The Dallas Stars continue to be without Roope Hintz as he will miss his second straight game against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. The 23-year-old suffered an upper-body injury against the Tampa Bay Lightning and exited the game early. This is Hintz’s second injury of 2019-20. The team considers Hintz’s injury as day-to-day
For the Stars:
*Forward Joel Kiviranta draws in after Dowling was placed on IR
*Stephen Johns in on D; Andrej Sekera out
*Roope Hintz to miss his 2nd straight game w/ an upper body inj
*Bishop in net— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) February 1, 2020
Roope Hintz Suffers Upper-Body Injury
Hintz is having an excellent year despite minor aches and pains that have kept him out of a small number of contests. He has been one of Dallas’ most dynamic scoring threats with 15 goals and 24 points in 41 games. He is on pace to shatter his rookie scoring mark of 22 points. Dallas has been somewhat underwhelming this year so they cannot afford to lose Hintz for an extended period of time before the critical trade deadline.
On the other hand, this injury could show the front office exactly what they need when they begin calling teams. Hintz has been a key part of the top-six and the team could look for a player to both support and “replace” him if he continues to suffer brief absences. Dallas’ cap situation is not great but they could seem to move someone off their bottom-six.
However, with three games in four nights, there is no need from a Dallas perspective to rush him back.
What This Means for the Future
The Stars are still in fine shape in the tough Central Division despite Hintz’s injury. They are still getting solid production from stars Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov and Miro Heiskanen. They certainly benefit from both the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets fading in recent weeks.
This injury might not impact Hintz much this season but it doesn’t help his leverage when he reaches free agency this summer. The team could try to avoid paying him as much as they would if stayed healthy. He should still receive a raise far above his current $925,000 but the deal might come down a small amount if he continues to take minor injuries.
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