Hitchcock said the Stars would recall a defenseman from Texas of the American Hockey League before their home game against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday (9 p.m. ET; FS-SW, ALT2, NHL.TV). He also said the Stars would need an extra defenseman during their upcoming four-game road trip, which includes back-to-back games against the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings on Monday and Tuesday.
Methot was injured Nov. 6 against the Winnipeg Jets and had arthroscopic knee surgery 13 days later. He returned to the lineup Jan. 4 and played 15:32 in 4-3 win against the New Jersey Devils but was a late scratch two nights later because of knee soreness after taking warmups before a 5-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers.
"I can't give you the exact day, but he's going to be evaluated in about 10 days from now," Hitchcock said. "Then we'll know the exact date he'll be ready to play. He and us felt that he could play through what he's got, but it wouldn't be good long-term, so we opted to get it done now."
Methot, acquired by the Stars in a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights on June 27, has no points in 16 games. He said Jan. 3 that the injury is one he'll likely have to manage for the rest of the season.
"I'm still managing it, it's something I'll probably still have to manage for the rest of the season," Methot said. "I think it's just got to get a point where I can help out the team and provide support on the back end. Until I reach that point, I'm not going to jump in and take someone else's spot who is 100 percent capable and healthy."
