Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill announced earlier today that center Martin Hanzal will be having season ending spinal fusion surgery. Hanzal is expected to be out for the next 6-7 months while he recovers.
Hanzal has been in and out of the lineup all season, dealing with a variety of different injuries. He played 38 games with 5 goals and 5 assists and was a key member of the Stars’ penalty killing unit. His last game was February 22nd against the Anaheim Ducks, which he exited early due to injury.
According to Nill, the back injury initially occurred back in November and Hanzal has had three separate injections to try and manage the pain. When asked if it could be career-ending, Nill said that as long as the surgery goes well, there should be no problem.
With Martin Hanzal permanently out of the lineup, Jason Dickinson will likely remain in Dallas for the remainder of the NHL season. Dickinson has just a single assist in 17 games with Dallas this season, but registered 24 points in 36 games with the Texas Stars.
We here at DefendingBigD send our best wishes towards Martin Hanzal and hope for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.
Here is the full announcement from Jim Nill: