Dallas is 2-2-0 in the four games without Heiskanen, including road wins over Winnipeg and Minnesota, a close loss at Nashville in a defensive struggle, and a wild 7-4 home loss to the Rangers on Saturday. It's a mixed bag so far, but that's sort of what the Stars' season has been this year. Finding consistency could be even more important now that the leading puck-lugger is out.
"He's a huge part of this team," said defenseman Ryan Suter, who's been partnered with Heiskanen in recent weeks and will likely see his minutes continue to rise. "He's good in every situation, he's calm, he can skate, he makes great plays and he's a great player. With him being out, we're going to have to reset and refocus, and just get back to keeping it simple."
That'll be a little tougher than it sounds. The Stars have some great depth on defense, but they have to find the right way to mix it up. Suter, for example, has been great at age 37. However, the one-time NHL minutes leader was reduced down to about 22 a game last season with Minnesota. In his first year with the Stars, Suter started at about the same level. In more recent games, he's been closer to 25, and last week in Nashville he clocked 28:51.
That's a huge jump.
Meanwhile, 29-year-old Jani Hakanpää has been a depth defenseman for much of his career, but he's jumped up into the mid-20s in recent games as he tries to fill in for Heiskanen on a pairing with Suter.
"It's been fun," Hakanpaa said. "It's a lot of fun playing with Ryan]. He's a great player and I'm just trying to learn from him. He's been around the business for a long time."
The Stars also have a solid veteran pairing in John Klingberg and Esa Lindell, and both are used to big minutes. They often play together, or Klingberg has shared time with 20-year-old rookie Thomas Harley, as well. Harley and veteran Joel Hanley typically eat up third pairing minutes, but head coach Rick Bowness said the team has to be flexible.
"Well, it's impossible to keep the two pairs together," Bowness said when asked about the need for versatility. "You have the power play in there and you have a penalty kill in there. You get matchups and there are some things you guys don't see sometimes is that some guy is getting a blade replaced and we want him on the ice, and he can't go because he's getting something done or he's not ready to go. So, the way it's structured now we're not going to have three set duos."
Which means simple is a goal, but not always a reality.
Veteran Andrej Sekera has been battling a illness and is on IR, but he could return soon. If he does, he would offer some options, especially with the team playing a back-to-backs next weekend.
"He knows how to play, and he knows what we've been doing, so he can slide right in there," Bowness said. "He can play left/right, he can kill penalties, so he'll be good."
And, truth be told, the key to simple really is simply staying within yourself.
"All we're going to do is ask them to play their best," Bowness said. "They're not Miro, so just play to your level and play consistently. We're not going to ask them to do something you can't do."
So, while the team really has no idea when Heiskanen might be ready to play again - or how the illness will affect him when he does return - they're ready to go forward with the players they have.
"Other guys have to step up," Suter said. "Other guys are depended on more. When you lose good players, everyone has to pick up the slack."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
[Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.
