Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin is being ruled out for the rest of the NHL regular season and postseason, which will allow the team to use all of his $9.85 million in salary cap space before next Friday's trade deadline, an NHL source confirmed on Friday.
Seguin, 34, last played for the Stars on Dec. 2, leaving their game at the New York Rangers after just 1:12 of ice time. He got tangled up with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov in the first period and needed help from multiple teammates and an athletic trainer to get off the ice. He underwent surgery to repair the ACL in his right knee. The team said on Dec. 19 that Seguin's status would be reevaluated after the NHL's Olympic break.
The NHL and NHLPA changed the league's rules for long-term injured reserve salary cap relief in their new collective bargaining agreement, which begins this September. They agreed to expedite those changes for the 2025-26 season.
Unless a player is declared out for the regular and postseasons, teams can use only the prior season's average league salary for immediate cap relief, which was $3,817,293.
According to PuckPedia, an NHL salary cap tracking site, the Stars will add an additional $6 million in cap space by ruling Seguin out. They had been using $3.82 million of Seguin's $9.85 million in salary cap relief, the most they could use without declaring that Seguin was out for the regular season and postseason.
The Stars have been searching for ways to bolster their defense corps and add another center to their roster, with Calgary Flames star Nazem Kadri among the possibilities.
Seguin is in his 16th NHL season and 13th with the Stars. While he has 826 points in 1,016 games, his career has been defined by a series of injuries that have limited his playing time.
Sportsnet was first to report on Seguin's status.
