The Dallas Stars just got hit with some tough news about their star defenseman Miro Heiskanen. He’s heading for knee surgery, and the team says he’ll be out on a month-to-month basis.
For a team with serious Stanley Cup dreams, losing one of the NHL’s best defensemen should be devastating.
But here’s the interesting part – this might actually help Dallas make a bigger splash before the trade deadline.
Heiskanen isn’t just good – he’s elite. He’s the kind of player who’s always in the conversation for the Norris Trophy, given to the NHL’s top defenseman. But the timing of his injury could be a blessing in disguise.
The Stars are sitting pretty in the playoff race. They’re basically a lock to make it, even without Heiskanen for a while. And he should be back in time for when the games really matter – the playoffs.
Here’s where it gets clever: With both Heiskanen and Tyler Seguin on the shelf, Dallas could put them on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and free up about $14 million in salary cap space.
That’s huge money to play with at the trade deadline.
The best part? Once the playoffs start, the salary cap disappears. So Heiskanen could come right back into the lineup alongside any new players they pick up.
We’ve seen this move before. Both Vegas and Tampa Bay used this LTIR strategy in recent years – and both ended up winning the Stanley Cup.
The Stars are already making moves, having just grabbed Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from San Jose for a first-round pick.
After making it to the Western Conference Finals two years running, Dallas knows their championship window is wide open right now.
Draft picks and prospects are nice, but Stanley Cup banners hang forever. Sometimes what looks like bad news can turn into exactly what a team needs.
