Mikko Rantanen was one of several star players around the NHL who suffered an injury at the Winter Olympics in February, and on Thursday, we learned just how serious the ailment was.
When speaking with the media, general manager Jim Nill revealed that Rantanen tore his MCL while representing Team Finland in Milan. It was, of course, a significant injury, and one the Dallas Stars believe he never fully recovered from despite returning in late March for the stretch run.
“I talked to you guys before the Olympics, my biggest fear was somebody was going to get hurt in this, and unfortunately, we lost three guys, so that was my biggest fear.
Mikko had an MCL tear, so a major injury. He came back because he’s very competitive. He didn’t come back too soon, but it would have been nice to have one or two more weeks to settle in. He never really got going,”
The 29-year-old Rantanen racked up 77 points (22 goals, 55 assists) in just 64 games during the regular season before tallying seven points (one goal, six assists) in six postseason games.
While he remained productive in Dallas’ first-round series against the Minnesota Wild, Rantanen never quite looked like his dominant self, which ultimately played a major role in their eventual elimination.
The Stars also notably lost star center Roope Hintz, who suffered a double hamstring tear in his first game back from the Olympics. He was never able to return, further depleting the team’s forward core in Round 1.
They will now be in for an interesting offseason in Dallas, as a team that has reached the Western Conference Final in three of the last four years looks for a way to finally get over the hump and win the Stanley Cup.
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