Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel is nearing his return from a lengthy lower-body injury.
The 21-year-old defenseman joined the team for practice Monday for the first time since he went down with a lower-body injury on Nov. 30 against the Senators when he awkwardly went feet-first into the boards.
The injury required surgery and the team said he would miss 6-8 weeks, but Stars GM Jim Nill told Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket Thursday that Bichsel is on pace to return in the coming weeks.
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“He’s doing well,” Nill said. “We’re hoping that when we get back, he started skating a little bit on his own, we’re hoping maybe sometime next week depending on how his rehab goes that he just starts skating with the team and be back at it.
Nill and Stars coach Glen Gulutzan both said that Bichsel is on track to return before the Olympic break, which begins Feb. 6, and has skated eight times in recent days. The Stars still have eight games remaining before the break.
Dallas could use the defenseman back in the lineup, as the Stars have lost 10 of their last 12 games.
The 6-foot-7, 237-pound Swiss defenseman is a key for Dallas on the blue line. In 26 games prior to his injury, he averaged 15:49 of ice time and totaled three points and 24 blocks.
He is Dallas’ most physical player by far, as his 85 hits lead the team by a considerable margin despite the fact he hasn’t played since suffering his injury in late November.
Forward Mikko Rantanen was the one player missing from practice Monday, but Gulutzan confirmed to reporters that he took the day off for maintenance.
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