DALLAS -- Miro Heiskanen may not be ready for the Dallas Stars by the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, coach Pete DeBoer said Tuesday.
The 25-year-old defenseman has been out since Jan. 28, when he injured his left knee in a collision with Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone in the third period.
Heiskanen had surgery Feb. 4 and the initial timeline for recovery was 3-4 months. He has 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 50 games this season while averaging a team-high 25:10 of ice time.
“That’s a realistic possibility,” DeBoer said when asked if the Stars may have to advance to the Western Conference Second Round before Heiskanen could return.
Dallas (43-21-3) won 4-3 in overtime against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday after having lost its previous two games (0-1-1). The Stars are second in the Central Division, four points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche.
They are 11-4-2 without Heiskanen, but two of those losses have been at Colorado (4-3 in overtime on Sunday) and the first-place Winnipeg Jets (4-1 on Friday).
“We’re going to get Colorado, Winnipeg, somebody really good in the first round [of the playoffs]; that’s a given,” DeBoer said. “On paper, we’re going to have similar lineups to whoever we’re playing. So that chemistry, that team identity, all those things you’re trying to establish down the stretch are going to be the things that hopefully separate you from whoever you’re playing at that time of the year because there’s not going to be a lot of skill separation on paper.”
The Stars made several moves to shore up their roster with injuries to key players such as Heiskanen and forward Tyler Seguin, who had hip surgery Dec. 4. Defenseman Cody Ceci and forward Mikael Granlund were acquired in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 1 before Dallas landed forward Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7.
Rantanen signed an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value) the same day.
DeBoer said Seguin appears to be on track to return for the playoffs. Seguin had 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 19 games this season prior to the injury.
The Stars play their regular-season finale April 16 at the Nashville Predators.
“[He’s] skating regularly, looking good and on all projections [will] be back by the end of the year,” DeBoer said of Seguin. “He’s working his tail off to get back.”
