2025-2026 Report Card: Miro Heiskanen falls out of the Norris race, but still remains a part of the conversation

The Bret Hart of professional hockey.

• Cap: $8.45M (Year 6 of 8)

• GP: 77

• Goals: 9

• Assists: 54

• Points: 63

• Postseason: 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points

• xSPAR: 3.2 extra points in the standings

Puck knowers are already firmly aware that the best defensive defenseman on the Stars roster is Miro Heiskanen. And it’s never been close. And it never will be close. The amount of skill and intelligence he has in getting the puck out, with possession, under pressure, and that conversion from one phase shift to the next is what next level defending is all about. Of course, it wasn’t Heiskanen’s best year if we’re looking at only the raw materials of defending, but that has a clear explanation. We won’t dig too much into that but we won’t ignore it either.

I don’t know if this is appropriate, but was certainly nice to see Heiskanen show that despite his shutdown DNA, he’s still pretty talented with the puck. While he’ll never put up Cale Makar numbers, the fact that his offense is so incidental and yet he could still crack the top 10 in defensemen scoring — his 63 points was above some big names, but ninth overall behind only the other big names — is a testament to what Heiskanen brings on his best day. It’s easy to get lost in the numbers, and the confusion of what the Norris Trophy is supposed to represent. It’s even easier to ask for more. But hopefully watching defenders like K’Andre Miller lead Carolina in minutes and eventually a Cup was a stark rejoinder to all of that. Being able to raise the floor of your team is just as critical as being able to raise its ceiling. Few players embody this trait better than Heiskanen.