Stars’ Lian Bichsel out at least two weeks with lower-body injury

One of the biggest players in the league (literally) is going to miss some time.

When speaking to the media on Friday, Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan announced that defenseman Lian Bichsel is going to miss the next two weeks due to a lower-body injury. Gulutzan acknowledged that the Swiss blueliner is officially listed as week-to-week.

Gulutzan also said that defender Miro Heiskanen won’t be in the lineup on Saturday, when the Stars host the Buffalo Sabres. However, the Finnish star isn’t be ruled out for Sunday’s matchup with the Florida Panthers.

Bichsel suffered the injury during Thursday night’s clash with the Winnipeg Jets. Early in the first period, Jets forward Mark Scheifele became entangled with Stars blueliner Esa Lindell. As the two started falling to the ice, Bichsel, also looking to throw a hit on Scheifele, was tripped up, apparently bending his left ankle in an awkward fashion.

Bichsel lay on the ice for several minutes before being helped off the ice by his teammates and training staff. The team later revealed that the 6-foot-7 rearguard wouldn’t be returning to the contest. He registered just 1:14 of ice time across two shifts.

The Jets went on to run away with an 8-3 thrashing.

Bichsel had appeared in each of the first 18 games of Dallas’ 2026-27 season. He has yet to find the back of the net this year, but he did post an assist in a win over the New York Islanders on Oct. 25. He has a plus/minus of -4 while averaging 15:29 of ice time per game.

The Olten native is in the final season of his three-year, entry-level contract. The deal carries an AAV of $1,418,333.

The Stars (10-6-2) sit fourth in the Central Division, holding the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.