Miro Heiskanen Exits Game With Upper-Body Injury

Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen left and did not return to tonight’s game against the Capitals due to an upper-body injury, the team announced. Heiskanen exited after his first shift of the second period, during which he took a hit from Capitals forward Justin Sourdif.

While the severity of the injury remains to be seen, any absence would be a significant loss for Dallas’ blue line. The 27-year-old entered tonight with three goals and 11 points in 14 games while averaging 25:58 of ice time. He continues to anchor the Stars’ top pairing alongside fellow Finn Esa Lindell.

The two logged roughly 1,022 minutes together last season, the seventh-most of any defense pair in the league. Heiskanen is also central to both of Dallas’ special teams units. Last season, he was the only player in the NHL to average more than three minutes per game on both the power play (3:27) and the penalty kill (3:06).

Those minutes came in a strong bounce-back year. After a knee injury and surgery cost him most of the 2024-25 campaign, Heiskanen posted 63 points (nine goals, 54 assists) in 77 games last season. He ranked ninth among NHL defensemen in scoring and fourth among all players in average ice time at 25:28, and he set a career high with 132 blocked shots. He also helped Finland win bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympics with five points in six games and led all Olympic skaters in average ice time.

The third overall pick in 2017 entered tonight with 357 career points in 566 games and is 13 assists shy of 300.  Heiskanen is signed through 2028-29 on an eight-year, $67.6MM contract he signed in July 2021.