The Dallas Stars have announced that centre Jason Spezza is out with a back injury. While the exact timetable for his injury is unknown, he will be out at least two weeks, before being re-evaluated by team doctors.
Jason Spezza out for a minimum of two weeks with back injury. Would not be surprised if he has played his last game as a Dallas Star
— Bruce LeVine (@BruceLeVinePuck) March 22, 2018
Jason Spezza Injured
Spezza missed the recent game against the Washington Capitals with this back injury. He has just one assist in his last 19 games.
So far this season, Spezza scored seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points in 72 games. He also added twelve minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 54 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of +3.
Over his 11-year NHL career, Spezza has played for the Dallas Stars and Ottawa Senators. He has put up 251 goals and 436 assists for 687 points in 983 career games. He was originally drafted in the first round, second overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators.
What This Means for the Future
The Stars have been without Spezza since the beginning of February with this back injury, and will most likely be without him for the rest of the regular season. Before getting hurt Spezza was averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time per game this season. Recently, he was playing on the second line with Alexander Radulov and Mattias Janmark. Radek Faksa took his spot on the line in Tuesday’s game against the Capitals.
The Dallas Stars are currently on the outside looking in as they are three points back of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Spezza has not played a full season for the Stars, since 2014-15, his first year with the club. He has been sidelined by injuries in each of the last three years. Spezza still has one more year left on his contract after this year and with that, he has a no-movement clause in his contract. Last season he scored 15 goals and 35 assists for 50 points. The Stars have also lost the services of Martin Hanzal for the year as he is out after having back surgery.
DALLAS, TX – NOVEMBER 10: Dallas Stars Right Wing Jason Spezza (90) handles the puck during the NHL hockey game between the New York Islanders and Dallas Stars on November 10, 2017 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. (Photo by Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
