With Tyler Seguin sidelined with ACL injury Dallas Stars must address their roster needs as other Central Division teams load for playoffs

The Central Division playoff race is becoming a heavyweight battle. Minnesota landed Quinn Hughes and remains active in the trade market. Colorado continues rolling as the NHL's best team and will surely add more firepower.

The Stars find themselves in a position where sitting idle could cost them a chance at a third straight Western Conference Final appearance. But Dallas faces a unique set of circumstances heading into the deadline.

Dallas Stars’ playoff hopes look dim after recent string of injuries

Tyler Seguin tore his ACL in December, and while his timeline will be evaluated after the Olympic break, the reality is stark. The odds of returning from ACL surgery to play high-intensity playoff hockey in less than six months are slim.

If Seguin is ruled out for the postseason, his $9.85 million cap hit can be placed on season-ending LTIR. That opens significant flexibility for general manager Jim Nill to address glaring roster weaknesses before the March 6 deadline.

The Stars lost considerable depth up front last summer when Mikael Granlund, Mason Marchment, and Evgenii Dadonov all departed. Seguin's injury has exposed those gaps even further.

Dallas has been forced to rely on Sam Steel, Mavrik Bourque, and Justin Hryckowian in elevated roles with mixed results. Adding a proven middle-six forward would provide insurance and balance throughout the lineup for what the Stars hope will be a long playoff run.

The team sits atop the Central Division at 27-12-9, but reaching another conference final means navigating through Colorado and potentially Minnesota in a playoff series. That requires depth beyond the top line.

The back end presents another concern. Dallas needs a top-four right-shot defenseman, continuing an annual trade deadline trend after acquiring Chris Tanev in 2024 and Cody Ceci last year.

Finding the right partner for Thomas Harley has become crucial. Harley ranks among the NHL's top 20 defensemen but is having a down season, earning just 44.9 percent of shot attempts and 47 percent of expected goals at five-on-five.

He has been paired with Nils Lundkvist or Ilya Lyubushkin for most of the season, neither of whom provides what he needs come playoff time. Dallas has limited assets to work with after Nill traded away the team's 2026 and 2028 first-round picks in previous deals.

Expect savvy depth additions rather than expensive blockbuster moves as the Stars aim to keep pace in a division where standing still means falling behind.


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