Stars make Spezza a healthy scratch

Jason Spezza is a surprise omission from the Dallas Stars' lineup Monday.

He is a healthy scratch for the Stars' matinee game against the Boston Bruins.

The Stars initially didn't go into much detail as far as the reasoning behind the move, calling it a "coach's decision," but general manager Jim Nill shed some light on it shortly thereafter.

GM Jim Nill expects Jason Spezza to play in Detroit Tuesday. "Like I said I think he knows he can be better too and we need more from him. I think we got a really good thing going here and he's a big part of it, he's one of our leaders and we want him at his best," Nill said.

- Scott Burnside (@OvertimeScottB) January 15, 2018

Spezza centered Dallas' fourth line at practice Sunday. The veteran forward has one point in his last seven games, and his ice time has dwindled recently.

He's carrying a $7.5-million cap this season and next, according to CapFriendly.

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