The Dallas Stars announced today that Stephane Robidas will be out 4-6 months after fracturing his leg last night in their loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Robidas, 36, underwent surgery at about 2 AM this morning. That timeframe for recovery puts his return at the very end of the season at the most optimistic. We send out our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Robidas.
Mark Stepneski tweeted some other news this morning:
Dallas Stars D Stephane Robidas out 4-6 months with leg fracture. Jamie Oleksiak recalled from AHL.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) November 30, 2013
The recall of Jamie Oleksiak from the Texas Stars makes sense after Robidas’ placement on IR.
Firstly, the Stars only have six healthy defensemen without Oleksiak — Jordie Benn, Kevin Connauton, Trevor Daley, Brenden Dillon, Alex Goligoski and Sergei Gonchar. Aaron Rome has an undisclosed injury at the moment. The recall of Oleksiak will protect against another injury.
Secondly, Robidas played more of a shutdown role, and Connauton plays more of an offensive-defenseman game. It wouldn’t necessarily work to just plug Connauton into Robidas’ spot without possibly having to shift around the other pairs. Oleksiak gives coach Lindy Ruff additional options for retooling the blueline.