The Dallas Stars have been missing a key piece on their blueline since Miro Heiskanen suffered an injury. Heiskanen has been out of the lineup since January 28 when he went down against the Vegas Golden Knights. The knee surgery robbed him of the chance to represent Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off and left Dallas without their No. 1 defenseman. However, Pierre Lebrun reported on Saturday that the Stars finally received good news about their star.

“[Peter Deboer] says it’s a step in right direction. Next step would be contact in practice. He’s not playing tonight. Heiskanen status now considered day to day,” Lebrun stated on social media.

Heiskanen was beginning to catch fire before his injury. In that game, he recorded an assist to continue a five-game point streak, and the Stars looked like one of the best teams in the league. He'll return with reinforcements, as the Stars' front office added to the “Finnish Mafia” by acquiring Mikael Granlund and Mikko Rantanen.

Granlund and Rantanen join Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, and Esa Lindell as the Finland contingent on Dallas. It's possible we see an even more comfortable Heiskanen when he returns.

Miro Heiskanen's value to the Stars

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It might be a bit of a stretch for Dallas' playoff hopes to rest on Heiskanen. However, the Stars drew the difficult assignment of facing the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. It could be one of the best series of the first round in the entire league, and fans should be rooting for some more firepower in the form of Heiskanen.

Miro Heiskanen isn't the only star player who projects to return in this series. The Avalanche could have their own European star back, which might overshadow Heiskanen. Gabriel Landeskog has been out of the Avalanche's lineup since 2022, when they won the Stanley Cup, but he is nearing a return. Adding Heiskanen and Landeskog to this series will only crank the intensity level another couple of notches.

Heiskanen is an above-average skater and a massive force for the Stars at both ends of the ice. He can help contribute to the offense to keep pace with the high-powered Avalanche offense and be a shutdown factor against players like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Stars aren't guaranteed to win if Heiskanen returns in this series, but their chances increase substantially if he does.