Stars Expect Miro Heiskanen Back For Game 1, Roope Hintz Questionable For First Round
The Stars have received a mixed bag of injury news over the last several hours. In an interview with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun published this morning, general manager Jim Nill said the results of star defenseman Miro Heiskanen‘s recent imaging indicate he should be available this weekend as the puck drops on Game 1 of their first-round series against the Wild. On the flip side, head coach Glen Gulutzan said yesterday that they’ve ruled out center Roope Hintz for Games 1 and 2 and still aren’t sure if he’ll be an option in the first round at all (via Robert Tiffin of D Magazine).
Heiskanen has missed Dallas’ last two games with a lower-body injury. He left their game against the Wild on April 9 in the first period after falling awkwardly on his leg following a check from Minnesota’s Ryan Hartman. Nill said last weekend that he needed an MRI to complete his evaluation, and he was quickly ruled out for the Stars’ remaining regular-season schedule, including tonight’s finale against the Sabres. That’s of zero consequence with Dallas locked into the second seed in the Central, though.
No further missed time results in a huge sigh of relief from the entire state of Texas. There’s a strong case to be made for Heiskanen as the Stars’ most valuable player this season. After they managed to eke out a first-round win without him last year, he’s had one of the better offensive performances of his career with a 9-54–63 scoring line in 77 games while averaging 25:28 of ice time per contest with a career-high 132 blocks. But behind him, he doesn’t have the depth of support he’s had in recent years. Esa Lindell remains a shutdown extraordinaire with his +30 rating, but Thomas Harley has taken a considerable step back in both zones from last year, while Tyler Myers has had universally negative possession impacts since his acquisition from the Canucks at the trade deadline.
In the league’s most taxing first-round matchup, the Stars’ missing Heiskanen against a fully healthy Minnesota offense could have been the difference. Hintz, while still a relative household name, is a more stomachable loss given Dallas’ scoring depth. He’s played just once since the Olympic break. He dealt with an illness upon his return from representing Team Finland and then sustained a lower-body injury in his first game back that’s kept him out since the trade deadline. Still listed as week-to-week, it stands to reason he should be a second-round option if Dallas makes it there.
Hintz missed some time earlier in the year, too, with an undisclosed issue, so his regular season ends with only 53 appearances – 65% of the Stars’ schedule. One of the league’s better two-way middlemen, his 15-29–44 scoring line gave him a 0.83 points per game rate that’s right around his career average. He’s no longer the goal-scoring threat he displayed when he rattled off three straight 30-goal campaigns from 2021-24, in part due to an unusually low (for him) 11.9% shooting rate this year. He’s had a career year in the faceoff department, though, winning 59.1% of his draws.
He’s now the Stars’ #2 center in terms of production and ice time behind Wyatt Johnston, though. They’re also 18-6-4 without Hintz in the lineup this year for a .714 points percentage, better than their .660 mark with him dressed. It’s worth noting there’s a significant drop-off in their goal-scoring without him, though. Dallas has averaged 3.43 goals per game with Hintz dressed and only 3.14 without him.
At least for their first set of home games, Matt Duchene will stay down the middle in Hintz’s usual second-line slot between Jason Robertson and Mavrik Bourque. With Hintz healthy, Gulutzan has usually opted to deploy Duchene as quite the high-powered third-line option with Jamie Benn and Sam Steel. Being able to elevate Duchene into that second-line slot with his 45 points in 56 games is a testament to their wealth of scoring depth, though.
Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Stars Provide Several Injury Updates
The Stars have been one of the top teams in the NHL all season and have done so despite missing several key players for extended stretches. They also happen to be without quite a few regulars in the stretch run of the season. In an appearance on 96.7 The Ticket earlier today (audio link), head coach Glen Gulutzan provided updates on several of his players.
Earlier today, the team revealed that defenseman Miro Heiskanen was undergoing imaging for a lower-body injury. He’s set to miss the remaining three games of the regular season while Gulutzan added that he is “certainly hoping” to have his top blueliner back when the playoffs start. If he isn’t able to return, it would be the second straight postseason in which Heiskanen would miss time as he was sidelined for 10 of their 18 contests in 2025.
The other high-end player that remains sidelined for Dallas is center Roope Hintz. He sustained a lower-body last month (in his first game back following an illness that kept him sidelined after the Olympic break) and while the original hope was that he wouldn’t miss much time, he hasn’t played since. Recently, the plan was for him to get back into action before the end of the regular season but that is no longer the case. Now, the hope is that Hintz, who is still listed as week-to-week, will be ready for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Heiskanen isn’t the only Dallas defender who’s now banged up. Gulutzan indicated that Tyler Myers reaggravated an old injury on Thursday and could miss Saturday’s game against the Rangers as a result. Acquired just before the trade deadline from Vancouver, the veteran is averaging over 16 minutes per night in 13 games with his new team as he has helped stabilize the back of their back end.
