Stars stalwart defenseman Miro Heiskanen out indefinitely with mononucleosis
Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen hasn't played since March 2, missing the past three games with an illness. It appears the 22-year-old will continue to be sidelined for some time.
Per the NHL's website, Heiskanen has been diagnosed with mononucleosis. He will be out indefinitely and has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to March 2. Thus far, Dallas has gone 2-1-0 without Heiskanen, including a 2-1 loss at the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
It's an unexpected blow for the Stars, which currently possess the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference standings but only hold a one-point advantage over the Edmonton Oilers in the pursuit of that berth. As The Athletic's Saad Yousuf noted, Stars coach Rick Bowness said on Tuesday he believed at that time Heiskanen "should be back" for Saturday's home matchup against the New York Rangers.
Things clearly changed Thursday:
According to ESPN stats, Heiskanen leads the Stars with an average ice time of 24:46 per contest and is tied for third on the team with 25 assists. He's also tallied four goals across 52 games this season.
For a piece published after Bowness confirmed the Heiskanen news, Yousuf wrote that this development shouldn't alter Dallas' plans ahead of the March 21 trade deadline unless the club falls apart over the next five games and becomes a seller less than two weeks from now.
Since Jan. 20, the Stars have gone 14-5-1 in their last 20 contests.
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