Injury Updates, Lineup Projections, and Everything Else We Know about the Returns of Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, and Radek Faksa

The Dallas Stars IR squad is working its way back, slowly

Mikko Rantanen worked out on the ice with Justin Hryckowian, among others, on Tuesday.

Any time a player is out for extended time with an injury, fans want updates on them every day. That’s understandable, especially when those players are key guys, or even superstars. People want to know when players will be back.

Last year, for instance, I (and I’m sure everyone else covering the team) received a myriad of e-mails, tweets, and WUPFHs about “Whither Tyler Seguin?!?” during his months-long recovery from hip surgery. Despite regular answers from Pete DeBoer and Jim Nill about Seguin’s slow process and gradual recovery, folks naturally wanted to read into every step or lack of a step in Seguin’s return.

Nill initially projected Seguin’s recovery to be 4-to-6 months. And in the end, Seguin ended up returning just before the end of the regular season, in mid-April—just over four months after his surgery. It was a remarkable recovery by Seguin, who poured unheard-of amounts of resources, effort, and dedication into his rehab process. To return from an injury like that near the very beginning of his projected recovery window—and to score a game-winning overtime goal just four games into his return—was an incredible accomplishment.

Screencap from ESPN

This year, Seguin’s luck turned against him, as a torn ACL ended his year cruelly and prematurely. And with a month remaining until the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, three more Stars players are also the shelf facing extended recovery time.

As much for the sake of having a link I can repeatedly send people as anything, let’s go over the injuries, recovery timelines, and projected spot in a re-assembled lineup for each of the injured Stars forwards right now: Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, and Radek Faksa.