The Dallas Stars are 8-0-2 in their last 10 games, including a 3-2 shootout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. This is all in the midst of the Stars dealing with a litany of injuries. One of the players the team has been missing is key defenseman Thomas Harley, who is projected to return to the lineup on Tuesday night.
According to beat reporter Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press, Harley will be returning from a 12-game absence against the Winnipeg Jets. He has not played since a 7-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on November 13th. While it is not clear when Harley was injured, he was initially declared week-to-week and has not played since then.
Prior to the injury, the Canadian blueliner had played in 18 games, finding the back of the net once and adding nine assists. Further, he was part of the powerplay, amassing three points on the man advantage. The team has still been stellar with their defender out of the lineup. Dallas is third in the NHL on the powerplay, while also sitting fourth in goals against per game. He could be an added help to the penalty kill, which is currently ranked 10th in the league.
Harley was the 18th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Stars. He played in one playoff game in 2020, before getting more time in 2021-22. He has played in 215 games with the franchise, and missed just seven combined games the prior two seasons. In his time with the club, Harley has found the back of the net 33 times and added 80 assists.
The Stars are 20-5-5 so far, which places them second in the Central Division and with the second-best record in the NHL behind only the Colorado Avalanche. The team begins a short two-game road trip Tuesday night against the Jets, before facing the Wild in Minnesota on Thursday.
