Elliotte Friedman says Tyler Seguin unlikely to return in 2025-26 after December ACL surgery
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Daniel Lucente
Feb 27, 2026 (2:38 PM)
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Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts floated that Tyler Seguin is a long shot to play in 2025-26, and it hits the Dallas Stars right in the gut.
This is not a report of a shutdown. It's Friedman hearing the rehab road is steep, and sharing it as the vibe around the league.
The baseline is ugly. Seguin tore the ACL in his right knee, had surgery in December, and Dallas said his timeline gets revisited after the Olympic break.
He barely got through two shifts on December 2 before the night ended. That detail matters because it screams "not a manage-it injury."
Before the injury, Seguin still drove value in a smaller role, 7-10-17 in 27 games, with Dallas keeping his minutes in a workable band.
"I just heard it's going to be a real challenge for him to play this season".
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
The Stars are good enough to keep rolling anyway, sitting at 35-14-9 as of Friday, but playoff ceilings get judged by depth scoring.
Seguin is the kind of secondary finisher who makes a tight series feel less tight, especially when the top line gets hard-matched.
Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars feel the squeeze
Stars fans can pretend it's fine, but everyone knows this is exactly how "we'll see later" turns into "see you next fall."
Cap-wise, Seguin's $9.85 million cap hit is still on the books through 2026-27, and LTIR space can tempt a deadline swing.
That's the trap, though. You buy now, then you're managing returns, bonuses, and a playoff activation puzzle later.
On the ice, his absence forces more hard minutes onto the next layer of centers, and it changes the look of the second power-play unit.
If Friedman's "real challenge" read is right, Dallas has to treat this as a season-long hole, not a late-season bonus.
And if Seguin does beat the odds, it becomes a playoff jolt, not a plan.
Update:
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