Stars D Heiskanen considered 'week-to-week' with lower-body injury
Published
Dallas Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen is going to miss time after suffering a lower-body injury in their 5-4 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, per head coach Pete DeBoer.
Heiskanen departed early in the third period after logging 14:38 of ice time and tallying an assist in the loss. In 37 games this year, the alternate captain has four goals and 27 points.
DeBoer noted that there is no plan to place Heiskanen on long-term injured reserve, but that decision could be influenced based on test results on Friday. Early reports indicate that surgery will likely not be needed to address the issue.
The 24-year-old is in his sixth season with the Stars after they selected him third overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Dallas is already without top goaltender Jake Oettinger, who has been dealing with a lower-body injury since leaving a game on December 15. If Heiskanen is to miss an extended period of time, the Stars would be down their top goaltender and top defenceman.
“Obviously, 22-, 24-plus minutes every night — he's a big part of the team,” goalie Scott Wedgewood said of Heiskanen after the loss to the Avalanche.
In 391 career NHL games, the Espoo, Finland native has 48 goals and 183 assists. He finished seventh in Norris Trophy voting last season.