Elliotte Friedman gives bad news on Mikko Rantanen after Olympics injury
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Mikko Rantanen injury news hits the Dallas Stars hard, Elliotte Friedman says he’ll miss time after the Olympics.
Dallas is coming out of the break with a real pit in its stomach. Friedman reported Rantanen is “likely to miss some time” after a lower-body issue in Olympic play.
That matters because the Stars are right back in it on Wednesday, with Seattle next on the calendar. There’s no soft landing here.
Dallas still sits at 34-14-9, and that record screams contender. But this is the kind of absence that forces everyone up a rung.
Rantanen has been an engine in the scoring race, sitting at 20-49-69 in the regular season. If he’s out, those minutes and touches don’t magically replace themselves.
The immediate ripple is the top-six and the man advantage. Dallas can survive a night, but surviving “some time” means line combos will get messy fast.
The one small exhale is Radek Faksa. Dallas has sounded optimistic about him being ready to go when games restart.
Mikko Rantanen injury forces Dallas Stars to adapt fast
Stars fans are excited the break is over, but nobody wanted this kind of punch to the gut right after the Olympics.
Now the Tyler Seguin call gets louder. He had ACL surgery and the team planned to evaluate his timeline after the Olympic break, so the “big decision” angle tracks.
If Seguin can’t realistically push back in, Dallas may have to treat this as a depth problem, not a temporary inconvenience.
Nestler also noted the Stars don’t have clarity on when their USA group returns from the post-Olympics swirl. That’s another wrinkle for practice reps and chemistry.
The safest bet is a heavier load for Jason Robertson and the usual drivers, with more dump-and-recover hockey to protect the blue line.
Wednesday will tell us a lot, because the Stars won’t get sympathy points when the puck drops.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
The real reason Sidney Crosby is scratched today revealed
The real reason Sidney Crosby is scratched today revealed
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 23|136 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman gives bad news on Mikko Rantanen after Olympics injury Will Mikko Rantanen missing time change the Dallas Stars season? | ||
| Yes | 89 | 65.4 % |
| No | 47 | 34.6 % |
| List of polls | ||