Dallas Stars' Nichushkin To Undergo Hip Surgery

Dallas Stars’ Nichushkin To Undergo Hip Surgery

Apr 23, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars right wing Valeri Nichushkin (43) skates in warm-ups prior to the game against the Anaheim Ducks in game four of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Dallas Stars forward Valeri Nichushkin to undergo hip surgery

The Dallas Stars were hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but it looks like they’ll be missing their brightest young star for a while.

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This season, Valeri Nichushkin — drafted tenth overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft — has only played in four games due to nagging hip and groin issues. As a result, the team has decided that the best course of action will be for the forward to undergo hip surgery, and hope that it gets him back on the ice permanently.

The surgery will take Nichushkin out for the next four months, which puts his return somewhere around the end of March. Hopefully, he’ll be able to re-join the lineup in enough time to help his team see the post-season for the second year; nagging issues on defense have kept the Stars out of playoff contention so far this fall, but the team is looking to turn things around.

While surgery is never the most fun option, Nichushkin won’t be the only young skater to take this route in Dallas. John Klingberg, the 22-year-old Swedish defenseman who is looking to make a big impact for the Stars this season, opted to undergo the surgery this past summer for the same issues.

"“I didn’t want to do it, I wanted to work on building strength in the summer,” Klingberg said. “But now I feel much better and I am glad I did it.”"

Last season, Nichushkin had 14 goals and 34 points in 79 games; his natural chemistry with both Tyler Seguin and captain Jamie Benn made him a seemingly perfect fit for the team’s top line this year.

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