Stars Defenseman Set for Long-Awaited Return

Heiskanen, 25, last played on Jan. 28, when Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone dove at his knee during a game at T-Mobile Arena. He underwent knee surgery shortly thereafter.

The Stars previously said that they expected Heiskanen to return late in the regular season or early in the playoffs. While he unfortunately missed the entire first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche, he now seems poised to return in the midst of a fierce second-round series against the Presidents' Trophy winners.

When Heiskanen does return, however, Dallas wants to ease him back in rather than throwing him right to the wolves.

“We’re not going to put him out on the ice for 30 minutes his first game back in three months,” DeBoer said Monday, per the Dallas Morning News. “We’ll have to be smart about that.”

Even with that approach, Heiskanen's return should help take the load off some of the Stars' other top defensemen. Thomas Harley is averaging 27:11 of ice time in the playoffs, while Esa Lindell is averaging 25 minutes. Dallas' blue line has held up very well in Heiskanen's absence, but it's hard to overstate how important his return is.

Heiskanen scored 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 50 regular-season games, averaging 25:10 of ice time. He also scored 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 19 postseason games during the Stars' run to the Western Conference Final last year.

Game 4 between the Stars and Jets is set for 8 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center. Dallas leads the series 2-1 and will look to take a 3-1 stranglehold before heading back to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Thursday.