Name: Miro Heiskanen

Number: 4

Age: 25

Birthplace: Espoo, Finland

Height/Weight: 6-2, 195

2023-24 stats: 9 goals, 45 assists for 54 points in 71 games

Contract: In third year of eight-year deal that has a salary cap hit of $8.45 million

Performance evaluation: Like many of his teammates, Miro Heiskanen saw a dip in his numbers from the previous season. After setting a career-high in points at 73 (11 goals, 62 assists) in 2022-23, Heiskanen fell to 54 (9 goals, 45 assists) in 2023-24. He played eight fewer games due to injuries, and he also played a minute less per game (24:32 from 25:29), so those were mitigating factors. But several individuals took a step back after the initial numbers boost of Pete DeBoer’s system. All of that said, the team was better and Heiskanen was a big part of that. In addition, the veteran helped Thomas Harley take a big step forward with his leadership. With 425 regular-season games under his belt, Heiskanen has made himself one of the most consistent blueliners in the NHL. He might never generate the numbers needed to win a Norris Trophy, but he definitely has earned the respect of peers from both inside and outside of Dallas. He sets the table for the Stars, and that’s the way it is looking to stay for years to come.

Expectations for 2024-25: While Heiskanen’s consistency creates all sorts of solutions for the Stars, it does make it challenging for him. The left-handed defenseman has played the right side for the majority of his career, and the Stars seem comfortable with that. Still, Dallas lost Chris Tanev (righty), Jani Hakanpää (righty) and Ryan Suter (lefty) in the offseason, and added Matt Dumba (righty), Ilya Lyubushkin (righty) and Brendan Smith (lefty). With Nils Lundkvist (righty) returning, there is the option to move Heiskanen back to the left side, but the question is whether Dumba, Lundkvist or Lyubushkin is the right fit to play beside him. If Heiskanen plays beside Harley (lefty), that will make for the possibility of two righties on a pair, and that is ironic. The guess is that all the speculation will result in Heiskanen playing with several different partners again this season. He can do that and succeed, as we have seen throughout the past two seasons. The one area of concern brought about by last season was the fact it sure looked like Heiskanen wore down throughout the grueling 19-game playoffs. With Dallas shuffling five defensemen for a good deal of the postseason, you could argue that it took its toll on Heiskanen. The hope is the added depth – and the potential for defenseman Lian Bichsel (lefty) becoming a lineup regular at some point in the season – should allow better management of Heiskanen’s long-term energy.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @MikeHeika.