Radulov to return for Stars against Blue Jackets

The Dallas Stars held a short practice at StarCenter Frisco on Sunday morning. Not everybody was on the ice, but a couple of the guys on the team's long injury list were, and there was some positive news on that front.
Forward Alexander Radulov will return on Monday night when the Stars take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at American Airlines Center (7:30 p.m. CT; FS-SW+; KTCK) , and there is a good chance Brett Ritchie will be back as well.
The status of defenseman Roman Polak is still unclear, but the Stars believe he could be ready, too.

Radulov has missed 10 of the past 11 games due to a lower-body injury. His return will be a big boost for the Stars. He has produced 11 points (five goals, six assists) in the seven games he's played this season, helps drive puck possession and brings a lot of energy to the mix. For a team that is in a rough stretch of scheduling and will be playing its ninth game in 16 days, some energy would help.
"[His energy] is missed a lot," said Stars coach Jim Montgomery. "And also his intensity that he plays with. He brings people into the fight with him. It's something we clearly miss when he is not there."
Ritchie has missed the past four games with an upper-body infection/inflammation. Montgomery was still waiting for confirmation that Ritchie was a player on Monday, but the forward looked ready.
"I think he is a player, he looked like a player out there," Montgomery said. "I would be 95 percent certain that he'd be available for tomorrow night."

With the Stars getting healthier at forward, right wing Denis Gurianov was sent back to the Texas Stars of the AHL Sunday along with defenseman Dillon Heatherington. Heatherington was sent back because the Stars are expecting Polak, who missed Saturday's game against Nashville due to illness, to be ready for Monday. But that was not 100 percent following Sunday's practice.
"Polak was*.