Stars winger Valeri Nichushkin to have hip surgery, out four months

Dallas Stars winger Valeri Nichushkin will undergo hip surgery and will be out four months, the team announced Saturday.

Nichushkin hasn't played since the Stars' loss to the Nashville Predators on Nov. 6 due to a nagging groin injury. The team placed him on injured reserve for the second time the next day.

Nichushkin originally sustained the injury in September and re-aggravated it in practice in October, leading to his first stint on injured reserve beginning Oct. 20.

It's unclear what type of surgery Nichushkin will have.

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The 19-year-old was the Stars' first-round pick in the 2013 NHL draft. He joined the club immediately, recording 34 points in 14:58 of average ice time in 79 games last season.

In four games this season, Nichushkin failed to record a point and had 12:41 of average ice time.

The Stars have 16 points in 17 games this season and are in sixth place in the Central Division after falling to the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Saturday.

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- Ben Estes