had several other injured players but all are expected to be back on the ice when the season gets underway. Goaltender Khudobin also underwent surgery in October to repair a nerve problem in his right arm while forwards Jamie Benn and Blake Comeau had shoulder problems and Roope Hintz had a fractured ankle.
Seguin was acquired by Dallas in July, 2013 in a deal with the Boston Bruins and has scored 223 goals and 291 assists for 514 points in 538 regular-season games for the club with seven goals and 20 assists in 46 playoff games. He won a Stanley Cup with Boston in 2010-11 as a rookie and has been one of the NHL’s most consistent scorers since entering the league.
Bishop has played the past three seasons with the Stars after being acquired in May, 2017 from the Los Angeles Kings. The two-time NHL All-Star led the league in save percentage at 93.4 with Dallas in 2018/19. He’s played 143 regular-season games with the club with a 74-48-11 record along with a 92.3 save percentage, 2.33 goals-against average and 14 shutouts. Bishop has also appeared in 16 playoff contests with an 8-8 record, a 92.0 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average.