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The Dallas Stars are going to need star forward Mikko Rantanen to produce if they hope to defeat the Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs for the third time in six years — but that hasn't happened yet.
The 28-year-old was held off the scoresheet in Games 1 and 2 in Texas, while skating to a minus-three rating.
“He’s got a lot on his plate,” Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said ahead of Game 3 at Ball Arena on Wednesday night, per NHL.com's Nicholas J. Cotsonika. “I don’t think anyone should be surprised that this hasn’t come easily and all at once. I think the track record of guys in similar situations to this tells everyone in this room, including our coaching staff, that this isn’t going to be easy.”
It's obviously been a long year for Rantanen, who was blindsided by the Avalanche and traded to Carolina mid-season — a place he never planned to sign long-term.
After being flipped to Dallas at the trade deadline, and subsequently signing a massive 12-year, $96 million extension, it looks like he's found a permanent home in southern Texas. But the organization is still waiting to see results from the Finn.
“We need him, but he’s not going to win this series for us single handedly,” DeBoer said, per Cotsonika. “He’s got to play a part, but we’ve got a big group around him. Until he gets to a point where he’s making a nightly impact, other guys have to do some heavy lifting.”
Rantanen is still struggling to find chemistry with his teammates. DeBoer tried him on a line with Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson, but after the latter suffered a brutal injury in the final game of the regular-season, it's been put in a blender.
Rantanen played with Wyatt Johnston and Jamie Benn in Game 1, and DeBoer created an all-Finnish line of Rantanen, Hintz and Mikael Granlund in Game 2. But none of those combinations have worked too well.
Rantanen still trying to find chemistry with Stars teammates
“They all know each other,” DeBoer said of the Rantanen, Hintz, Granlund combination. “They get along well. They talk in Finnish, so whatever they’re saying, if it’s about me, I don’t understand, so it doesn’t bother me. But you know, I think we’ve been moving guys around. We’ve been moving Mikko around, trying to find a fit. Hopefully, we did tonight. I think those guys looked effective after we did that at the end of the first.”
While Rantanen continues to struggle, the two players that were traded for him — Martin Necas and Jack Drury — have been impactful in the series, combining for a goal and two assists along with a plus-three rating.
Regardless of how Rantanen plays, this Stars-Avalanche series could come right down to the wire, just like it did in 2020 and again last year. It's two of the best teams in the Western Conference, and both have serious Stanley Cup aspirations this spring.
But only one can make it to Round 2, and if Rantanen starts producing like he has over the last few seasons, the Stars will have a much better chance to be the Central Division behemoth that moves on.
Puck drops on Game 3 at Ball Arena just past 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.
