NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche — Can Miro Heiskanen lead the Dallas Stars to their first Stanley Cup since 1999?

3 key players who can lead the Dallas Stars to victory in the 2024 NHL Western Conference Finals

Modified May 23, 2024 19:28 GMT

The Dallas Stars advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive season. In 2023, they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, Vegas Golden Knights, in seven games.

As the top team in the Central Division and the entire conference, Dallas can return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2020.

3 key players who can lead the Dallas Stars to victory in the 2024 NHL Western Conference finals

#3. Jason Robertson

During the 2022-23 season, Jason Robertson had 109 points and 46 goals. Despite witnessing a 29-point drop in production with only 80 points in 82 games this season, he's second in team scoring with 12 points in 13 playoff games.

After two rounds, he's collected three goals and nine helpers to rank as the highest-scoring forward in the Dallas lineup. Right now, Robertson is not spearheading the Dallas attack, instead acting as a contributor, with other players like Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene stepping up.

As arguably the Stars' biggest game-breaker, he's had a relatively quiet postseason. However, if he goes on a heater, the Edmonton Oilers could be in trouble, as Robertson has the tools to win games on his own.

#2. Jake Oettinger

Since making his debut in 2020-21, the Stars fanbase has been waiting for Jake Oettinger to reach his potential as a Vezina Trophy winner, a goalie who can win the Stanley Cup.

As he approaches 200 games, he's already 113-48-23 with a 21-18 record in the postseason. After playing phenomenally in the 2022 playoffs, Oettinger dragged the Stars to the Western Conference Final with some pedestrian-like numbers, including a .895 SV% and 3.06 GAA.

After missing some time during the regular season with injuries, the questions about his abilities began to rise again ahead of the playoffs. Still, Oettinger has silenced the critics with a .918 SV% and 2.09 GAA, at or near the top of all goalies left in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

If there is any definitive advantage in this series, Dallas has no questions in the goalie crease, as Oettinger is one of the best netminders still playing.

#1. Miro Heiskanen

Miro Heiskanen is yet to be a Norris Trophy finalist, but at just 24, he has plenty of time to earn those nominations. As one of the least talked about elite defensemen in the game, he's currently leading Dallas in scoring with 13 points in 13 playoff games.

Considering no one projected Dallas to be Stanley Cup contenders, let alone be in the Western Conference final, Heiskanen is one of the main reasons the team has advanced deep into the postseason while averaging over 28 minutes a night.

If Dallas reaches the Stanley Cup Final and wins, there's a good chance that Heiskanen will win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. With his performance through 13 games, if no one knew who he was beforehand, they would get a chance to watch him nationally for the next two weeks.