This past summer, Dallas Stars defenceman Marc Methot was close to being reunited with former defensive partner Erik Karlsson.
Before eventually being shipped off to San Jose, the Dallas Stars were reportedly close to landing the two-time Norris Trophy winner and four-time all-star from the Ottawa Senators.
The talk around the hockey world was that the Stars refused to part with blueline prospect Miro Heiskanen, a smooth-skating puck-mover that's now found his way into a top-four role on Stars' defensive-core with Methot, Stephen Johns and Connor Carrick all currently injured.
Currently paired with Roman Polak, Methot started out the season paired with Heiskanen and explained to Josh Clipperton of The Canadian Press that he now understands why the Stars stood their ground on not moving the third selection in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
“Now that I’ve seen him play, I wouldn’t do that, either,” Methot said.
“He’s got so much potential.”
Methot is expected to return to the Stars lineup on Tuesday and has been extremely impressed with how smart the 19-year-old Fin is out on the ice.
“The best part of his game is his head. He’s such a good pro at his age, it’s incredible. At that age, I was playing junior hockey."
On Saturday night, Heiskanen set a career high and lead the entire team in ice-time with 27:10 in the Stars' 4-3 win over the Capitals.
In 13 games with the Stars this season, Heiskanen has amassed two goals and two assists, and with the Stars needing a boost on their backend, Heiskanen could conceivably fit the bill and become a mainstay on their backend for years to come.
Even though it's still extremely early in Heiskanen's career, Methot couldn't help but see a resemblance in Heiskanen's game in comparison to Karlsson.
“They’re both extremely confident with the puck,” he said. “Miro’s obviously very young, but I can only imagine what his projection will be like in five, six years. They’re both very calm, very smart with the puck, both have fantastic vision."
