Lindell, 22, appeared in four games with the Stars last season, but did not record a point. He has offensive ability, as evidenced by his 42 AHL points (14G / 28A) but he likely won’t see the usage necessary to make a fantasy impact.
Rantanen battled an ankle injury throughout the preseason and is expected to go back to the AHL, as basically a conditioning stint, before he will likely return to the Avalanche when he’s back up to speed. The 19-year-old had 60 points (24G / 36A) in 52 games with San Antonio last season.
Rantanen returned in a no-contact jersey, but it was his first practice session since he suffered an ankle injury in a rookie showcase back on September 17th. Rantanen is expected to have a secured spot with the Avalanche this season and is targeting a return for their season opener next Saturday.
Benn has been recovering from surgery to repair a core muscle injury that he had on July 14th. Benn’s original recovery time was six weeks, but he is just two days shy of 12 weeks since the surgery. Benn has been skating in training camp and Tuesday will be his preseason debut, so if all goes well he should be ready for the Stars’ season opener.
Seguin has been held off of the ice at the start of training camp due to a hairline fracture on his heel. The Stars season doesn’t start for another 13 days, so if he starts skating early next week, Seguin could be ready for the season opener vs. Anaheim.
Faksa suffered a concussion while representing Team Czech Republic at the World Cup of Hockey, but he is expected to return to practice on Monday or Tuesday and should be ready for the season opener. With Cody Eakin out for six weeks, Faksa could take on a larger role than he was expected to to start the season.
Seguin was set to play for Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey but suffered a hairline fracture to his heel and was returned to Dallas. Stars’ GM Jim Nill expects Seguin to be ready for their season opener in two weeks.
Benn, 27, had his first 40-goal season (41) and a career-high 89 points in 2015-16. Over the last three years, Benn has only missed one game while recording 255 points (110G / 145A) which is second in the NHL, behind only Sidney Crosby. Benn’s new deal doesn’t kick in until next season, which means his deal runs through the 2024-25 season.
Seguin missed game one and skated as an extra in the morning skate, but he said he is good to go tonight the decision is up to head coach Lindy Ruff whether or not he plays. Monitor his status when the Stars hit the ice for warmups at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said if it were game seven that Seguin would likely be in the lineup tonight, but he will sit out of game one because he needs more practice time. Despite missing tonight’s contest it looks like the 24-year-old will be in the lineup for Game 2 on Saturday.
Seguin took part in Monday’s practice, but skated in as an extra, which suggests that he won’t be ready to go to begin the playoffs. Seguin is three and a half weeks into his original 3-4 week timetable, so Seguin’s return appears to be on the horizon.
Dumba was a minus-2 in Winnipeg on Sunday and has just two assists in his last 11 games. He will be replaced by Christian Folin tonight.
Duchene missed the last six games with a knee injury, but returned to practice on Thursday and will return to the lineup on Friday. Duchene has 29 goals and 27 assists (56 points) in 71 games this season.
The Avalanche announced earlier in the week that Duchene would be shutdown for the week and reevaluate his status on Sunday. It doesn’t sound like he has improved as he and Nathan MacKinnon will miss the Avs’ two-game road trip in Nashville and St. Louis.
Duchene will miss at least the next two games before he is reevaluated on Sunday. The Avalanche said there will be no further updates until that time. This is obviously a massive hit to the Avs’ playoff chances—they are currently clinging to the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, just one spot up on Minnesota, who they’ll play on Saturday with out Duchene or Nathan MacKinnon.
