Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen had knee surgery on Tuesday and his status is “month-to-month,” coach Pete DeBoer told reporters.
Heiskanen, who was placed on injured reserve last week, potentially could return this season. The Stars entered Tuesday second in the Western Conference at 34-17-1 (69 points).
The 25-year-old was hurt in a collision with Vegas forward Mark Stone in the third period of 4-3 overtime road win against the Golden Knights on Jan. 28. Stone had been tripped and fell on Heiskanen’s left knee and thigh.
The recovery timeline means Heiskanen will miss the 4 Nations Face-Off scheduled for Feb. 12-20. He was selected to play for Team Finland along with Dallas teammates Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell.
Team Finland has replaced Heiskanen and injured defenseman Jani Hakanpaa of the Toronto Maple Leafs with the New York Rangers’ Urho Vaakanainen and the Buffalo Sabres’ Henri Jokiharju.
Heiskanen has 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 50 games this season and ranks seventh in the league through Monday in average ice time (25:10). He is second on the Stars with 85 blocked shots and has an active five-game points streak.
Since being drafted by Dallas with the No. 3 overall pick in 2017, Heiskanen has recorded 283 points (58 goals, 225 assists) in 475 games.
“You lose the best defenseman in the NHL, everyone has to step up,” Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger said. “That starts with me. We’ve done that all year. We’ve lost big pieces all year and we’ve rallied around it and stepped up. I can be a huge part of that. I’m focused on playing my best hockey right now until the (4 Nations Face-Off) break and trying to step up big while Miro is out. Hopefully, I can do that.”
–Field Level Media
