The Dallas Stars have enough to worry about, considering they will start their playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche without Miro Heiskanen. However, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus reported that Jason Robertson will also be out week-to-week during the playoffs. A week-to-week designation puts him out for at least the first four games, but the injury may last the entire series.
Thanks to a couple of inconsistent stretches, it hadn’t been the season Robertson wanted, but he is still an integral part of the team’s top six. He recorded 80 points in 82 games for the second consecutive season, but it wasn’t close to the 109 he’s chasing from the 2022-23 season. Robertson has been an iron man for the Stars, playing 82 games in the past three campaigns. However, the injury in Game 82 could significantly affect Dallas.
It’s the old rest vs. rust debate that seems to pop up every year. The Stars decided not to sit out Robertson for the season’s final game to keep him in rhythm, but it backfired. It’s hard to place too much blame on the coaching staff, as they were likely comfortable with Robertson’s durability since he hasn’t missed a game in four years.
Stars’ reinforcements will make up for Jason Robertson loss
The good news for the Stars is that they recently added a familiar face to the lineup to help their depth. Tyler Seguin has been out for most of the season, but he performed well last year and had a good start before his injury. He wasted no time getting back into the swing of things, recording an assist in his first shift of the game.
The Stars need all the depth they can get to go toe-to-toe with the Avalanche. The loss of Robertson hampers that greatly, but Dallas still has the horses to get the job done. One positive for the Stars is that a healthy and rested Robertson should be waiting for the second round if they get past the Avalanche.
The Stars’ projected lineup for Game 1 still features three deep forward lines, including superstar and former Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen. Losing Robertson is detrimental, but times like these are why Dallas went searching for Rantanen in the first place. Jim Nill could’ve gotten complacent and stayed put at the trade deadline, but he ensured that no stone would be left unturned in case something like the Robertson injury happened in the postseason.
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