The Dallas Stars defense got a shakeup on Monday as the team placed defenseman Jordie Benn on injured reserve and recalled Esa Lindell from Texas to take his roster spot.
Mark Stepneski was the first with the news:
The Dallas Stars have recalled D Esa Lindell from Texas (AHL), and have placed D Jordie Benn on injured reserve.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) January 18, 2016
Benn left the Stars overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks in the second period with what the team is calling a lower-body injury. He also missed time before the team’s five-day break with a lower-body injury, though it’s unclear if they are the same injury. The move means he will miss at least one week of play.
Lindell, the Stars third-round pick from the 2012 draft, is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound left shot who has put up 25 points in 42 games with the Texas Stars this season, his first full one in North America. He has a plus-9 rating with eight goals and 18 assists.
With Jamie Oleksiak in the AHL on a conditioning assignment, the loss of Benn means the Stars were carrying six active defensemen before the move to bring up Lindell. They could have simply recalled Oleksiak, which may point to the Stars wanting a different look on third pair than the trio of Oleksiak, Patrik Nemeth and Jyrki Jokipakka can offer.