Stars D Gavin Bayreuther Will Have Surgery, Out "Long-Term"

Bayreuther in January 2020 (Credit: Andy Nietupski/Texas Stars)

Coming back defending a breakaway on Friday night, Gavin Bayreuther fell awkwardly on his own ankle and had to be helped off the ice. 100 Degree Hockey has learned this morning that Bayreuther is having surgery today on his ankle and will be out "long-term."

Bayreuther signed with Dallas on a one-year, one-way deal as a depth defenseman in the NHL and veteran presence for the AHL side. During training camp, Bayreuther told 100 Degree Hockey that he knew the count on one-way players in Dallas but knew there was a chance to get into the mix whether it was "Game 1 or Game 80."

Now, unfortunately, Bayreuther has become one of those injuries that forces lineup changes. The Stars avoided major injury throughout most of last season at the NHL and AHL level. The loss of Will Butcher in the playoffs against Milwaukee was part of their defeat in the close series as the injury bug bit at just the wrong time.

Texas has a surplus of defenders and even vets to boot with Alex Petrovic and Derrick Pouliot on the roster. Michael Karow also has some vet status, certainly compared to the rest of the rookies.

We also can't let this injury go by without mentioning a similarly bad luck occurrence in 2018 when Reece Scarlett tore his ACL in the first game of the season, also in the third period in the defending end. Scarlett made the most of that season. Dallas offered him the option to rehab at home in Canada, but he stayed with the team in Cedar Park and rehabbed while doing video work for the team.

Bayreuther has a long road ahead of him to recover, but Dallas has a good track record for keeping long-term injured players in the loop and helping them make it back.