Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen is week-to-week with a lower-body injury after a hit from Vegas captain Mark Stone. Heiskanen won’t participate in next month’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Stars coach Pete DeBoer shared Thursday that Heiskanen underwent an MRI and would see a specialist for more details about his injury.
The Finnish general manager, Jere Lehtinen, who used to play for Dallas, contacted the Stars and Heiskanen to inform them of the decision to rule him out of the tournament.
Finland’s coach, Antti Pennanen, expressed sadness about the news, saying, “This is really sad news, first and foremost for Miro himself, but of course also for the Finnish 4 Nations Face-Off team and Dallas. We don’t know the details of the injury yet, but we hope that Miro will be back in playing condition as soon as possible.”
A replacement player will be chosen for the Finnish team, but Lehtinen didn’t give a specific timeline.
Heiskanen’s injury occurred in the third period of the Stars’ 4-3 overtime win over Vegas on Tuesday. He was hit by Stone, who fell into Heiskanen’s left knee and thigh after being tripped. Stone wasn’t fined or suspended for the incident.
Stone, who was penalized for tripping, clarified that he didn’t intend to injure Heiskanen. DeBoer, who previously coached Stone in Vegas, commented that he didn’t see Stone as a dirty player, though he questioned why officials didn’t review the play for a possible five-minute major penalty. There was a brief altercation between the teams while Heiskanen was on the ice.
The 4 Nations tournament will be held from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston. This tournament is the first international competition with NHL players in nearly ten years.
Heiskanen’s injury is a significant loss for the Stars, who have reached the Western Conference Final in the past two seasons. Dallas is currently second in the Central Division, with Colorado and Minnesota close behind.
Heiskanen has been a key player for the Stars since debuting at 19 in 2018, after being drafted third overall in 2017.
