On Monday, it was revealed that several Dallas Stars players would be missing time due to injuries and other reasons. Marc Methot, Martin Hanzal and Kari Lehtonen will all be missing significant time each due to various reasons.
Marc Methot had his knee scoped today, out 4-6 weeks.
Martin Hanzal out 3-7 days with a hand injury.
No update on Kari Lehtonen. Out for personal reasons.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) November 20, 2017
Dallas Stars Injury Updates
Defenseman Marc Methot had his knee scoped on Sunday. Following the surgery, it was revealed that he would miss four-to-six weeks. There is no specific details on the injury and what exactly is wrong, but consider it serious considering he will be missing at least a month of action, if not more because of it. Methot has not played since November 6th when the Stars took on the Winnipeg Jets. Methot has recorded zero points in 15 games played this season.
Forward Martin Hanzal is set to miss the next three to seven days with a hand injury. The 30-year-old has played in 17 games this season for the Stars and has only posted three points, a goal and two assists. Hanzal has struggled this season in Dallas, both with production and with injury. Back in late October, he was sidelined due to an undisclosed injury. It may be possible that that injury may be this hand one that has been ailing him.
Goaltender Kari Lehtonen is set to miss some time indefinitely due to an undisclosed personal reason. There is no word on when he will be back nor what is going on. Lehtonen has played in seven games this (five starts), and has posted a goals-against-average of 2.89 and a save percentage of .897.
Update: Good news for Lehtonen and his wife, Abbe. The couple welcomed a baby boy, Remi, yesterday.
Abbe and Kari Lehtonen welcomed Remi into the world yesterday. The healthy baby boy measured in at 21.5 inches and weighs eight-pounds, seven-ounces.
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 20, 2017
Dallas Makes the Necessary Call-Ups
To cover for the absence of Methot, Hanzal and Lehtonen, the Stars have recalled defenseman Julius Honka and goaltender Mike McKenna from their American Hockey League affiliate- Texas Stars. Honka has played six games for Dallas this season and has posted zero points. In the AHL, he has played in eight games and has recorded zero points as well. Honka will most likely be filling in at the bottom defensive pairing.
The Dallas Stars have recalled defenseman Julius Honka from Texas of the AHL.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) November 20, 2017
McKenna, 34, has suited up for 12 games this season in the AHL. He has a goals average against of 3.51 and a save percentage of .871%. McKenna hasn’t played in an NHL game in over two years. He last played during the 2014-15 season when he was a member of the Arizona Coyotes. In his NHL career, he has played in 22 games (19 starts) and has a career GAA of 3.48 and a career save percentage of .889%. Expect him to fill in behind starter Ben Bishop for as long as Lehtonen is out.
The Dallas Stars have recalled goaltender Mike McKenna from Texas of the AHL. GM Jim Nill says goaltender Kari Lehtonen unavailable indefinitely due to personal reasons.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) November 20, 2017
The Stars currently sit in sixth place in the Central Division with a record of 10-9-1 with 21 points earned. Their next game will be against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
