John Klingberg, the Dallas Stars‘ No. 1 defenceman, will be a healthy scratch for Monday’s game against the Minnesota Wild after missing a team meeting.
Klingberg finished fourth on the Stars in scoring last season, with 58 points (10 goals, 48 assists) in 76 games.
He has two goals and eight assists through 19 games this year for the Stars (7-7-5) who have lost three of their last four games.
“Look at how the team is now, it’s obviously not the best timing,” Klingberg said. “I am going to have to learn from this. I feel embarrassed. There are no excuses. I overslept, but there are no excuses. I feel embarrassed. I told my teammates I am sorry, it’s not going to happen again.
“I am supposed to be one of the leaders of the team, and I let my team down coming late for a meeting after a day off. I am missing a game that’s really important for us. There are no excuses. I feel ashamed.”
Replacing Klingberg in the Dallas lineup will be top prospect Julius Honka, who was recalled from the AHL on Sunday along with Esa Lindell. Dallas put Johnny Oduya on injured reserve with a lower-body injury..
Honka has three goals and nine assists in 16 games this season, good for fourth among AHL defencemen.
The 20-year-old was drafted 14th overall in 2014 and will be making his NHL debut.