The Dallas Stars should get a key defenseman back relatively soon.
Stars GM Jim Nill joined the team’s pregame show on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM) and provided an encouraging update on injured defenseman Lian Bichsel.
“He’s doing well,” Nill said. “We’re hoping that when we get back, he started skating a little bit on his own, we’re hoping maybe sometime next week depending on how his rehab goes that he just starts skating with the team and be back at it.”
Bichsel went down with a lower-body injury sustained on Nov. 30 against the Senators when he awkwardly went feet-first into the boards. The injury required surgery and the team said he would miss 6-8 weeks.
Sports Roundup
The break in the NHL schedule for the Winter Olympics is on the horizon, as Dallas doesn’t play a game from Feb. 4 to Feb. 25. Could Bichsel return to game action before the Olympic break?
“We’re going to err to the side of caution, but if he comes along the way he is, we’d like to get him the two, three, four games in,” the Dallas GM said. “It just all depends on how his rehab comes along. We do have time on our side because of the Olympic break, but it would be nice to get him a couple games in just so he knows where he’s at for when we come out of the Olympic break.”
The 6-foot-7, 237-pound Swiss behemoth of a defenseman is a big key for Dallas along the blue line. In 26 games prior to his injury, he averaged 15:49 of ice time and totaled three points and 24 blocks. He is Dallas’ most physical player by far, as his 85 hits lead the team by a considerable margin despite the fact he hasn’t played since suffering his injury in late November..
“We have missed him,” Nill said. “He’s a big part of our team. His size, his physicality really changes our back end. He’s doing well. ”
Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen to miss second straight game due to personal matterStars denied bid to reopen 2011 bankruptcy case as part of legal battle with Mavericks