Stars defenseman out week-to-week with lower-body injury

Suffering a lower-body injury in Thursday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen was not on the ice this morning for practice. Carrying some optimism that Heiskanen would not be out long-term with an injury, the team received both good and bad news regarding his status.

Speaking with head coach Peter DeBoer, senior staff writer Mike Heika reports that Heiskanen is to be considered week-to-week, but will not need surgery to repair any damage. Up to this point, the Stars have not made a corresponding roster move, nor have they placed Heiskanen on injured reserve, but a transaction of this nature could be coming in the relatively near future.

Since the beginning of his tenure in Dallas during the 2018-19 season, Heiskanen has maintained relatively excellent health, as this injury will likely sideline him the longest out of any injury he’s suffered throughout his professional career. Given that the Stars have six other healthy defensemen on the roster, and the limited cap space currently possessed by the organization, Dallas may feel confident to roll forward with what they currently have.

Before his injury last night, Heiskanen was once again the top defenseman for the Stars, scoring four goals and 27 points in 37 games. He is not currently keeping pace with his offensive production from last season, but Dallas continues to lean on him in all situations, as he leads the team in average time on ice at a touch over 25 minutes a night.

In the absence of Heiskanen, look for the Stars to lean more into defenseman Thomas Harley, who now has an even larger opportunity with the organization. Although Dallas largely expected Harley to become an above-average defenseman for the team as a former first-round selection, he has exploded onto the scene this year with nine goals and 17 points in 34 games. With the awareness to play in all situations similarly to Heiskanen, Harley also sits third in the league in goals by a defenseman.