Tuesday night, Seguin was replaced on Canada's World Cup of Hockey roster by Ryan O'Reilly. With Seguin not able to skate seven to ten days, he would miss all three of Canada's preliminary round games and possibly the semifinal round. With Seguin out a good portion of the tournament, Canada decided to make the roster move and replace Seguin.
"He was trying to work his way through it, but he is only 50 to 60 percent with his skating ability," Nill said of Seguin. "With such a short tournament, [Canada] had to make a decision."
It's believed Seguin may have been injured when he went feet-first into the end boards Friday during a pre-tournament game against the United States. Seguin left the game briefly, but did return and then and played the next night. But by Tuesday, it was determined he couldn't continue.
"I'm disappointed that I can't represent Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey," Seguin said in a statement released by the Stars. "Any time your country calls, it's a great honor and is something every kid from Canada dreams about getting the chance to do. While I'm upset that I don't get the opportunity to play, I understand the situation Team Canada is in with a short tournament. I wish all the best for that team and the good news is that I'll get to be with my Stars teammates from day one. We're excited to get the season going and we can't wait to get to Cedar Park and get to work."
Seguin is expected to return to Dallas in the next few days, and he'll be evaluated by Stars team doctors then. Nill expects Seguin to be ready close to the start of training camp, which begins Sept. 23 in Cedar Park.
"He should be close to the start of training camp," Nill said. "We'll monitor him. We haven't seen him yet. We'll get him into Dallas and see how he is doing and how the rehab goes, but he is going to be close to the start of camp. We'll play it by ear. We want to get him 100 percent. We've got time. But it's not an injury where he is going to be missing training camp or where we are going to have to worry about missing the start of the season. It shouldn't come down to that as far as we know."
Benn Update
Nill said that Stars captain Jamie Benn, who had surgery in July for a core muscle injury, should be ready to go for the start of camp. Benn has been skating with teammates in Frisco recently and has looked good.
"I think he is right on schedule. He should be a skater at the start of camp," Nill said. "We are going to monitor him closely just to make sure he is 100 percent. Our focus is on the start of the season, and we don't anticipate any trouble with him being a player at the start of the year."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club. Mark Stepneski is an independent writer whose posts on DallasStars.com reflect his own opinions and do not represent official statements from the Dallas Stars. You can follow Mark on Twitter