It isn’t all bad news on the injury front though. Gulutzan added that center Radek Faksa and winger Michael Bunting are expected to play in multiple games before the season ends with Bunting potentially being ready on Saturday. Center Sam Steel is day-to-day with the team being hopeful that he’ll be able to return for the regular season finale on Wednesday versus Buffalo.
West Notes: Hintz, Faksa, Helenius, Hejduk
The Dallas Stars got a major boost to their forward corps yesterday when they welcomed back Mikko Rantanen. Unfortunately, they’ll likely have to wait until the Stanley Cup playoffs to have all of their forward depth back.
According to the deputy managing editor, Adam Kimelman, injured forwards Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa are more than a week and a half away from returning. Still, they are making positive strides in their recoveries, as both skated today and are expected to return for the postseason.
Like Rantanen, Faksa is dealing with an injury he suffered during the Winter Olympics in Milan. Meanwhile, Hintz has been recovering from a lower-body injury he suffered during the Stars’ loss to the Colorado Avalanche on March 6th. Regardless, being one of only two teams to have already clinched a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Stars will spend their remaining nine games ensuring home-ice advantage against the Minnesota Wild in Round One.
Additional notes from the Western Conference:
- Team content manager, Zach Dooley, shared that the Los Angeles Kings were without forward Samuel Helenius at practice today. Dooley indicated that Helenius was “dinged up” in the Kings’ loss to the Utah Mammoth last night and is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Helenius, 23, is in his second year with Los Angeles, registering four goals and eight points in 45 games throughout his sophomore campaign.
- The ECHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, the Utah Grizzlies, has brought in the son of one of the franchise’s former legends. According to Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports, the Grizzlies have signed Marek Hejduk, son of Milan Hejduk, to a professional contract. Hejduk recently concluded his collegiate career at Harvard University, scoring two goals and seven points in 32 games throughout his senior season. Over his entire tenure with the Crimson, Hejduk registered 17 goals and 32 points in 124 contests.
Stars Notes: Rantanen, Hintz, Faksa, Robertson
There’s some light at the end of the tunnel on the injury front for Dallas. Speaking on DFW The Ticket’s Bruce LeVine (all Twitter links), GM Jim Nill indicated that winger Mikko Rantanen is nearing a return to the lineup.
Injured back in the Olympics, the 29-year-old still sits third on the team in scoring despite missing the last 12 games, tallying 20 goals and 49 assists in 54 games in his first full season in Dallas. Nill noted that he has been skating on his own for the last week and is expected to accompany the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. If all goes well, he could return for one of the back-to-back games against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Dallas is only three points behind Colorado heading into tonight’s action for first in the Western Conference, a spot that would give them a much easier matchup in the first round compared to taking on Minnesota, one of the top teams in the league. Getting Rantanen back with a couple of weeks left in the season would certainly give them a boost in that pursuit.
Unfortunately for the Stars, the other injury news isn’t quite as positive. Nill added that center Roope Hintz has yet to resume skating as he continues to battle a lower-body injury that has kept him out for a little more than two weeks. At this point, the team is hopeful that the 29-year-old could be back for the final week of the season or the start of the playoffs. Hintz has played in 53 games this season, collecting 19 goals and 25 assists.
Meanwhile, Radek Faksa’s situation is even murkier. Nill noted that the center is dealing with a “unique injury” with “really no history as far as healing time.” As a result, there is no timetable for his return although they are hopeful that he could be ready for the playoffs. In his first season back with Dallas after returning in free agency this summer, Faksa has 17 points in 56 games while being their most-used forward on the penalty kill.
Nill was also asked about Jason Robertson’s contract discussions. The winger is slated to become a restricted free agent this summer where he will be owed a qualifying offer of $9.3MM. He’ll also only be one season away from UFA eligibility and could simply elect to go for a hearing, take a one-year award, and test the open market in 2027. That’s an outcome the Stars are clearly hoping to avoid.
Nill indicated that he has held discussions with Robertson’s new representation; back in January, both Robertson brothers hired Octagon’s Andy Scott as their new agent. However, with the stretch run and playoffs ahead, both sides agree that they want the 26-year-old focused on playing at the moment. That suggests that future talks have been tabled for the time being and will be rekindled in the offseason. Robertson is the leading scorer for the Stars this season, picking up 38 goals and 44 assists in 69 games. It’s the fourth straight season that he has reached the 80-point mark.
