Getting ready to roll: Tyler Seguin excited for opportunities in new season ahead

Tyler Seguin opened his first media session of the new season Thursday morning with an unprompted message to the media: “I missed you guys.”

Not near as much as the Stars have missed you, Tyler. Not even close.

After being sidelined for the majority of last season with an ACL injury, Seguin appears to be healthy and ready to rock ahead of the 2026-27 season. He has been cleared for contact, but coach Glen Gulutzan still is cautious in assessing whether the veteran forward is 100 percent ready to go. With the season opener Oct. 2 against St. Louis, there still is plenty of time to be sure, but the reality of grasping that potential moment was tangible on Thursday.

“It was great,” Seguin said of simply skating with his teammates in a real practice. “It was fun – fun to be back and fun to be part of the systems again.”

Seguin was playing on a line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz to start, so that will create some speculation on where he fits best. That’s the same place Mavrik Bourque played for the majority of last season, and Bourque scored 20 goals before getting traded to Nashville this past summer. It’s also the same place Joe Pavelski played in his final three seasons, producing some of the best numbers in his career.

Like Pavelski, Seguin is a solid faceoff man who can complement Hintz. Like Pavelski, Seguin is a smart player with a right-handed shot who just seems to “fit” on that line.

“I think draws are important, so having a righty who can take draws like Joe makes it a lot easier,” Robertson said. “As he gets more experience, he learns and understands how he can contribute and play in that role. He’s similar to Joe, but different. I think Seggy understands how to use his assets to the best of his abilities. We’re all glad to have him back.”

At age 34, Seguin has played 1,016 games and tallied 826 points (367 goals, 459 assists), so he definitely has the pedigree to be a significant contributor on this team. While injuries have slowed him in recent seasons, he has been effective even in small doses.

“We’ve really missed him the last couple of years when he has gone out, because he was playing very well,” Stars GM Jim Nill said. “He’s a well-conditioned athlete and he knows what it takes. He’ll be a big piece of our team.”

Gulutzan likes to use the term “scar tissue” in describing how players deal with the physical and mental burdens of the game, and Seguin has built up a ton. The ACL injury is one of his worst, because the typical recovery is 9-12 months, and he had a setback in the summer that required another procedure. But dealing with hip, labrum, and Achilles tendon injuries in previous seasons certainly gave him a good playbook.

“I’ve sang this song before and I’m sick of it,” he said when asked if previous injuries will help his recovery. “I have said, ‘This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,’ and now there’s a new ‘hard thing.’ I just love hockey…hopefully, there’s nothing else. I’m happy with the work I’ve put in, I have no regrets over the past nine months and what’s gone on, so I am where I am.”

That work included having surgery in the same facility on the same day as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and also rehabbing in Dallas with former Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons. All of that adds to Seguin’s ability to take things in stride.

“There were a lot of different things you can look at and a lot of different people I have talked to,” Seguin said. “I did a lot of my training early with Micah Parsons, so just bouncing different sports, similar knee injuries, and different timelines. He’s a fun guy to be on the table with at 7 a.m. You see different sides running, cutting vs. skating, what’s easier? That’s just all part of the process.”

Also part of the process is being back with his teammates, including captain Jamie Benn. They have been leading the Stars since 2013, and they definitely are happy to share the experience of getting old together.

“It was great,” Seguin said of practicing with Benn, who signed a one-year deal to return at age 37. “It’s my last year on my contract, so I told him, ‘You’ve got to come back for one more.’”

Seguin’s eight-year deal expires at the end of this season, and while he could always re-sign, there is a chance that this might be their final season together.

Asked about the chance to win a Cup together, he said: “We are where we are and just trying to take advantage of these last opportunities we have.”

One of the fun things for the duo is the fact each has become a father in recent years and they can share time with their kids now. Seguin said that the “family” vibe is a big part of the dressing room.

“There are so many babies on this team and new ones coming…it’s cool to see the different chapters in your teammate’s lives,” Seguin said. “It’s one thing Jamie and I do talk about, how many teammates we have had and how many different people, it’s the different chapters of our careers.”

It’s so much fun, you can even embrace the media.

“Day 1's are exciting,” Seguin said as he scanned the press room with a brilliant smile.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.