Stars' Zuccarello needs surgery on broken arm

Mats Zuccarello, who broke his right arm in his Dallas Stars debut Sunday, will undergo an operation Tuesday to repair the injury. Zuccarello is due to miss at least four weeks of action.

"It's a surgery to put a plate in place. It just helps it to heal faster. It's nothing major," general manager Jim Nill told DallasStars.com. "It was a very clean break, and the surgery makes sure it stays in place so it heals faster." Acquired from the New York Rangers on Saturday evening, Zuccarello hopped a 5 a.m. flight Sunday from New York to Chicago and scored a goal and an assist in the Stars' 4-3 win over the Blackhawks. However, he took a slap shot off his right forearm/wrist area late in the second period and did not return.

"It's fun to be here -- I can tell right away it's a good team, felt like we played a good game," Zuccarello told NHL.com after his first contest with the Stars. "It's really, really sad right now that (the injury) happened, but hopefully I can come back quick." Zuccarello, 31, has 12 goals and 27 assists in 47 games this season, including 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in his past 17 contests.

Dallas gave up conditional second- and third-round picks to acquire him, both of which can reportedly become first-rounders. The second-rounder would turn into a first if the Stars win two playoff series this postseason, while the third-rounder would become a first if Zuccarello re-signs with Dallas. The Norwegian is in the final year of a four-year, $18 million contract and can hit free agency this summer. The Rangers reportedly retained a quarter of his $4.5 million cap hit and salary for this season.

--Field Level Media