Stars lose Matt Duchene for several months after surgery

The Dallas Stars announced Monday that Matt Duchene underwent core muscle surgery and will miss three months.

Bad timing doesn't begin to cover it. Dallas has scored 11 goals through five games, and the offense already looked like it was running on fumes.

Three months off the calendar pushes the veteran center's return toward January. That's a long stretch to sit out at 35.

And this isn't some depth body they're replacing. Duchene put up 45 points in 57 games last season, then added nine points in six playoff games.

The year before, he was a point-per-game guy with 82 points in 82 games. Secondary scoring like that doesn't grow on trees.

Beyond Mikko Rantanen's six points, nobody on this roster has more than four. The production thins out fast once you get past the top of the lineup.

Tyler Seguin has one point and went minus-2. Wyatt Johnston still hasn't found the net despite four assists.

Glen Gulutzan's lineup takes another hit before a back-to-back with Colorado

Glen Gulutzan doesn't get much time to sort it out. The Stars host Colorado on Tuesday, then visit the Avalanche on Wednesday.

That's a back-to-back against a club that has already piled up 26 goals in five games. Not exactly the opponent you want with a thinning forward group.

The injury list keeps growing, too. Radek Faksa is day-to-day with a lower-body issue, and Joel Kiviranta is expected out until at least Tuesday.

So who fills the hole? Justin Hryckowian, Arttu Hyry and Colin Blackwell haven't recorded a point between them.

Asking that group to absorb Duchene's minutes is like losing your ace and handing the ball to the bullpen catcher.

The saving grace has been the crease. Jake Oettinger owns a .963 save percentage with two shutouts, and he's the main reason Dallas sits at 2-2-1.

But even Oettinger can't carry an offense that has scored one goal or fewer in three of five games.

That includes a 4-0 loss to St. Louis in the opener and a 2-1 shootout loss in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

Here's the problem. Jim Nill built this forward group with very little margin in the middle six, and Monday's news exposes it.

Pretending an internal shuffle covers this kind of hole would be a mistake. The Stars need another center, and they needed one before the surgery.

Dallas sits sixth in the Central right now. The next two nights against Colorado will say plenty about how long the Stars can afford to wait.

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