4 Miro Heiskanen D

Heiskanen (COVID-19 protocols) returned to practice Sunday, Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Heiskanen will be ready for the season opener against the Predators on Friday. The 2017 third overall pick is coming off a 35-point season in which he averaged 23:46 of ice time per game. The 21-year-old should continue to handle a significant role as the Stars look to repeat last year's magic.

Heiskanen didn't practice Tuesday due to the NHL's COVID-19 protocols.

The Stars' first three games have been postponed, so even though Heiskanen wasn't present for practice, he still may be available for Dallas' regular-season opener against the Lightning on Tuesday. The 21-year-old blueliner racked up 35 points in 68 games with the Stars last campaign.

Heiskanen had an assist, four shots on goal and four hits in Saturday's 3-2 double-overtime win over the Lightning in Game 5.

Heiskanen set up Joe Pavelski's game-tying goal in the third period. That assist kept Heiskanen on a point-per-game pace with six goals and 20 helpers through 26 playoff contests. The Finn has also produced 48 hits and 56 shots.

Heiskanen produced an assist, three hits and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Lightning in Game 4.

Heiskanen picked up the secondary helper on the second of Joe Pavelski's two goals in the game. The assist was Heiskanen's third point in four games in the series. The Finnish blueliner is up to 25 points (six goals, 19 helpers) in as many contests this postseason. He's added 44 hits, 32 blocked shots and 52 shots on net with a plus-8 rating.

Heiskanen scored a goal on two shots while providing four hits and one block in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 3.

Heiskanen's goal, his sixth of the playoffs, came just under seven minutes into the third period with the Stars trailing 5-1. The goal gave Heiskanen 24 points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which leads all defensemen. He also led all skaters Wednesday with 23:07 of playing time. He would likely merit strong Conn Smythe Trophy consideration as playoff MVP if the Stars were able to rally and win the series.

Heiskanen had an assist, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Heiskanen had the secondary helper on Jamie Oleksiak's go-ahead goal in the second period. The assist gave Heiskanen 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in 22 games, but he's slowed since the start of the Western Conference Finals. The Finn has just two helpers in his last six outings.

Heiskanen recorded an assist and seven hits in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Golden Knights in Game 3.

Heiskanen fed defense partner Jamie Oleksiak for the opening goal on a breakaway at 19:43 of the second period. The helper was Heiskanen's first point in the last three games. He's collected five tallies and 17 assists in 19 contests. His seven hits were also a single-game career high -- the Finn had never thrown more than four checks in a game prior to Thursday.

Heiskanen collected a pair of assists in Friday's 5-4 overtime win over Colorado in Game 7.

Heiskanen figured in on goals by Alexander Radulov and Joel Kiviranta to push his point streak to eight games. The 21-year-old defenseman has three goals and 10 assists during his streak and is Dallas' playoff scoring leader with 21 points in 16 games.

Heiskanen scored a goal on three shots and added three hits in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Avalanche in Game 6.

Heiskanen opened the scoring at 17:35 of the first period with a shot that just evaded Avalanche goalie Michael Hutchinson. The Stars' lead didn't last long, as Nikita Zadorov tied the game just 1:53 later. During a seven-game point streak, Heiskanen has three goals and eight assists. The Finn is up to five goals, 19 points and 37 shots in 15 games overall.

Heiskanen had a goal and an assist, both on the power play, in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Avalanche in Game 5.

Heiskanen was a bright spot in an otherwise ugly game Monday, as he was the only Stars blueliner to post an even plus-minus rating. The Finn has posted a pair of goals and eight assists during a six-game point streak. Through 14 contests, Heiskanen has four tallies, 14 helpers, 34 shots on net and a plus-2 rating.

Heiskanen recorded an assist, four hits and a minus-3 rating in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Avalanche in Game 3.

Heiskanen finally had some struggles, as his minus-3 rating was his worst of the season. He kept his point streak alive at four games, during which he has a goal and six assists. The Finn is up to three tallies, 12 helpers and a plus-3 rating through 12 postseason contests.

Heiskanen notched an assist in Monday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche in Game 2.

Heiskanen had the secondary helper on Alexander Radulov's go-ahead goal in the second period. The assist gave Heiskanen a three-game point streak -- he's recorded a goal and five helpers in that span. In 11 postseason games overall, he's at 14 points with 30 shots on goal and a plus-6 rating.

Heiskanen had an assist and three blocked shots in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Avalanche in Game 1.

Heiskanen had the secondary helper on Blake Comeau's first-period tally. The assist gives Heiskanen three goals and 13 points in 10 postseason outings. He's easily the highest-scoring blueliner in the playoffs, with a three-point advantage over the Canucks' Quinn Hughes.

Heiskanen potted a goal and added three assists in Thursday's 7-3 win over the Flames in Game 6.

Heiskanen's power-play tally got the Stars on the board, sparking a run of seven unanswered goals in the contest. He later assisted on Denis Gurianov's first marker of the game, a Radek Faksa power-play goal and a Joe Pavelski tally. If fantasy managers weren't paying attention before, they should be now -- Heiskanen has three goals and nine helpers through nine postseason outings. The Stars have scored a total of one goal in the three games the Finn hasn't gotten on the scoresheet.

Heiskanen recorded a power-play assist, three shots on goal and three blocked shots in Sunday's 5-4 overtime win over the Flames in Game 4.

The Finn provided the primary assists on Denis Gurianov's second-period tally. Heiskanen has been a steady presence on the scoresheet, with two goals and six helpers through seven postseason outings. He's only been held off the scoresheet twice -- both times occurring when the Stars were shut out.

Heiskanen scored two goals on four shots and went plus-3 in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Flames in Game 2.

Heiskanen's second tally saw him rush into the Flames' zone and wire the puck around the boards to John Klingberg. It came back around the boards for Heiskanen to unleash a shot from the half-wall that put the Stars up 3-1 at the time. The Finnish blueliner has been the Stars' most consistent presence on the scoresheet with two goals and five helpers in five postseason games. DFS managers may want to take note of the 21-year-old for Friday's Game 3.

Heiskanen picked up an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Flames during Game 1.

The second-year defenseman set up Denis Gurianov for the Stars' first goal of the game midway through the second period. Heiskanen now has five points, all helpers, through four games in the playoffs, and the 21-year-old has consistently been the best player on the ice for Dallas.

Heiskanen had an assist, five shots and two PIM in Sunday's 2-1 shootout win over the Blues in the round robin.

The Finn collected a helper on Joe Pavelski's tally in the final minute of regulation. Heiskanen recorded four helpers (one on the power play) and seven shots through three round-robin games. He'll be a key piece of the Stars' defense in their first-round series versus the Flames.

Heiskanen collected three assists with one shot on goal Monday in a 5-3 round-robin loss to Vegas.

It was the first career three-assist game -- playoffs or regular season -- for Heiskanen, who also paced the Stars with 23:14 of ice time. His three assists came in a five-minute stretch during the second period. The 21-year-old defenseman had eight goals and a career-high 35 points in 68 games during his sophomore regular season.

In 68 games prior to the league pausing play in mid-March, Heiskanen recorded eight goals and 27 assists.

His 35 points are tops among the Stars' defense corps and actually third on the team behind Tyler Seguin (50) and Jamie Benn (39). It's only his second NHL season, but Heiskanen's high draft selection (third overall in 2017) seems to be trending toward "justifiable" given his 0.51 points-per-game scoring output in his age-20 season.