Major injury update hits the Stars and it’s raising serious concerns
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Miro Heiskanen and Glen Gulutzan just gave the Stars a playoff scare they did not need a week before the bracket starts.
The update out of Dallas was heavy right away. General manager Jim Nill said Heiskanen was getting an MRI on Thursday and the team expected to know more later in the day.
That is the kind of line that stops a room cold in April. When your No. 1 defenceman is heading for imaging this close to the postseason, every other detail starts to feel smaller.
And the bad news did not stop there. Nill also said Roope Hintz is not expected back in the regular season, and Dallas still is not sure whether he will be available for Game 1. He remains week-to-week.
That gives the Stars two massive questions at once. One sits on the blue line, where Heiskanen drives minutes, puck movement, and matchup stability.
The other sits right down the middle, where Hintz changes the pace of the lineup and makes life easier for Dallas's top-end skill.
This is what makes the timing so nasty. Dallas is not limping into the playoffs from a wild-card scramble. The Stars are one of the West's best teams, which makes these injuries feel even more dangerous because the expectations are real.
Stars GM Jim Nill says Miro Heiskanen is having an MRI today, and they’ll know more this afternoon.
He says they don’t expect Roope Hintz to be back in the regular season and aren’t sure if he will be available for Game 1. Still week-to-week.
He says they don’t expect Roope Hintz to be back in the regular season and aren’t sure if he will be available for Game 1. Still week-to-week.
Major injury news hits the Stars and it changes everything
The coaching piece matters too. Gulutzan only took over last July, so this group is already trying to lock in under a relatively new bench voice while heading toward the most demanding part of the season.
Now Dallas may have to open the playoffs without Hintz, and possibly with real concern around Heiskanen until the MRI results land.
That changes the conversation fast. You can survive losing a depth piece for a week. Losing one of your top centers and sweating over your franchise defenceman is a very different kind of problem.
And from a Stars angle, Heiskanen is the one that really shakes everything. There are ways to juggle lines and patch center minutes for short stretches. Replacing what he does is a much uglier puzzle.
That is why Thursday's update felt so sharp. Nill did not give panic language, but he absolutely gave concern language.
For Dallas fans, the wait on the MRI is now the whole story. The Stars still have the talent to be dangerous, but if Heiskanen is not right and Hintz is not ready, the road just got a lot steeper than it looked a few days ago.
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| POLL | ||
AVRIL 10|40 ANSWERS Major injury update hits the Stars and it’s raising serious concerns If Miro Heiskanen misses playoff time, is that too much for the Stars to overcome ? | ||
| Yes | 27 | 67.5 % |
| No | 13 | 32.5 % |
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