Valeri Nichushkin, who was recalled from his conditioning assignment on Thursday, is expected to return to the Stars’ lineup tonight when Dallas plays host to the St. Louis Blues.
Nichushkin has missed nearly five months after undergoing hip surgery in November.
Stars coach Lindy Ruff would not confirm Nichushkin’s return to the lineup, but Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News reports that it’s a safe bet the 20-year-old will appear in his first game since Nov. 6.
“He’s real excited to be back playing, to be back here and have the opportunity to play,” Ruff said.
Nichushkin had 14 goals and 34 points in 79 games during his rookie campaign last season while playing alongside Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.
He played in just four games registering a minus-3 rating this season prior to the surgery.
Ruff admits the club has missed the presence of the 6-foot-4, 205-pound forward.
“We’ve missed his size,” Ruff said. “For the most part, Seguin, Benn and Val were a good line. He was a guy who could hang onto the puck down low, physically dominate some teams, and even come off the wall in the offensive zone and make plays. And I really felt by the end of [last] year he was one of our best defenders coming back defending.”
Tonight concludes the five-game season series between the two clubs. Each team has won twice.