The Dallas Stars would officially like a mulligan on their miserable start to the season.
Just hours after his team suffered their eighth loss in ten games, Stars GM Jim Nill announced winger Valeri Nichushkin requires hip surgery that will keep him out for the next four months.
Nichushkin, who has struggled with the injury since training camp, has only played in four games this season and has a spotty attendance record in Stars practices. Nichushkin had been skating in Dallas over the summer but it's not exactly clear when he aggravated his hip. This also might explain why the Stars traded Sergei Gonchar to the Montreal Canadiens for Travis Moen earlier this week. They could certainly use the man-power at this point.
The injury is certainly a disappointing setback for Nichushkin, who was looking forward to an even better sophomore campaign after scoring 14 goals alongside Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn in his rookie season a year ago. In his absence the Stars will need more from Ales Hemsky, who has just two assists through 16 games this year.