The rumored announcement that veteran defenseman Trevor Daley and veteran forward Vernon Fiddler would be named assistant captains this season became official yesterday.
Now in his 11th season as a member of the organization, the 31-year-old Daley is the longest-tenured Stars player. Fiddler, meanwhile, is a highly respected veteran of 650-plus NHL games entering his fourth season with the Stars after re-signing with the club as unrestricted free agent over the summer.
In other team news, the flu bug continues to wreak havoc on the club (a little ahead of schedule, as this is something virtually every NHL team experiences over the course of the season). Stars' Third-line winger Ryan Garbutt became the latest player to fall ill, missing a day of practice.
Yesterday, after a day of practice at the American Airlines Center, the Stars returned to Frisco. Erik Cole returned to the lineup while Valeri Nichushkin got bumped up to the Cody Eakin line. Tomorrow, Dallas kicks off its 2014-15 regular season with a home game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Per the Stars' official website, these were Tuesday's practice lines:
Jamie Benn –Tyler Seguin – Colton Sceviour Patrick Eaves – Jason Spezza – Ales Hemsky Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Valeri Nichushkin Shawn Horcoff – Vernon Fiddler – Erik Cole
Alex Goligoski – Trevor Daley Brenden Dillon – Jordie Benn Patrik Nemeth– Kevin Connauton Jamie Oleksiak
Kari Lehtonen / Anders Lindbà¤ck