When Valeri Nichushkin takes the ice Tuesday night for the Stars, it will mark 881 days in between meaningful games in the NHL for the 23-year-old forward. He last played for the Stars when they were knocked out of the playoffs in 2016, spending two seasons in the KHL before returning to Dallas this season.
He missed the first two games of the season with a lower-body injury, but will make his season debut on the fourth line against Toronto at American Airlines Center. Stars coach Jim Montgomery said the club wanted to break him in on the fourth line before moving him up quickly.