Stars GM Nill addresses injuries to Dadonov (MCL), Hakanpaa (knee)
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Had the Dallas Stars reached the Stanley Cup Final, they would have potentially done so without a pair of key contributors.
General manager Jim Nill addressed injuries to veteran forward Evgenii Dadonov and defenceman Jani Hakanpaa on Thursday in his season-ending press conference.
The Stars were eliminated in the Western Conference Final in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Dadonov, 34, was diagnosed with a Grade 2 MCL sprain and was unlikely to play in the Stanley Cup Final. The Chelyabinsk, Russia native was injured in Game 3 against the Golden Knights after an awkward collision with teammate Roope Hintz. He did not play in the final three games of the series. Acquired from the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline, Dadonov finished his playoffs with four goals and six assists in 16 games.
A veteran of nine NHL seasons, Dadonov is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Hakanpaa, 31, appeared in 18 of the team's 20 playoff contests, but was dealing with a back injury throughout the postseason. Nill said the Kirkkonummi, Finland native will undergo knee surgery in the offseason.
Hakanpaa just completed his fourth NHL season and second with the Stars. He averaged 20:30 of ice time in the playoffs.
He is set to enter the final season of a three-year, $4.5 million deal.