DALLAS — Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill said Thursday that Roope Hintz will be back and healthy for the coming season, nearly six months after the hamstring injury that ended Hintz’s year. Nill made the comments in an interview on NHL Network.
Nill said Hintz and Tyler Seguin were two big losses in the same season.
“He is kind of a hidden player down here in Dallas,” Nill said. “He’s 6-3, 220 pounds. He can skate. He’s got great speed. He’s strong. He was a major loss for us. We lost him and lost Tyler Seguin. Those were two big losses.”
“Usually he plays with Jason Robertson. They’re a great pair together,” Nill continued. “Really, when you get Roope in the lineup, you get Wyatt Johnston and you’ve got [Matt Duchene]. That gives us a real good one-two-three punch and we’re hard to match up that way. That was a big loss for us. We’re excited that he’s going to be back and healthy, and we look forward to the start of the year.”
Roope Hintz’s Hamstring Injury And Playoff Absence
Hintz was hurt on March 6 against the Colorado Avalanche in a collision with Nathan MacKinnon. It was his first game back from the Olympic break, after he had spent more than a week dealing with an illness. He did not play again.
Hintz then had a setback in his recovery. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan ruled him out for Game 6 on April 28 and said there was a chance he could play a Game 7 but that he would not bet on it, the Dallas Morning News reported. Minnesota won the series in six games, and Hintz did not dress for any of them.
Hintz had 15 goals, 29 assists, and 44 points in 53 regular-season games last season. He won 59.1% of his faceoffs and finished 28th in Selke Trophy voting.
Wyatt Johnston And Matt Duchene Down The Middle
Behind him down the middle, Wyatt Johnston had 45 goals, 41 assists, and 86 points in 82 games, and his 27 power-play goals led the NHL. Matt Duchene had 16 goals, 29 assists, and 45 points in 57 games after a head injury cost him 24, then led the Stars in the first round with 2 goals, 7 assists, and 9 points.
Jason Robertson, who has spent much of his career on a line with Hintz, led Dallas with 45 goals, 51 assists, and 96 points in 82 games. Robertson signed a one-year, $12 million contract on July 21 and becomes eligible to sign an extension Jan. 1. Seguin skated Tuesday at the team’s practice facility as he works back from a torn right ACL.
Dallas went 50-20-12 for 112 points and finished second in the Central Division. The Stars led the NHL in high-danger goals with 157 in the regular season, and Johnston’s 30 led every skater in the league, according to NHL Edge. Hintz has ranked in the 98th percentile or higher at his position in 20-plus mph speed bursts in each of the past five seasons.
Roope Hintz’s Draft Slot And Contract Terms
Dallas selected Hintz in the second round, 49th overall, of the 2015 NHL Draft. He is signed through 2030-31 on the eight-year, $67.6 million extension he agreed to in 2022.
Dallas opens training camp Sept. 17 at Comerica Center in Frisco. The Stars host the St. Louis Blues in the regular-season opener on Oct. 2 at American Airlines Center, with puck drop at 8 p.m. CT on TNT.
