Tyler Seguin is back in the mix for the Dallas Stars, and the message from the team is pretty clear: the veteran forward is moving well enough to take part in training camp, and the final call on when he’s ready for game action will be his body’s, not the calendar’s.
Stars general manager Jim Nill said Wednesday that Seguin has been cleared for contact and full participation in camp. Later in the day, coach Glen Gulutzan sounded confident the forward will be available when the time comes.
“He just rehabs so hard, right? So he’s getting himself ready,” Gulutzan said.
“When he’s going to be ready, that’s going to kind of be up to him. But he trains and trains so hard.
He’s become such a great pro in his career. And I said this to you guys last year, even with us as coaches, as a sounding board, but for his own game, he’s such a great pro, so he’ll be ready.
He’ll be ready.”
Gulutzan has known Seguin for roughly 10 years, and he pointed to more than just the recovery process when talking about the center. In his view, Seguin has grown into a major presence in the room.
“A lot matured, evolved,” Gulutzan explained. “Hopefully we’re all evolving.
And he’s evolved into a great leader. And obviously he’s a great player, but he’s a great leader, evolved into a great leader and a great teammate that guys look up to in that room.”
Dallas is coming off a six-game loss to the Minnesota Wild in the first round, a series played without Seguin. Gulutzan said having him back gives the Stars more flexibility up front, especially after the July 1 trade of Mavrik Bourque, a right-handed shot.
“So missing that right shot certainly hurts, but when you look at it, what we had in the playoffs without Seggy, you kind of get Seggy back, so we can kind of mix and match from there,” Gulutzan said.
Seguin’s return has been a long wait. He was injured on Dec. 2 and had surgery later that month.
Before going down, he posted 7 goals, 10 assists and 17 points in 27 games. He turned 34 in January.
At the Dallas Stars Foundation’s Drive Fore the Kids golf tournament in Carrollton on Sept. 8, Seguin declined to say whether he would be available for the Oct. 2 opener, according to reporting by Robert Tiffin of NHL.com. He also said a setback in the middle of June forced him to stop skating.
Now, though, he’s on the training camp roster and officially in the fold. Seguin is entering the final season of his eight-year, $78.8 million contract, and he was one of 57 players Dallas announced on its Sept. 10 camp roster.
Camp opens Thursday at Comerica Center. The Stars begin the regular season on Oct. 2 against the St.
Louis Blues at American Airlines Center, with an 8 p.m. CT puck drop on TNT.
In Other News...
Stars Are Giving A Familiar Defenseman One More Chance To Matter
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For Dallas fans, the bigger picture is how common this kind of move has become across the league, with the Stars among several clubs making PTO signings of their own this time of year. It is the sort of transaction that rarely dominates headlines, but can still matter once the games start and injuries, roster battles, and camp performances begin sorting out who sticks. There is always a layer of intrigue with these deals, especially when a team gives a veteran a familiar kind of opportunity and leaves open the question of whether he can turn it into something more. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Give A Familiar Defenseman Another Shot To Stick
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Gleason has spent most of his career in the AHL, moving through different stops while trying to carve out a longer look at the top level. He most recently signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Minnesota Wild in July, so this latest PTO gives him another chance to show he can still earn a place in a crowded defense mix, even if the final call will depend on how much he can separate himself over the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Jim Nill Tries To Calm Two Growing Stars Concerns
The Stars have spent the fall trying to keep the focus on hockey, even as questions around a pair of core pieces have started to build. General manager Jim Nill said there have been no extension discussions with Jason Robertsons camp yet, and the reason is straightforward: league rules keep those talks off-limits until Jan. 1. Robertson already went through a tense contract stretch, filing for salary arbitration before settling on a one-year deal, which only sharpened the sense that his next long-term step will become a major storyline for Dallas.
Thomas Harley has become part of that conversation, too, after Dallas failed pursuit of Zach Werenski briefly put the young defenseman in the spotlight. Nill made it clear Harley remains important to the club, a reminder that the Stars are trying to balance present contention with the need to protect their emerging talent. For a team built to win now, keeping both Robertson and Harley on the same page may end up mattering just as much as anything that happens on the ice. [Read more 🡒]