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Rain keeps falling on Dallas as Czechs rule out Faksa (upper body)

St Louis Blues v Dallas Stars - Game One

DALLAS, TX - APRIL 29: Radek Faksa #12 of the Dallas Stars celebrates after scoring the game winning goal against Brian Elliott #1 of the St. Louis Blues in the third period in Game One of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 29, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

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Stars GM Jim Nill can’t be loving life right now.

Last week, he -- in conjunction with Team Canada -- announced that star forward Tyler Seguin had been ruled out of the World Cup with an ankle injury, later revealed to be a hairline fracture.

Earlier today, reports claimed that still-unsigned RFA Valeri Nichushkin was close to signing in Russia.

And now?

Radek Faksa, the 13th overall pick in 2012, suffered an upper-body injury in the Czech Republic’s blowout loss to Canada on Saturday, and has been ruled out of tonight’s game against Team Europe.

Faksa, 22, had been a key contributor for the Czechs prior to getting hurt. He played nearly 17 minutes in the opening exhibition against Russia, nearly 18 in the rematch two days later, and scored a goal in a surprising 3-2 win over Team North America in the exhibition finale.

Faksa figures to be a key contributor for Dallas this year, too.

He made his NHL debut in last season and fared well, with 12 points in 45 games, but really came into his own in the playoffs, scoring five points -- including two game-winning goals -- while bumping his TOI up to 16:08 per night.

At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he has good size -- vitally important for playing center in the loaded Western Conference. If he’s out for any length of time, it’s a fairly significant loss.