Stars Notes: Rantanen, Coleman, Hintz, Faksa
The Dallas Stars will be without their highest-paid player for a little while longer. According to radio analyst Bruce LeVine, winger Mikko Rantanen is 10 to 14 days away from returning, if not more.
Owen Newkirk of DLLS Sports offered additional context, providing a quote from head coach Glen Gulutzan, saying, “We are hoping somewhere in the 2-2.5 week range we could have him back.” At the longer end of that timeline, that means that Rantanen may not return to the Stars’ lineup until the first week of April.
Rantanen suffered his current lower-body injury during the Olympics, missing the Bronze medal game for Team Finland. Regardless, Dallas has performed remarkably well in his absence, managing an 8-0-1 record since returning from the Olympics, outscoring opponents by a margin of 21.
Additional Stars notes:
- Despite acquiring Michael Bunting from the Nashville Predators a day before the deadline, the Stars weren’t necessarily satisfied with their forward corps. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Dallas circled back with the Calgary Flames regarding Blake Coleman. Unfortunately, any potential Coleman acquisition would have necessitated the Stars moving out another contract, which they were unable to accomplish before the deadline.
- In the previous report from LeVine, he added that Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa are further away from returning than Rantanen. Hintz (lower-body) has been out for the last week and a half, but he was fortunately able to avoid surgery. Unfortunately, the outlook is more grim on Faksa, who sustained a lower-body injury in his recovery from the upper-body injury he suffered during the Olympics. He is unlikely to return during the regular season.
Roope Hintz To Miss Multiple Weeks
Last night, the Stars got a big boost up front when Roope Hintz returned to the lineup from an illness that had kept him out since the end of the Olympic break. Unfortunately for them, that will be his last game for a little while.
Hintz sustained a lower-body injury in the second period of their game against Colorado and ultimately had to be helped off the ice. Speaking with reporters today including D Magazine’s Robert Tiffin (Twitter link), Hintz is set to miss multiple weeks due to the injury. As he needs to be evaluated by another doctor, no firm timeline is available yet but the team is hopeful that Hintz will be able to return by the start of the playoffs next month.
Hintz has been productive as always this season, putting up 15 goals and 29 assists in 53 games while averaging over 17 minutes per night. The 29-year-old has been their number one center throughout the year while seeing time on both special teams units. On top of that, Hintz is their top full-time performer at the faceoff dot, winning over 59% of his draws. Suffice it to say, his loss will be significant, especially with the Stars in a tight battle for second place in the Central Division to try to secure home-ice advantage in the first round.
With 12 other healthy forwards on the roster, the Stars aren’t yet eligible for an emergency recall, one that wouldn’t count against their post-deadline regular recall limit of five. However, given that Hintz is going to be out for a while, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dallas utilize one of those five recalls from AHL Texas to ensure that they have at least one extra healthy forward available over the coming weeks.
Stars Activate Roope Hintz From Injured Reserve
March 6th: According to a team announcement, the Stars have activated Hintz from injured reserve. He’ll be back in Dallas’ lineup tonight against the Colorado Avalanche.
March 3rd: Earlier today the Dallas Stars shared that Roope Hintz has landed on injured reserve due to illness, retroactive to February 25.
Since returning from the Olympic break where he represented Team Finland and won bronze, Hintz has yet to play, missing Dallas’ last three games. Impressively they’ve won all three by a combined score of 13-4, while tonight’s action in Calgary marks the fourth straight missing their center.
A player ending up on injured reserve from sickness is rare, and while it may cause concern for his health, the timeline is a factor in the decision. With Hintz off the shelf as he heals up, Dallas has an open roster spot to work with leading up to Friday’s trade deadline. The 29-year-old will be eligible to return then, as his Stars will host the Avalanche; the only team above them in the standings. Dallas is usually active at the deadline, and considering that they’re second in the league with a window as open as ever, it figures that they’ll have some reinforcements coming.
Hintz’s fifth place standing in team scoring (44 points in 52 games) is more of an indication of how deep the Stars are up front. The Finn has an elite 59.2% faceoff win rate this year, a career best by a considerable margin, as he continues to rise as a Selke level player. The scoring has tapered off a bit after back-to-back 37 goal campaigns from 2021-23, but it’s hardly an issue considering his impact in other areas, as well as the Stars’ overall firepower.
Winners of nine straight, Dallas will march ahead without Hintz, likely to return sometime around the weekend.
