Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen could miss the opening round of the playoffs because of his knee injury, coach Pete DeBoer said Tuesday.
Heiskanen, 25, has been sidelined since Jan. 28 after his left knee was injured in a collision with Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone. He had knee surgery on Feb. 4.
"That's a realistic possibility," DeBoer said, when asked if Heiskanen's return may take place in the second round of the Western Conference.
Heiskanen has five goals and 25 points in 50 games this season while logging a team-best 25:10 of ice time. He was slated to play for Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament earlier this year but was eventually ruled out. He was replaced in the lineup by then-Buffalo Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju, who is now with the Boston Bruins.
Since being selected by Dallas with the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NHL draft, Heiskanen has recorded 283 points (58 goals, 225 assists) in 475 career games over seven seasons.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.