With Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer announcing at practice on Thursday that Finnish defenseman Miro Heiskanen has been ruled week-to-week with a knee injury, the team was gearing up to play an extended period of time without one of their key players.

The star defenseman will likely be out for months, if not the rest of the season. Expect the Stars to struggle in his absence, and to have a much better understanding of their roster when he returns.

Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen is week to week with a lower-body injury, and the standout from Finland won't play in next month's 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

Heiskanen is now the third critical player the Stars have lost for an extended period of time. Tyler Seguin is out for four-to-six months following hip surgery he had done in December, and Mason Marchment has missed a month for face surgery after taking a puck to the face in late December.

Defenseman Miro Heiskanen was injured in the third period of the Dallas Stars’ 4-3 overtime victory over Vegas after taking a hit from Golden Knights captain Mark Stone.

Off, injuries are starting to pile up for star players across the league. Among them are Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov and Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who are expected to miss several weeks.

Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, head coach Peter DeBoer announced on Thursday.

The Dallas Stars could be without star defenseman Miro Heiskanen for the foreseeable future, and he might miss the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament. Heiskanen has been ruled out week-to-week with an injury.