• Associated Press

Dec 3, 2025, 12:21 PM ET

NEWARK, N.J. — The

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    Seguin missed the vast majority of last season after undergoing hip surgery. He returned for the finale and the Stars’ playoff run to the Western Conference finals. He has been with Dallas since joining in a trade from Boston in 2013.

    “After seeing the grind he went through last year — all the hard work he put in to getting back into the lineup — and then for that to happen again obviously sucks,” captain Jamie Benn said. “It’s not great, and there’s not much you can say to the guy. Just some tough news.”

    Nathan Bastian took Seguin’s spot in the lineup at New Jersey, while Benn moved to his longtime teammate’s place on right wing alongside Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. That line was responsible for two of the Stars’ three goals in their first game since losing Seguin.

    “He’s so important for this team on the ice and off the ice,” Hintz said. “But now we just have to adjust and next man up and be ready to play without him for a while.”

    Long term, the team hopes center Matt Duchene is able to help fill the void once he returns from an upper-body injury that has kept him out since mid-October. That could come “sooner than later” if Duchene’s current progress continues, according to Gulutzan.

    “You’re going to have to have other guys step up,” Gulutzan said. “If Duchy comes back, he’s going to have to take some of that. [Mavrik Bourque is] going to get more opportunity. There’s going to be more opportunity for more guys, and then you’re going to see who takes it. So you’re not really pigeonholing anybody. You’re just seeing who grabs it.”