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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Without Tyler Seguin, Stars’ Depth Players Have Chance to Shine

Posted on by Melissa Flandreau

Against the Islanders tonight—and for the next 3-4 weeks—the Stars will find themselves without Tyler Seguin, who suffered a 15 percent cut to his Achilles’ tendon in Thursday’s game against the Lightning. The cringe-inducing injury (which Seguin tweeted a photo of) means that the team will have to rely more on its depth players. Fortunately, Mike Heika writes, that might not be so difficult for Dallas.

In fact, the depth among skill players might be the Stars’ biggest asset. Dallas leads the NHL in scoring and has eight players with 10 goals or more. And while Seguin is seen as a top level center, Cody Eakin has stepped into those minutes in recent games and had a three-assist night on Thursday.

“I think we want to do it as a team, guys need to step up together,” Eakin said of the challenge he has faced moving from a checking role to a scoring role. “You don’t change your style much, you just get different opportunities and try to do the most with them. You just want to get the job done, whatever they ask you to do, so that’s my thought. I just want to do whatever it takes to help us win.”

For more on Seguin and the Stars’ plan going forward, head to the link. [SportsDayDFW]

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Tonight, the Stars take on the Islanders at the AAC at 7 p.m. [SportsDayDFW]

And if you’re thinking about going to the game, don’t forget:

While you wait for the puck to drop and watch your March Madness bracket continue to fall apart, there’s plenty of news to catch up on from yesterday. On the happy end of the spectrum, the Stars signed Stephen Johns to a two-year contract extension. [Stars]

DBD also had the opportunity to talk with Brenden Morrow yesterday, and if you haven’t already read the article, this link will take you there.

And now, back to the bad news. Here’s Jim Nill talking about Tyler Seguin’s injury.

Sports Illustrated’s Allan Muir talks about how losing Seguin affects the playoff race in the Central. [Sports Illustrated]

The guys at ESPN debated who’s in the running for the Hart Trophy, and Scott Burnside says Jamie Benn should be in the mix. And without Tyler Seguin, he’ll be carrying an even bigger load down the stretch. [ESPN]

If it were up to you, who would you want the Stars to play in the first round of the playoffs? [The Hockey Writers]

The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin picks which players he think might be vulnerable in an expansion draft. For the Stars, Antoine Roussel make an appearance on the “exposable” list. Agree? Disagree? [The Hockey News]

TSN’s Gary Lawless doesn’t seem very optimistic that Stars can overcome subpar goaltending, which leaves them iin “costume jewelry class.” [TSN]

Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde has been suspended for elbowing Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.

The Kings are sitting pretty in the Pacific right now, but what explains the stretches of their season when they don’t look like a top squad? Puck Daddy has all the answers on why L.A. runs hot and cold. [Puck Daddy]

Over at Sportsnet, a closer look at zone exits and what they reveal about the best defensemen in the league. [Sportsnet]

After playing three games after returning from his shortened suspension, the Flames announced that defenseman Dennis Wideman will miss the rest of the season with a triceps injury. [NHL]

If you’ve ever watched players use smelling salts on the bench and wanted to know more, well, here’s all the info you wanted and then some. [Sports Illustrated]

For your history lesson of the day, a look back at the NHL and WHA merger. [VICE]

And finally, here’s a little more good news, in case you need it. Happy (belated) birthday to John Klingberg’s grandfather!

Talking Points