Islanders' Alexander Romanov to miss the rest of the season following divisive hit from Mikko Rantanen

Mikko Rantanen has been all over the NHL headlines as of late, and after hitting Calgary Flames star Matt Coronato from behind on Saturday night, he's been handed an automatic suspension, with fans hoping that more punishment is on the way.

It's not the first time he's been given a five-minute major for a dirty hit in the past seven days, as he recently took out New York Islanders blue liner Alexander Romanov with a dirty hit to the back.

Somehow, he escaped punishment for the boarding call that many believe should have caused him to miss several games, but for some reason, the NHL's Department of Player Safety decided not to punish him at all.

Unfortunately for New York, this disgusting hit from Rantanen has some severe consequences, as the team announced on Sunday that the 25-year old defenseman will now miss the next 5-6 months as a result of the hit.

Now, the Islanders will miss a key piece of their blue line for the remainder of the season, all while Rantanen suffered absolutely no punishment, a very bad look for the NHL's DoPS and the league itself.

As for Romanov, this is a brutal blow after he found his role in New York over the past few seasons, and now, he'll have to find his way once again after dealing with this right shoulder injury that will cause him to miss the remainder of the 2025/26 regular season.