The Dallas Stars are staring down the rest of their first-round tilt with the Minnesota Wild without one of their most important weapons. Yesterday, coach Glen Gulutzan said Roope Hintz is not expected to play again in the series, ruling him out for Game 6 in Minnesota and calling a potential Game 7 return a long shot. Hintz has been skating on his own for nearly a week but still has not joined a full-team practice.
Gulutzan's update and immediate timeline
“There’s a chance,” Gulutzan said when asked about Hintz possibly returning for a Game 7. He quickly followed with, “Would I bet on it? No,” a blunt assessment captured by The Dallas Morning News. The coach explained that the Stars want Hintz to skate with the full group before inserting him into a game, a box he has not yet checked. With Hintz officially ruled out for Thursday’s Game 6, Dallas will have to lean on its depth in what has already been a tight matchup.
How it happened and what he’d been doing
Hintz suffered a lower-body injury during Dallas’ March 6 game against the Colorado Avalanche after a collision with Nathan MacKinnon. The timing cut into what had been a strong season for the center. He finished the regular season with 44 points in 53 games and worked as Dallas’ top-line center on both special teams, according to NHL.com. The club had originally hoped for an earlier return, but the recovery timeline stretched as his rehab unfolded.
Where things stand now
Hintz got back on the ice for individual sessions last week but still has not joined a team skate. The Stars kept him in Dallas to continue that on-ice work instead of bringing him on the road, according to CBS Sports. That outlet, which summarized reporting from The Athletic, described him as "highly doubtful" for recent games while the team waits for him to clear a full-group session. The organization appears set on making sure his conditioning and comfort with contact are where they need to be before exposing him to high-leverage playoff shifts.
What it means for Dallas
Without Hintz, the Stars will have to spread his responsibilities across a committee of forwards and tighten things up defensively to cover for his speed and special-teams workload. How effectively those depth options respond over the next few games may decide whether Dallas can move on without its top-line center.
For now, Gulutzan’s update offers little hope of a quick fix. The Stars plan to monitor Hintz day-to-day and base any decision on his ability to handle full-team drills and contact. If he makes it back late in the series, it will be treated as a bonus. In the meantime, Dallas is preparing as if it will have to finish the job without him.
