Dallas Stars’ Miro Heiskanen day-to-day with upper body injury

The Dallas Stars announced that defenseman Miro Heiskanen will be out day-to-day with an upper body injury.

The Stars made the announcement just a half hour before the start of their game against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. There’s currently no word as to whether the injury occurred during their game on Monday against the Ottawa Senators, or if it happened off the ice in between games. If it did occur during the game against the Sens, Heiskanen certainly didn’t notice, as he played 26:42 on Monday, his second highest total so far this season.

Heiskanen has been off to a solid start offensively this season, registering two goals and an assist for three points in six games so far. So far his talent hasn’t quite translated to a high-scoring season through four seasons in the NHL, as his career high is just 36 points in 70 games, which he achieved last season. However, he’ll get a lot more power play time to help that now that defenseman John Klingberg is out of the picture after signing with the Anaheim Ducks in free agency.

The injury is a huge blow to the Stars, as Heiskanen is not only the best defensemen on the team, he’s also one of the best defenders in the league. With Heiskanen out, the team is currently playing Ryan Suter, Nils Lundkvist, Esa Lindell, Jani Hakanpaa, Joel Hanley, and Colin Miller in their lineup, a solid defense core but one certainly lacking in skill and star talent, especially now the Klingberg is gone as well.

The Stars have been off to a strong start with Heiskanen in the lineup, as they have a 4-1-1 record before Tuesday’s game against the Bruins, which leads the Central Division, and is tied for third in the NHL. They’re looking to build upon a strong first round against the Calgary Flames last season with new head coach Pete DeBoer calling the shots this season.