Roope Hintz To Miss Multiple Weeks

Last night, the Stars got a big boost up front when Roope Hintz returned to the lineup from an illness that had kept him out since the end of the Olympic break.  Unfortunately for them, that will be his last game for a little while.

Hintz sustained a lower-body injury in the second period of their game against Colorado and ultimately had to be helped off the ice.  Speaking with reporters today including D Magazine’s Robert Tiffin (Twitter link), Hintz is set to miss multiple weeks due to the injury.  As he needs to be evaluated by another doctor, no firm timeline is available yet but the team is hopeful that Hintz will be able to return by the start of the playoffs next month.

Hintz has been productive as always this season, putting up 15 goals and 29 assists in 53 games while averaging over 17 minutes per night.  The 29-year-old has been their number one center throughout the year while seeing time on both special teams units.  On top of that, Hintz is their top full-time performer at the faceoff dot, winning over 59% of his draws.  Suffice it to say, his loss will be significant, especially with the Stars in a tight battle for second place in the Central Division to try to secure home-ice advantage in the first round.

With 12 other healthy forwards on the roster, the Stars aren’t yet eligible for an emergency recall, one that wouldn’t count against their post-deadline regular recall limit of five.  However, given that Hintz is going to be out for a while, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dallas utilize one of those five recalls from AHL Texas to ensure that they have at least one extra healthy forward available over the coming weeks.