The NHL Olympic break is coming to an end, and players are returning to their respective franchises. Finland fell to Canada in the semifinals, but would go on to win the bronze medal.
In the semifinal against Canada, Team Finland and Dallas Stars' forward Mikko Rantanen was injured. Now, there are rumors about his future status and potential to miss time, per Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
“Rantanen got hurt here. I think he's going to miss some time. I don't believe it's season-ending, but I think he's going to miss some time,” Friedman said.
The forward was injured in the third period against Canada in the semifinal and then missed the bronze medal game. Finland went on to defeat Slovakia 6-1 without Rantanen to take home a medal. He was spotted walking out to celebrate with his team after the victory, according to Dallas Stars beat reporter Sam Nestler.
“All smiles,” Nestler wrote about Rantanen heading to the celebration. He did add that the forward was walking with a slight limp.
The Stars are in the middle of a playoff race, and any missing time would be a blow to the team. At 34-14-9 on the season, they are a point behind the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division.
“One of the interesting questions is going to be when we get back, who's in and who's out, and who's out for how long?” Freidman added on his podcast.
Players being injured at the Olympics could have an impact on the NHL trade deadline, which is quickly approaching. The Olympic trade freeze has ended, and teams can now return to finalizing deals and working on trades. The trade deadline is Mar. 6 at 3 p.m. ET, meaning teams have less than two weeks to evaluate their teams, including injuries, and see what moves need to be made.
The Stars return to play on Wednesday night, hosting the Seattle Kraken. They surely are hopeful to have more answers on the status of their star forward before the content.
