Dallas Stars Will Find Hope In Defenseman Miro Heiskanen

Of the many players the Dallas Stars have shining for them internationally and pushing for the Calder Cup this postseason, Miro Heiskanen is among those shining brightest.

They say that healing can only happen when you learn to live, let go, and not dwell in the past. But whoever came up with this little nugget of wisdom clearly hadn’t investigated the merits of learning and analyzing history so as to keep it from repeating itself.

For example, if I️ don’t recognize and admit my ice cream binging problem, I’ll meander down that same freezer aisle again and again, continuing to get myself into the same old trouble spoonful after spoonful. If I️ never accept that I’m late by habit, then I’ll continue to faithfully and sheepishly show up 10 minutes late wherever I️ go, long after I’ve exhausted my lengthy list of viable excuses.

And we’ve gotta be honest with ourselves. The truth hurts. See, that hurt a little bit, didn’t it? The truth hurts and it will set you free- but first, it will upset you. In the case of the Dallas Stars, I️ think it’s upset all of us for far too long.

Thankfully, the Dallas Stars have become more introspective over the seasons in recognizing and addressing pressing problems hampering their play and our happiness. Goaltending woes, utter defensive breakdowns, the like. And although there are still plenty of seemingly out of stock items on that shopping list, there is one truth that, if acknowledged, has the potential to set the Stars free in the near future.

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Historically, the Stars have had the misfortune of being a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ kind of team. It’s played out mostly in their defensive end, in the most horrific of moments. The truth: the Stars have progressed defensively, but need more aware, nimble, ‘right place, right time’ defensemen. The fix: kids like Miro Heiskanen.

For Stars fans, watching the World Championships lately is as close as we’ll come to getting personalized postseason hockey. While the Dallas Stars’ stakes aren’t high in the traditional sense, the tournament is doing a lot in the way of showcasing eager young talent like Heiskanen.

You remember him from last year’s draft, where the Stars took him in the first round with the third overall pick. While he’s been playing in Finland since, Stars followers are standing up and taking notice of the defensemen especially while he represented Finland in the World Championship.

He’s present, reads risky situations well, and has that ‘right place, right time’ quality that the Stars need to stock up on. If they were having any doubts, his moment in the Canada vs. Finland toss-up against a desperate McDavid shot should say it all. Even with Finland’s completely empty net playing right into the NHL darling’s hands, Heiskanen wasn’t having it. At the eleventh hour, the defensemen poked the puck barely out of the net, helping to later secure an amazing 5-1 upset win over the Canadians.

Those who have been following his play in Finland’s SM-liiga won’t be surprised at this superhero story or the fact that it’s pretty consistent with his everyday style of play. While it’s not entirely clear whether Dallas will call him up to start next season in the NHL, it wouldn’t be for lack of zeal on Heiskanen’s part.

Next: What Can The Stars Do With The 13th Overall Pick?

However, it wouldn’t be the first time the Dallas Stars have exasperated or altogether abandoned the valuable asset of young, eager talent. But we’ll all probably have a better day if we close this thing out with an observance of the advice to learn, live, let go, and not dwell in the past. Fingers crossed that the Dallas Stars do, too.

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