Central Notes: Mikheyev, Namestnikov, Stars, Parayko
The Blackhawks showed some interest in signing pending UFA winger Ilya Mikheyev to a contract extension but now, they’ve put his name out there in trade talks, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link). The 31-year-old has 11 goals and 12 assists in 53 games this season while averaging a career-high 17:17 per night of playing time. Mikheyev has a $4.0375MM cap charge with Chicago (Vancouver is covering the rest of his $4.75MM AAV) and the Blackhawks will need to further pay that down to maximize their return. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests that the team might only be willing to go as high as two years on an extension offer for Mikheyev, albeit likely at an above-market rate. While that would allow him to potentially maximize his earnings and would keep in line with similar deals GM Kyle Davidson has done, this might be his last shot at a long-term contract. The stability of that might outweigh the value of getting top dollar.
More from the Central:
- Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov left last night’s game with a lower-body injury, relays Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press. The injury, which appeared to be a leg issue, happened early in the second period when he got tangled up with teammate Adam Lowry in the neutral zone. Head coach Scott Arniel told reporters including Wiebe (Twitter link) that the veteran is listed as out week-to-week. Namestnikov, who has been one of Winnipeg’s more versatile players this season, has seven goals and six assists through 57 outings.
- While he won’t be in the lineup tonight against Nashville, Stars center Roope Hintz is expected to skate tomorrow and travel with the team for their upcoming road trip, notes Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). He has been dealing with an illness since returning from the Olympics but it appears he’s at least nearing a return. Radek Faksa’s situation is a little more uncertain as Assimakopoulos adds that it’s unclear if he will accompany the team on the trip. The center suffered a lower-body injury at the Olympics and is currently on injured reserve although he is eligible to be activated at any time.
- Blues defenseman Colton Parayko will be scratched from today’s game against New Jersey due to back spasms, according to Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). Parayko was a regular for Canada at the Olympics and was a full participant on Thursday, logging over 21 minutes. Through 58 games this season, the 32-year-old has a goal and 13 assists along with 141 blocked shots.
Stars’ Roope Hintz Leaves Due To Injury
Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz left late in tonight’s game after taking a hard shot off his leg, and head coach Glen Gulutzan told Lia Assimakopoulos of Dallas News that there is no update at this time.
With just 1:31 remaining in regulation, in a two-goal deficit, teammate Miro Heiskanen unloaded on a one-timer. Hintz, in front of the crease, attempted to jump out of the way, but it caught him in the ankle area. The 29-year-old went down immediately and had to be helped off the ice, not putting weight on the leg. Minnesota capitalized on the play, cashing in on the empty net and putting the game out of reach.
With Tyler Seguin and Lian Bichsel both on long-term injured reserve – Seguin with a torn ACL, no less – Hintz’s injury is a significant concern. Thankfully, the team has gotten back Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene from their own injuries, but it has been a brutal stretch for Dallas health-wise. They nonetheless rank second in the league, with serious Stanley Cup aspirations.
Hintz has 26 points in 27 games this season as a bona fide top-line center. Although the Stars boast a tremendously deep roster, his status will be watched urgently with the hope that another long-term injury has been avoided. Dallas will not be in action again until Saturday, when they host the Panthers, so an update on the skilled center may not come until the weekend.
Central Injury Notes: Hintz, Duchene, Thomas, Zuccarello
The Dallas Stars will be without some significant talent ahead of the Western Conference Final rematch tomorrow night. According to team reporter Brien Rea, the Stars won’t have forwards Roope Hintz or Matt Duchene against the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night. Additionally, Jake Oettinger is also doubtful, given that he and his wife just had a child.
It’s more of the same for Duchene. The 17-year veteran will have missed Dallas’ last eight games due to an upper-body injury after tomorrow night’s contest. He’s only appeared in four games this year, scoring one goal and two assists with a 52.2% success rate in the faceoff dot.
Meanwhile, Hintz will miss his fifth straight game due to an undisclosed injury. He’s been a much bigger void to fill, given that he’s been a point-per-game player to start the campaign. Since Duchene left the lineup, the Stars have averaged two goals per game.
Other injury notes from the Central Division:
- In some positive news, the St. Louis Blues will return Robert Thomas to the lineup tonight. According to Lou Korac of the NHL, Thomas returned to practice this morning and was included in all line rushes. He’s missed the team’s last four games with an upper-body injury. Unfortunately, Thomas’s absence was notably evident, as the Blues lost all four contests.
- The positive news isn’t only isolated to St. Louis. According to Joe Smith of The Athletic, Minnesota Wild veteran Mats Zuccarello looks very close to returning. Zuccarello suffered a lower-body injury before the start of the regular season. Like Thomas, his absence has been noticeable. Despite leading the league in power-play goals, the Wild are only averaging 1.61 even-strength goals through their first 13 games.