FRISCO, Texas — Tyler Seguin has been cleared for contact and full participation in Dallas Stars training camp, Stars general manager Jim Nill said Wednesday.
Nill said the decision on whether Seguin’s repaired ACL is ready for NHL games will come down to how Seguin feels. Later Wednesday, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Seguin will be ready.
Glen Gulutzan On Tyler Seguin’s ACL Recovery
According to Gulutzan, the timing will be largely up to Seguin.
“He just rehabs so hard, right? So he’s getting himself ready,” Gulutzan said. “When he’s going to be ready, that’s going to kind of be up to him. But he trains and trains so hard. He’s become such a great pro in his career. And I said this to you guys last year, even with us as coaches, as a sounding board, but for his own game, he’s such a great pro, so he’ll be ready. He’ll be ready.”
Gulutzan has known Seguin for about a decade.
“A lot matured, evolved,” Gulutzan explained. “Hopefully we’re all evolving. And he’s evolved into a great leader. And obviously he’s a great player, but he’s a great leader, evolved into a great leader and a great teammate that guys look up to in that room.”
Dallas lost to the Minnesota Wild in six games in the first round without Seguin. Gulutzan said getting Seguin back gives the Stars options at forward after the July 1 trade of Mavrik Bourque, a right-handed shot.
“So missing that right shot certainly hurts, but when you look at it, what we had in the playoffs without Seggy, you kind of get Seggy back, so we can kind of mix and match from there,” Gulutzan said.
Tyler Seguin Enters Final Season Of Dallas Stars Contract
Seguin was hurt on Dec. 2 and had surgery later that month. Before the injury, he had 7 goals, 10 assists, and 17 points in 27 games. He turned 34 in January.
At the Dallas Stars Foundation’s Drive Fore the Kids golf tournament in Carrollton on Sept. 8, Seguin declined to say whether he will be available for the Oct. 2 opener, in an availability reported by Robert Tiffin of NHL.com. He also said a setback in the middle of June forced him to stop skating.
This is the final season of Seguin’s eight-year, $78.8 million contract. He was one of 57 players on the training camp roster the Stars announced Sept. 10.
Camp opens Thursday at Comerica Center. Dallas opens the regular season against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 2 at American Airlines Center, with an 8 p.m. CT puck drop on TNT.
